Record Reviews

ROSCOE MITCHELL ~ THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE CAM JAZZ 1036 (Barcode: 8052405141835) ~ USA ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 1977 - 1995 Released: 2015 This superb Box Set collects recordings by the legendary American saxophonist / composer Roscoe MitchellFind albums by this artist released on the Black SaintFind albums on this label and Soul NoteFind albums on this label labels. It includes nine albums, two of which are duets: "Duets And SolosFind albums with this title" (*) with pianist Muhal Richard AbramsFind albums by this artist and "The Italian ConcertFind albums with this title" with pianist Borah BergmanFind albums by this artist. The album "Shadowgraph, 5 (Sextet)Find albums with this title" (*), released under the name of trombonist / composer George LewisFind albums by this artist and presenting music composed by him, features Mitchell playing on two tracks. The album "SpihumonestyFind albums with this title" (*) released under the name of keyboardist / composer Muhal Richard Abrams and presenting music composed by him, features Mitchell playing on all tracks. The remaining five albums: "3 x 4 EyeFind albums with this title", "The Sound And Space EnsemblesFind albums with this title", "The Flow Of ThingsFind albums with this title", "Live At Knitting FactoryFind albums with this title" and "This Dance Is For Steve McCallFind albums with this title" present various ensembles led by Mitchell, which include notable American improvisers of the period, including guitarist A. Spencer BarefieldFind albums by this artist, trumpeters Hugh RaginFind albums by this artist and Mike MossmanFind albums by this artist, bassist Jaribu ShahidFind albums by this artist, Malachi FavorsFind albums by this artist and William ParkerFind albums by this artist, drummers Tani TibalFind albums by this artist, Steve McCallFind albums by this artist and Vincent DavisFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Gerald OshitaFind albums by this artist, pianists Jodie ChristianFind albums by this artist and Matthew ShippFind albums by this artist and vocalist Tom BucknerFind albums by this artist. All the music (except one track) on these last five albums was composed by Mitchell. Mitchell is best known as one of the founders of the original AACMFind albums by this artist in Chicago in 1965 and then as the founder of The Art Ensemble Of ChicagoFind albums by this artist with Lester BowieFind albums by this artist, Favors, Joseph JarmanFind albums by this artist and later also Don MoyeFind albums by this artist. He was a prolific recording artist, with an impressive list of albums to his credit, both under his name and as a member of the AEOC. These recordings are all excellent examples of his work, which is a completely unique combination of Free Jazz and Improvised Music. His "wall of sound" saxophone technique is a direct continuation of the early American Avant-Garde legacy of Albert AylerFind albums by this artist, Eric DolphyFind albums by this artist and John ColtraneFind albums by this artist. The music is absolutely brilliant and fascinating and connoisseurs of Free Jazz / Improvised Music / Avant-Garde will find it obviously essential. This is definitely an important document of the American Free Jazz movement, which deserves to be preserved for posterity and which should serve as a source if inspiration to the young generation of contemporary Free Jazz artists. The albums marked with (*) were also included in other Box Sets of this series. Side Note The Italian independent record label Black SaintFind albums on this label was founded by the music critic / author / producer Giacomo PellicciottiFind albums by this artist in 1975. It was taken over by the producer Giovanni BonandriniFind albums by this artist in 1978 and a year later (1979) a sister label, called Soul NoteFind albums on this label, was established. The twin labels were run by Giovanni and later his son Flavio BonandriniFind albums by this artist, until they were sold in 2008 to the Italian KEPACH Music Group, which already owned the CAM JazzFind albums on this label label, and which also bought another Italian independent record label Dischi Della QuerciaFind albums on this label. The mission of the Black Saint / Soul Note labels was to record and document the Free Jazz / Improvised Music / Avant-Garde scene, mostly from the US but also from Europe, which continued between mid 1970s and late 1990s and produced a staggering collection of almost 550 albums recorded by world's most important Jazz innovators active at the time, providing an opportunity to American (mostly Afro-American) musicians, who would have never managed to make these recordings at home, ridden by racism, alienation and closed-mindedness. Without these two labels most of this fantastic human creativity would have been never documented. However, the Black Saint / Soul Note Box Sets produced under the CAM JazzFind albums on this label moniker are an archetypal example of how good intentions turn sour. Although these new editions often bring back to life some of the best music ever made on this planet, which in many cases has been lost in the tides of time and was unavailable on the market for ages, they suffer from an unforgivable disregard to the essence of cultural values and general sloppiness, contrary to human decency, which requires us to treat our cultural legacy with respect and loyalty. These Box Sets have no booklet which presents researched historical background and exact discographical information of the albums included, and most importantly an overview of the music and its meaning and contribution to the Jazz Art form. Although the original LP sleeves are reproduced, the information is in most cases too small to be readable at all. In short the fact that these Box Sets are meant to be inexpensive, does not mean that they have to be cheap!

Updated: 05/05/2020Posted: 25/04/2020

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