Rob Mazurek Exploding Star Orchestra | Matter Anti-Matter | RogueArt Jazz

Out of the 63 or 67 satellites around Jupiter, fifty or more of them were discovered since the year 2000 (since the “elections” of George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin, since the busting of the Internet bubble and the market launch of the first USB key: it’s all a question of scale, right?). We are told their orbits are far apart, eccentric, inclined and retrograde. That they do as they please, heads in the clouds, that they dance. It’s your turn to dance. You understand you are a moon in all its phases simultaneously. Let me say that again. Anybody can be the root, says Roscoe Mitchell. Everything is seed, says Novalis. Ascension Dream Phoenix, says Rob Mazurek. A feast. — Alexandre Pierrepont (translation Romain Tesler) Continue reading

Roscoe Mitchell | Nicole Mitchell | Black Earth Ensemble| Three Compositions | Live at Sant’Anna Arresi | RogueArt Jazz

Despite the compositions’ respective demands Nicole Mitchell and Black Earth Ensemble fully and vividly represented Roscoe Mitchell’s varied means of creating chemistry between written and improvised materials. At every turn in the program, they played with a palpable sense of familiarity and ease with the composer’s vernacular and methods. They sounded like they’ve been playing this music every night for a long time. — Bill Shoemaker, excerpt from the liner notes Continue reading

Roscoe Mitchell & David Wessel | Contact | RogueArt Jazz

David Wessel, despite whatever label on can attach to his music is very familiar with the musical object commonly called jazz (never mind the name we give to this music which is both one and multiple, pushing the limits of its frontiers, the importance being that it exists, whatever the label). He has also played with George Lewis, Steve Lacy to name but a few; several times during later meetings, David told me of his admiration for the drummer Oliver Johnson, found dead in tragic circumstances one morning in March 2002 in the Halles square in the heart of Paris… Roscoe Mitchell Mitchell, from the Art Ensemble of Chicago to his performances with Thomas Buckner, to his Note Factory and numerous other groups, is not a stranger to adventure as long as it serves the cause of music… This duo is an evidence in itself. When we know that their first musical encounter dates from the 80’s (as witness a first concert in 1986 at IRCAM), we can only be surprised that their musi has not been diffused more widely… Roscoe Mitchell and David Wessel are of those, each in his own right, who push musical expression to its furthest limits. No cold rigour her, no search of form for form’s sake; music, complex, refined, is warmly offered to the audience. — Michel Dorbon, excerpt from the liner notes Continue reading

Roscoe Mitchell | Corey Wilkes | Craig Taborn | Jaribu Shahid | Tani Tabbal | Roscoe Mitchell Quintet | Turn | RogueArt Jazz

It’s been many years since the multi-facetted art of Roscoe Mitchell overwhelm us whether with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, or his Note Factory, or his solo performances or so many projects with so many giants. However, we know that Roscoe Mitchell still has much to say. Incredible as it may seems, this here quintet generously offers yet another dimension of his music. The first striking thing in “Turn” is how Mitchell perfectly controls such an elaborate speech while, rich as may be the written parts, they never hamper the freedom to ad lib. And that’s why each new listening at “Turn”, each of Turn’s turns (and there are many), bring new emotions and wonderful surprises. Roscoe Mitchell unquestionably is the architect of this refined musical building called “Turn”; however, without such great musicians as Corey Wilkes, Craig Taborn, Jaribu Shahid and Tani Tabal, the other members of the quintet, we wouldn’t have entered it so easily. For all these reasons, we dare say “Turn” is a masterpiece. And we do mean masterpiece! Continue reading

Roscoe Mitchell | Vincent Davis | Harrison Bankhead | Roscoe Mitchell Trio | No Side Effects | RogueArt Jazz

Higher and higher! Each time we think Roscoe Mitchell has reached the top, he comes back with another groundbreaking recording and this new opus is no exception to the rule. Thanks to three perfectly balanced and complementary musicians, Roscoe Mitchell finds all necessary space to spread his genius. Bringing all necessary understanding and vigour to his music, Harrison Bankhead on bass and Vincent Davis on drums take this recording to the top. Like he gets us used to, Roscoe Mitchell has improvisation and composition intimately cohabit with perfect control. They don’t come up against each other but complement one another with spontaneity, sophistication, smoothness, conviction and flickness. « No Side Effects » is the best possible evidence Roscoe Mitchell still has a lot to say and will keep on surprising us. Continue reading

Alexandre Pierrepont | Mike Ladd | Maison Hantee | RogueArt Jazz

On one level, both music and poetry are very much the same, that being sound – at least the spoken word would be. Here in “Haunted House” is a sound design or shape being put forth with multiple meanings psychoacoustically, linguistically, musically that I can only say very little about in terms of meaning, since ultimately it’s meaning will be with each individual who experiences this work. This rhythmic engagement between these two art forms create a third reality of sound gestures and events that collide and integrate. Yet knowing these facts it still does not allow me to analyze or describe exactly what “Haunted House” is. Hopefully this experience will be a catalyst at some level for good. — Henri Threadgill, excerpts from the liner notes Continue reading

Roscoe Mitchell | Thomas Buckner | Nils Bultmann | Joseph Kubera | Vartan Manoogian | Stephen Rush | William Winant | Joan Wildman | Hans Sturm | Numbers | RogueArt Jazz

In the 45 years since he recorded Sound, Roscoe Mitchell’s music has steadily evolved and diversified, making the idea of a comprehensive one-disc survey an impossibility. However, as much as any album, the both/and nature of Roscoe Mitchell’s music is vividly represented on Numbers. — Bill Shoemaker, excerpts from the liner notes Continue reading