''Roscoe Mitchell Quartet'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell recorded in 1975 and released on the Canadian Sackville label.

Background

The album documents a two nights performance promoted by saxophonist and journalist Bill Smith, co-founder of

Sackville Records Sackville Records was a Canadian record company and label that specialized in jazz.Gardner/Kernfeld, "Sackville". '' Grove Jazz'' online. In 2011, with Sackville defunct, Delmark Records acquired its catalogue. Sackville was founded in 1968 in ...

, at A Space, an artist-run gallery in downtown

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

.Conrad, Thomas
''Live at "A Space" 1975'' review
at ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growt ...

'' The quartet is a chamber-like ensemble composed of Mitchell, pianist

Muhal Richard Abrams Muhal Richard Abrams (born Richard Lewis Abrams; September 19, 1930 – October 29, 2017) was an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the free jazz medium. He recorded and toured the Uni ...

, co-founder of the AACM, trombonist George E. Lewis, a 23-year-old in his debut recording, and Detroit-native guitarist Spencer Barefield. Mitchell is strongly associated with the influence of "classical" avant-garde, both European and American. If the

Art Ensemble of Chicago The Art Ensemble of Chicago is an avant-garde jazz group that grew out of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians ( AACM) in the late 1960s. The ensemble integrates many jazz styles and plays many instruments, including "little ...

formed a key part of Mitchell's expression, this band and later versions of their Sound Ensemble would permit him to emphasize the purely sonic interest of his earlier work.CD edition liner notes by Stuart Broomer

Music

Mitchell recorded the piece "Tnoona" previously with the

in 1973 for the '' Fanfare for the Warriors'' album, where Abrams was also present. "Music For Trombone & B Flat Soprano" is a duo credited to Lewis. "Cards", a piece in which each player is given six cards with musical notation that can be arranged in any order and any tempo,Allen, Clifford
''Live at "A Space" 1975'' review
at Point of Departure demonstrates Mitchell's interest in chance procedures and the radical dismantling of form in the manner of John Cage. "Olobo" is performed as a trombone solo by Lewis. In 2013

Delmark Records Delmark Records is an American jazz and blues independent record label. It was founded in 1958 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. The label originated in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1953 when then owner, and founder, Bob Koester released a record ...

, which purchased the catalog of the Sackville label, reissued the album under the title ''Live at "A Space" 1975'' augmented with 20 minutes of previously unissued material.Delmark salvages a classic album from Roscoe Mitchell
at '' Chicago Reader'' The four bonus tracks include a reading of

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

's classic ballad ''

Naima "Naima" ( ) is a jazz ballad composed by John Coltrane in 1959 that he named after his then-wife, Juanita Naima Grubbs. Coltrane first recorded it for his 1959 album '' Giant Steps'', and it became one of his first well-known works. History Co ...

'' with an extensive prelude, and a short ensemble version of his signature piece "Nonaah", which Mitchell originally wrote as a solo saxophone before the Art Ensemble played it also for '' Fanfare for the Warriors''.

Reception

In his review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, Brian Olewnick states about the original album "''Roscoe Mitchell Quartet'' is a long-neglected minor classic and well worth hearing" The

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

review by Hrayr Attarian says about the Delmark reissue that "listening to this exquisite disc is, without a doubt, demanding but it is also a rewarding and thrilling aural and intellectual ride."Attarian, Hrayr
''Live at "A Space" 1975'' review
at

Track listing

:''All compositions by Roscoe Mitchell except as indicated'' # "Tnoona" - 6:46 # "Music for Trombone & B Flat Soprano" ( George E. Lewis) - 14:34 # "Cards" - 9:58 # "Olobo" - 9:38 ''Live at "A Space" 1975'' (Delmark CD reissue) # "Prelude to Naima" - 9:00 # "Naima" (

)- 2:29 # "Tnoona" - 6:46 # "Music for Trombone & B Flat Soprano" ( George E. Lewis) - 14:34 # "Cards" - 9:58 # "Olobo" - 9:38 # "Dastura" - 5:55 # "Nonaah" - 2:12

Personnel

* Roscoe Mitchell - B flat

soprano sax The soprano saxophone is a higher-register variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument invented in the 1840s. The soprano is the third-smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists (from smallest to largest) of the soprillo, sop ...

alto sax 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 ten ...

tenor sax The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the Alto saxophone, alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

* George E. Lewis -

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

*Spencer Barefield -

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

References

{{Roscoe Mitchell 1976 live albums Roscoe Mitchell live albums Sackville Records live albums