''Nonaah'' is a

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

recorded in 1976-77 by

Roscoe Mitchell Roscoe Mitchell (born August 3, 1940) is an American composer, jazz instrumentalist, and educator, known for being "a technically superb – if idiosyncratic – saxophonist". ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' described him as "one of the key figures ...

. It was originally released on the Nessa label in 1977 and features solo, duo, trio and quartet performances by Mitchell, Anthony Braxton,

Malachi Favors Malachi Favors (August 22, 1927 – January 30, 2004) was an American jazz bassist who played with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Biography "Favors's tendency to dissemble about his age was a well-known source of mirth to fellow musicians of his g ...

, Muhal Richard Abrams, George Lewis, Henry Threadgill, Joseph Jarman, and Wallace McMillan. The 2008 double CD reissue added five unreleased saxophone solos to the album.

Reception

The 2008 All About Jazz review by Clifford Allen states “Nonaah is extraordinarily confrontational music--it presents instrument, composer and materials in a profoundly naked light. Perhaps more important than opening up one's preconceptions about the saxophone, it also complicates the AACM aesthetic.”Allen, C
Roscoe Mitchell: Nonaah
September 28, 2008. Track 1 - the first version of Nonaah - was recorded in front of an initially hostile audience that had expected a solo concert by Anthony Braxton. Mitchell responds to the jeering and heckling from a section of the audience by forcefully playing an angular 3 second phrase that crosses the entire range of the alto saxophone and repeating that phrase for about 7 minutes and for a further 2 minutes breaks apart the phrase. Having at last silenced the hecklers his improvisation takes a quieter, more sweet toned direction and moves into more conventional free improvisation, ending with audience applause.

Track listing

''Original Double LP:'' * Side One # "Nonaah" - 21:52 * Side Two # "Ericka" - 7:57 # "Nonaah" - 1:15 # "Off Five Dark Six" - 6:26 # "A1 Tal 2La" - 8:44 * Side Three # "Tahquemnon" - 5:47 # "Improvisation 1" - 12:53 * Side Four # "Ballad" - 4:46 # "Nonaah" - 17:34 :* "Side One and Two tracks 1-2 recorded live on 23 August 1976 in Willisau, Switzerland (solo concert). Side Two track 3 and Side Three track 1 recorded on 17 January 1977 in Chicago, IL. Side Two track 4 and Side Four track 1 recorded on 22 February 1977 in Chicago, IL. Side Three track 2 recorded live on 15 January 1977 at Mapenzi, Berkeley, CA (solo concert). Side Four track 2 recorded on 22 January 1977 in Chicago, IL. ''The 2008 CD reissue added the following saxophone solos as bonus tracks:'' * "Sing" - 6:15 * "Improvisation 2" - 3:44 * "Sing" - 7:42 * "Chant - 9:14 * "Off Five Dark Six" - 7:23 :''All compositions by Roscoe Mitchell''

Personnel

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

* Anthony Braxton:

sopranino saxophone The sopranino saxophone is the second-smallest member of the saxophone family. It is tuned in the key of E, and sounds an octave higher than the alto saxophone. An F sopranino (an octave above the F alto (also called mezzo-soprano) saxophone) w ...

(Side Two track 3) *

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

(Side Two track 4) * Muhal Richard Abrams: piano (Side Three track 1) * George Lewis: trombone (Side Three track 1) * Henry Threadgill: alto saxophone (Side Four track 2) * Joseph Jarman: alto saxophone (Side Four track 2) * Wallace McMillan: alto saxophone (Side Four track 2)

References

{{Authority control 1977 albums Nessa Records albums Roscoe Mitchell albums