Roscoe Mitchell (born August 3, 1940) is an American composer,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

instrumentalist, and educator, known for being "a technically superb – if idiosyncratic – saxophonist". ''

The Penguin Guide to Jazz ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled b ...

'' described him as "one of the key figures" in

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretica ...

jazz;''

'' by Richard Cook, Brian Morton, et al. p. 916, eighth edition All About Jazz stated in 2004 that he had been "at the forefront of modern music" for more than 35 years. Critic

Jon Pareles Jon Pareles (born October 25, 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''.The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' has mentioned that Mitchell "qualifies as an iconoclast". In addition to his own work as a bandleader, Mitchell is known for cofounding 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 ...

and the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians ( AACM).

History

Early life

Mitchell was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

, United States. He also grew up in the Chicago area, where he played saxophone and clarinet at around age twelve. His family was always involved in music with many different styles playing in the house when he was a child as well as having a

secular music Non-religious secular music and sacred music were the two main genres of Western music during the Middle Ages and Renaissance era. The oldest written examples of secular music are songs with Latin lyrics.Grout, 1996, p. 60 However, many secular ...

background. His brother, Norman, in particular was the one who introduced Mitchell to jazz. While attending Englewood High School in Chicago, he furthered his study of the clarinet.'' Roscoe Mitchell: In Search of the Super Musician'' by Jack Gold, Allaboutjazz.com, October 23, 2003 In the 1950s, he joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

, during which time he was stationed in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German: ') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914, of which roughly a quarter consisted of students ...

, Germany and played in military parades with fellow saxophonists

Albert Ayler Albert Ayler (; July 13, 1936 – November 25, 1970) was an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist, singer and composer. After early experience playing R&B and bebop, Ayler began recording music during the free jazz era of the 1960s. Howev ...

and Rubin Cooper, the latter of whom, Mitchell commented, "took me under his wing and taught me a lot of stuff". He also studied under the first clarinetist of the Heidelberg Symphony while in Germany. Mitchell returned to the United States in the early 1960s, relocated to the Chicago area, and performed in a band with Wilson Junior College undergraduates Malachi Favors (

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 ...

Joseph Jarman Joseph Jarman (September 14, 1937 – January 9, 2019) was an American jazz musician, composer, poet, and Shinshu Buddhist priest. He was one of the first members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and a member of the ...

Henry Threadgill Henry Threadgill (born February 15, 1944) is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist. He came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles rooted in jazz but with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating other genres of music. He h ...

, and

Anthony Braxton Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Ch ...

(all saxophonists). Mitchell also studied with

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 ...

and played in his band, the Muhal Richard Abrams' Experimental Band, starting in 1961.

AACM and the Art Ensemble of Chicago

In 1965, Mitchell was one of the first members of the non-profit organization

Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1965 in Chicago by pianist Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran. The AACM is devot ...

(AACM), along with

Jodie Christian Jodie Christian (February 2, 1932 – February 13, 2012)
- accessed February 14, 2012 was an American jazz pianist, n ...

(piano),

Steve McCall Stephen Harold McCall (born 15 October 1960) is an English retired footballer who now works as a Scout for Carlisle United. A defensive midfielder during his playing days, McCall built a reputation as a cultured midfield player, with immacul ...

(drums), and

Phil Cohran Kelan Phil Cohran (May 8, 1927 June 28, 2017) was a jazz musician. He was best known for playing trumpet in the Sun Ra Arkestra in Chicago from 1959 to 1961, and for his involvement in the foundation of the Association for the Advancement of Cre ...

(composer). The following year Mitchell,

Lester Bowie Lester Bowie (October 11, 1941 – November 8, 1999) was an American jazz trumpet player and composer. He was a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and co-founded the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Biography Born in ...

(trumpet),

Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre (March 24, 1936 – November 9, 2013) ...

(tenor saxophone), Favors,

Lester Lashley Lester is an ancient Anglo-Saxon surname and given name. Notable people and characters with the name include: People Given name * Lester Bangs (1948–1982), American music critic * Lester W. Bentley (1908–1972), American artist from Wisco ...

(trombone), and

Alvin Fielder Alvin Leroy Fielder Jr (November 23, 1935 – January 5, 2019) was an American jazz drummer. He was a charter member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), Black Arts Music Society, Improvisational Arts band, and wa ...

(drums), recorded their first studio album, ''

Sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by ...

