Keith Moore Mitchell was born in New York City on September 20, 1927, Red showed an early interest in both music and how things work. While growing up in New Jersey, he was encouraged by both his mother, who loved nature and poetry, and his engineer father, who loved music and could explain how things worked. After nine years of piano lessons, four years of alto sax and clarinet and an engineering scholarship to Cornell, he started playing bass in the army in 1947…
On November 8, 1992 Red died of a stroke just 10 months after he and his wife, Diane, had returned to the USA where they had settled in Salem, Oregon. A Memorial Fund has been set up in his name to complete unfinished projects and further the legacy of his life and his mastery of the acoustic bass. The first Red Mitchell Memorial Fund Scholarship was awarded to bassist Larry Holloway on February 8, 1997…please read the entire Red Mitchell biography here…
Fite is positively ebullient…has a distinctive sound…Mitchell is a delight…Mark this tribute to the joys of spontaneous creation down as one of the most accurately titled recordings ever. Recommended. – David Dupont, Cadence Continue reading
“NOTES FROM NEW YORK” is a sampler of the New Artists’ catalog, not so much a “greatest hits” collection, as an overview that features virtually all the talented musicians that have recorded for the label. Each of the performances rewards repeated listenings… This independent label’s future looks quite bright as it continues to infuse jazz with feeling, creativity, and fresh ideas.” — Scott Yanow, Editor, All Music Guide To Jazz. Continue reading