For readers old and new, I’d like to plug what promises to be an iconic concert of avant-garde music coming up in Seattle, WA. Table & Chairs, an experimental music label based in Seattle, will be presenting a concert dedicated to free saxophonist and experimental icon Roscoe Mitchell. Specifically, the concert will feature various incarnations and interpretations of Roscoe Mitchell’s “Nonaah”: for solo saxophone (by Mitchell himself!), a new arrangement performed by Lawson, and a new piece based on “Nonaah” by Bad Luck, among others. Mitchell will also present a pre-concert talk and Q&A.

(The folks over at Table & Chairs reached out and asked if I’d help them promote the concert, and I’m happy to do so. It promises to be a memorable evening of sound.)

Roscoe:
If Roscoe Mitchell is new to you, he’s been mentioned on the blog in relation to Evan Parker here and here. In brief, he’s been at the vanguard of improvised saxophone music since the 1960s. I hesitate to simply say “jazz,” as that can be a loaded term – his music often transcends traditional notions of jazz improvisation, even free jazz. (Similar to my thinking of Evan Parker as a “free saxophonist” instead of a “free jazz saxophonist.”) He was an integral figure of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and the Creative Arts Collective (CAC). (Interestingly enough, the CAC was founded in East Lansing, MI, the home of yours truly. What’s more is, jazz-wise, the city is now under the near monopoly of Wynton Marsalis sidemen and disciples… That never fails to fascinate me.)

Mitchell is better experienced than read about. Here are a couple of live clips:
w. the Art Ensemble of Chicago in 1991 — “Onhedaruth” (he’s the first to solo right out of the gate, and his soprano textures at 9:00 are something to behold)

Solo at the Konfrontationen Nickelsdorf 2010 (I particularly like his polyphonic approach at ~7:00…)

The Concert:
If you’ll be in the Northwest and are at all interested in improvised, new, or experimental music, I highly encourage you to attend this one-time performance. If you happen to know of anyone in that area, please pass along this post or direct them to Nonaah.com. Info:

Official Website: Nonaah.com
Date: Friday, June 7, 2013
Pre-concert talk: 7:15 PM
Performance: 8:00 PM
Price: $30 GA ($20 for students)
Location: Benaroya Hall; Seattle, WA
Program Info
Presented by Table & Chairs