''. The album was "a departure from the more extroverted work of the New York-based free jazz players", due in part to the band recording with "unorthodox devices" such as toys and bicycle horns. From 1967, Mitchell, Bowie, Favors and, on occasion, Jarman performed as the Roscoe Mitchell Art Ensemble, then the Art Ensemble, and finally in 1969 were billed as the

. The group included

Phillip Wilson Phillip Sanford Wilson (September 8, 1941 – March 25, 1992) was an American blues and jazz drummer, a founding member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and a member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Biography Born in St. Louis, Missouri, U ...

on drums for short span before he joined

Paul Butterfield Paul Vaughn Butterfield (December 17, 1942May 4, 1987) was an American blues harmonica player, singer and band leader. After early training as a classical flautist, he developed an interest in blues harmonica. He explored the blues scene in his n ...

's band. The group lived and performed in Europe from 1969 to 1971, though they arrived without any percussionist after Wilson left. To fill the void, Mitchell commented that they "evolved into doing percussion ourselves". The band did eventually get a percussionist,

Don Moye Donald Moye, Jr. (born May 23, 1946), known as Famoudou Don Moye, is an American jazz percussionist and drummer. He is most known for his involvement with the Art Ensemble of Chicago and is noted for his mastery of African and Caribbean percuss ...

, who Mitchell had played with before and was living in Europe at that time. For performances, the band often wore brilliant costumes and painted their faces. The Art Ensemble of Chicago have been described as becoming "possibly the most highly acclaimed jazz band" in the 1970s and 1980s.

Creative Arts Collective and beyond

Mitchell and the others returned to the States in 1971. After having been back in Chicago for three years, Mitchell then established the

Creative Arts Collective Creative may refer to: *Creativity, phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is created * "Creative" (song), a 2008 song by Leon Jackson * Creative class, a proposed socioeconomic class * Creative destruction, an economic term * Creative dir ...

(CAC) in 1974 that had a similar musical aesthetic to the AACM. The group was based in

East Lansing, Michigan East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County with a smaller portion extending north into Clinton County. At the 2020 Census the population was 47,741. Located directly east of the state capital ...

and frequently performed in auditoriums at Michigan State University. Mitchell also formed the Sound Ensemble in the early 1970s, an "outgrowth of the CAC" in his words, that consisted mainly of Mitchell, Hugh Ragin,

Jaribu Shahid Jaribu Abdurahman Shahid (born Glenn Henderson, September 11, 1955, Detroit) is an American jazz bassist. He plays both double-bass and electric bass. Shahid played in the band Griot Galaxy with Faruq Z. Bey in the 1970s, and became the ensemb ...

Tani Tabbal Tani Tabbal is a jazz drummer who has worked with Roscoe Mitchell, David Murray, and Cassandra Wilson. Biography By the age of 14 Tabbal was playing professionally, performing with Oscar Brown Jr. In his teens he also performed with Phil Coh ...

, and Spencer Barefield. In the 1990s, Mitchell started to experiment in

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" al ...

with such composers/artists such as

Pauline Oliveros Pauline Oliveros (May 30, 1932 – November 24, 2016) was an American composer, accordionist and a central figure in the development of post-war experimental and electronic music. She was a founding member of the San Francisco Tape Music Center ...

, Thomas Buckner, and Borah Bergman, the latter two of which formed a trio with Mitchell called Trio Space. Buckner was also part of another group with Mitchell and

Gerald Oshita Gerald Oshita (1942–1992) was an American musician, composer, and sound recordist. Oshita, who was of Japanese ancestry, lived in the San Francisco Bay Area and specialized in unusual wind instruments, particularly those of especially low reg ...

called Space in the late 1990s. He then conceived the Note Factory in 1992 with various old and new collaborators as another evolution of the Sound Ensemble. He lived in the area of

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th ...

and performed with a re-assembled Art Ensemble of Chicago. In 1999, the band was hit hard with the death of Bowie, but Mitchell fought off the urge to recast his position in the group, stating simply "You can't do that" in an interview with Allaboutjazz.com editor-in-chief Fred Jung. The band continued on despite the loss. Mitchell has made a point of working with younger musicians in various ensembles and combinations, many of whom were not yet born when the first Art Ensemble recordings were made. Mainly from Chicago, these players include trumpeter

Corey Wilkes Corey is a masculine given name and a surname. It is a masculine version of name Cora, which has Greek origins and is the maiden name of the goddess Persephone. The name also can have origins from the Gaelic word ''coire'', which means "in a caul ...

, bassist Karl E. H. Seigfried, and drummer Isaiah Spencer. In 2007, Mitchell was named

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...

Chair of Composition at

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University is a private college in Oakland, California and part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it w ...

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the ...

