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Roscoe Mitchell’s “Nonaah” Live in Seattle 06.07.13

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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

MTH-V: Evan Parker Solo

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Finally, what I intended to post a few weeks ago.

Over the past couple years I’ve become quite taken with Evan Parker. I hadn’t heard of him until I blindly purchased Boustrophedon, one of his two albums co-led with Roscoe Mitchell and their Transatlantic Art Ensemble – a real nice album! (I’ve since purchased the companion Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1, 2, & 3, and it’s just as wonderful and intriguing.) I’m thankful I purchased that album, as it exposed me to a truly unique saxophonic voice. In that same spirit of thanks, I found it only appropriate to finally post these videos this week.

For those who aren’t familiar with Mr. Parker, and I’m guessing that’ll be almost all of you, he’s a British free saxophonist. I’d say free jazz saxophonist, however that’s a bit constraining, as you’ll no doubt gather from these two videos. While he has made records in more “traditional” jazz formats, he’s mostly known for his all-out sonic assaults in a variety of settings. One of his biggest contributions has been to the area of solo saxophone improvisation, having released a number of albums in the genre. (Go to this site and select Evan Parker -> Solo Saxophone for an idea.) As a result, I chose these two videos to serve as an appropriate introduction.

These selections come from a live 1985 performance in London. (I’ve spent many late nights captivated by these and other Parker videos.) It’s best to let Parker speak for himself, so all I really should say is:
1. Note his casual execution of a plethora of extended techniques. What’s better is the fact that he uses them as a means to an end in order to properly express whatever it is he’s hearing, as opposed to simply “showing off.” In fact, it regularly sounds as if more than one instrument is being performed.
2. Keep open ears and an open mind. And most of all, enjoy! 🙂

PS – Imagine my excitement to secure this album in, hopefully, the near future…