, where he currently lives. Mitchell was chosen by

Jeff Mangum Jeff Mangum (born 24 October 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who gained prominence as the founder, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of Neutral Milk Hotel, as well for his co-founding of The Elephant 6 Recording Company. M ...

Neutral Milk Hotel Neutral Milk Hotel was an American band formed in Ruston, Louisiana, by musician Jeff Mangum. They were active from 1989 to 1998, and again from 2013 to 2015. The band's music featured a deliberately low-quality sound, influenced by indie rock ...

to perform at the

All Tomorrow's Parties "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released on the group's 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the song came from Reed's observation of Andy Warh ...

festival in March 2012 in Minehead, England.

Teaching

Mitchell has taught at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Uni ...

, the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

, and the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

. From 2007 to 2019 Mitchell has taught at

in Oakland, California.

Awards and honors

The following are referenced from Mitchell's biography at the official AACM website. Awards * ''DownBeat'' magazine: Talent Deserving Wider Recognition, Best Jazz Group (Established, Art Ensemble of Chicago), Record of the Year (''

Nonaah ''Nonaah'' is a double album recorded in 1976-77 by Roscoe Mitchell. It was originally released on the Nessa label in 1977 and features solo, duo, trio and quartet performances by Mitchell, Anthony Braxton, Malachi Favors, Muhal Richard Abrams ...

'') * Madison Music Legend, ''Madison'' magazine * Certificate of Appreciation, St. Louis Public Schools Role Model Experiences Program * Certificate of Appreciation, Art Ensemble of Chicago (

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Found ...

) * Honorary Citizen of Atlanta, Georgia * International Jazz Critics Poll * Jazz Personality of the Year, City of Madison, Wisconsin * Image Award, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People * Jazz Master, National Endowment for the Arts * Outstanding Service to Jazz Education Award, National Association of Jazz Educators Grants * Arts Midwest Jazz Masters * Comnicut Foundation * Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission Project Grant, Madison Committee for the Arts *

Foundation for Contemporary Arts The Foundation for Contemporary Arts (FCA), is a nonprofit based foundation in New York City that offers financial support and recognition to contemporary performing and visual artists through awards for artistic innovation and potential. It was ...

Grants to Artists Award (1996) * Institut de Recherche at Coordination Acoustique Musique, Paris, France * Madison Festival of the Lakes Grant * Meet the Composer, Cultural Series Grant, Center for International Performance and Exhibition, Chicago * Michigan State University matching grant * Minnesota Composer's Forum *

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

* Wisconsin Arts Board

Discography

Roscoe Mitchell Kongsberg Jazzfestival 2017 (000731)

With Art Ensemble of Chicago

Solo albums and other ensembles

* '' Before There Was Sound'' (

Nessa Nessa Diab, known mononymously as Nessa, is an American radio and TV personality and television host. Early life and education Nessa was born to an Egyptian father and mother. She has two brothers. She grew up in Southern California but her ...

, 1965; 2011) * ''

'' ( Delmark, 1966) * '' Solo Saxophone Concerts'' ( Sackville, 1974) * '' Roscoe Mitchell Quartet'' (Sackville, 1976) * ''

'' (Nessa, 1976) * ''

Duets A duet is a musical composition or piece for two performers. Duets or The Duets may also refer to: Films and television * ''Duets'' (film), a 2000 film, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Giamatti and Huey Lewis * "Duets" (''Glee''), a 2010 episod ...

'' with

(Sackville, 1977) * ''

L-R-G / The Maze / S II Examples ''L-R-G / The Maze / S II Examples'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell recorded in 1978 and released originally as a double LP on Nessa Records. It was reissued in 1989 as a single CD. Background Following a successful thr ...

'' (Nessa, 1978) * ''

Sketches from Bamboo ''Sketches from Bamboo'' is an album by saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell. It was recorded in June 1979 at Palm Studio in Paris, and was released on LP later that year by Moers Music. On the album, Mitchell is joined by members of a large ensemble known ...

'' (

Moers Music Moers Music is a German jazz record label that was founded by Burkhard Hennen in Moers, Germany. The label started in 1974 under the name Ring but was changed three years later due to a conflict with a Canadian record label that had the same name. ...

, 1979) * ''

Snurdy McGurdy and Her Dancin' Shoes ''Snurdy McGurdy and Her Dancin' Shoes'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell which was recorded in 1980 and released on Nessa. It was the debut of the Sound Ensemble which introduced four young musicians: trumpeter Hugh Ragin ...

'' (Nessa, 1981) * '' 3 x 4 Eye'' (

Black Saint Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

, 1981) * ''More Cutouts'' (Cecma, 1981) * ''

Roscoe Mitchell and the Sound and Space Ensembles ''Roscoe Mitchell and the Sound and Space Ensembles'' is an album by jazz saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell recorded in 1983 for the Italian Black Saint label.

'' (Black Saint, 1983) * ''An Interesting Breakfast Conversation'' (1750 Arch, 1984) * ''

The Flow of Things ''The Flow of Things'' is a live album by jazz saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell recorded in 1986 for the Italian Black Saint label.

'' (Black Saint, 1986) * ''Live at the Muhle Hunziken'' (Cecma, 1986) * '' Live at the Knitting Factory'' (

, 1987) * ''Four Compositions'' (Lovely Music, 1987) * ''Live in Detroit'' (Cecma, 1988) * ''Songs in the Wind'' (Victo, 1991) * '' After Fallen Leaves'' ( Silkheart, 1992) * ''Duets & Solos'' (Black Saint, 1993) * '' This Dance Is for Steve McCall'' (Black Saint, 1993) * ''The Italian Concert'' (with Borah Bergman) (Soul Note, 1994) * ''

Hey Donald ''Hey Donald'' is an album by the American jazz saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell, recorded in 1994 and released on Delmark. It was the first recording by a quartet featuring pianist Jodie Christian, bassist Malachi Favors and drummer Albert "Tootie" ...

'' ( Delmark, 1995) * ''First Meeting'' (

Knitting Factory The Knitting Factory is a nightclub in New York City that features eclectic music and entertainment. After opening in 1987, various other locations were opened in the United States. The Knitting Factory gave its audience poetry readings, perform ...

, 1995) * ''Pilgrimage'' (Lovely Music, 1995) * ''Sound Songs'' (Delmark, 1997) * '' The Day and the Night'' (Dizim, 1997) * ''

Nine to Get Ready ''Nine to Get Ready'' is an album by the jazz saxophonist and composer Roscoe Mitchell, recorded in 1997 and released on the ECM Records, ECM label.

'' (

ECM ECM may refer to: Economics and commerce * Engineering change management * Equity capital markets * Error correction model, an econometric model * European Common Market Mathematics * Elliptic curve method * European Congress of Mathemat ...

, 1999) * ''

In Walked Buckner ''In Walked Buckner'' is an album by American saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell which was recorded in Chicago in 1998 and released on Delmark Records, Delmark the following year.

'' (Delmark, 1999) * '' 8 O'Clock: Two Improvisations'' (Mutable Music, 2001) * ''

Song for My Sister ''Song for My Sister'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell which was recorded in 2002 and released on Pi Recordings. It was the third studio recording by the Note Factory, a nonet with twin rhythm sections.Pi, 2002) * '' The Bad Guys'' (Around Jazz, 2003) * '' Solo ' (Mutable, 2004) * '' First Look, Chicago Duos'' (Southport, 2005) * '' Turn'' (

RogueArt RogueArt (also written Rogueart and Rogue Art) is a French independent record label based in Paris. It was founded by record producer Michel Dorbon in 2005 and specialises in jazz and improvised music. History RogueArt was founded by record p ...

, 2005) * '' No Side Effects'' (RogueArt, 2006) * '' Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1, 2 & 3'' with

Evan Parker Evan Shaw Parker (born 5 April 1944) is a British tenor and soprano saxophone player who plays free improvisation. Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free ja ...

(ECM, 2007) * ''Contact'' (RogueArt, 2007) * ''

Spectrum A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors ...

'' (Mutable, 2010) * ''

Far Side ''The Far Side'' is a single-panel comic created by Gary Larson and syndicated by Chronicle Features and then Universal Press Syndicate, which ran from December 31, 1979, to January 1, 1995 (when Larson retired as a cartoonist). Its surrealist ...

'' with The Note Factory (ECM, 2010) * ''

Numbers A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The original examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in language with number words. More universally, individual numbers can ...

'' (RogueArt, 2011) * '' Three Compositions'' with Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Ensemble (RogueArt, 2012) * '' Duets with Tyshawn Sorey and Special Guest Hugh Ragin'' ( Wide Hive, 2013) * ''

Improvisations Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

'' (Otoroku, 2013) with Tony Marsh and John Edwards * ''

Conversations I ''Conversations I'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell, with pianist with Craig Taborn and drummer Kikanju Baku which was recorded in 2013 and released on Wide Hive.

'' (Wide Hive Records, 2014) with Craig Taborn and Kikanju Baku * ''

Conversations II ''Conversations II'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell, with pianist Craig Taborn and drummer Kikanju Baku which was recorded in 2013 and released on Wide Hive.

'' (Wide Hive Records, 2014) with Craig Taborn and Kikanju Baku * '' In Pursuit of Magic'' (482 Music, 2014) with Mike Reed * '' Angel City'' (RogueArt, 2014) Roscoe Mitchell Trio with James Fei & William Winant * ''

Celebrating Fred Anderson ''Celebrating Fred Anderson'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell, which was recorded live in 2015 at Chicago's Constellation and released on Nessa. For this tribute to saxophonist Fred Anderson, Mitchell assembled a quartet ...

'' (Nessa, 2015) * '' Four Ways'' (Nessa, 2017) with Yuganaut * ''

Bells for the South Side ''Bells for the South Side'' is a double album by American jazz saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell, which was recorded live in 2015 at Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago in the context of "The Freedom Principle", a 50th-anniversary exhibition devoted t ...

'' (ECM, 2017) * ''Discussions'' (Wide Hive Records, 2017) * ''Accelerated Projection'' (RogueArt, 2018) with Matthew Shipp * ''Ride the Wind'' (Nessa, 2018) * ''Roscoe Mitchell Orchestra Littlefield Concert Hall Mills College'' (Wide Hive Records, 2019) * '' Flow States'' (ScienSonic, 2020) with Marshall Allen,

Milford Graves Milford Graves (August 20, 1941 – February 12, 2021) was an American jazz drummer, percussionist, Professor Emeritus of Music, researcher/inventor, visual artist/sculptor, gardener/herbalist, and martial artist. Graves was noteworthy for his e ...

, and

Scott Robinson Scott Robinson may refer to: * Scott Robinson (jazz musician) (born 1959), American jazz musician * Scott Robinson (ice hockey) (born 1964), Canadian National Hockey League player * Scott Robinson (singer) (born 1979), English singer in the boy ban ...

As sideman

With

*'' Creative Orchestra Music 1976'' (Arista, 1976) *'' For Trio'' (Arista, 1978) With

Jack DeJohnette Jack DeJohnette (born August 9, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer. Known for his extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians including Charles Lloyd, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, John Abercrombie ...

*''

Made in Chicago ''Made in Chicago'' is a live album by drummer and composer Jack DeJohnette with fellow Chicagoan musicians pianist Muhal Richard Abrams, bassist Larry Gray and saxophonists Roscoe Mitchell and Henry Threadgill recorded at the 35th Chicago Jazz ...

'' (ECM, 2013

015 Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music * Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album ...

with

Larry Gray Larry Gray is a Chicago musician known for his compositions and skill on the double bass and cello. His primary teachers were Joseph Guastafeste, longtime principal bassist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and cellist Karl Fruh.University of I ...

and

With Sunny Murray *'' Sunshine'' (BYG, 1969) With

*''

Boustrophedon Boustrophedon is a style of writing in which alternate lines of writing are reversed, with letters also written in reverse, mirror-style. This is in contrast to modern European languages, where lines always begin on the same side, usually the le ...

'' (ECM, 2004) With

Matthew Shipp Matthew Shipp (born December 7, 1960) is an American pianist, composer, and bandleader. Early life and education Shipp was raised in Wilmington, Delaware, and began playing piano at six years old. His mother was a friend of trumpeter Clifford B ...

*'' 2-Z'' (2.13.61, 1996) With

Alan Silva Alan Silva (born Alan Lee da Silva; January 22, 1939 in Bermuda) is an United States of America, American free jazz double bassist and Keyboard instrument, keyboard player. Biography Silva was born a British subject to an Azores, Azorean/Portug ...

*''

Seasons A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...

'' (BYG, 1971) With Wadada Leo Smith *'' Budding of a Rose'' (Moers Music, 1979)

References

External links

All About Jazz: Roscoe Mitchell: In Search of the Super Musician
Posted: 2004-01-08

by Jason Gross (May 1998)

Roscoe Mitchell Page at Wide Hive Records
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Roscoe 1940 births Living people African-American saxophonists Avant-garde jazz musicians American jazz composers American male jazz composers American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists American jazz oboists Male oboists Mills College faculty Art Ensemble of Chicago members Jazz musicians from Illinois Musicians from Chicago Pi Recordings artists Delmark Records artists Nessa Records artists 21st-century American saxophonists 21st-century American male musicians Sackville Records artists RogueArt artists ECM Records artists Black Saint/Soul Note artists Moers Music artists 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people