Roscoe Mitchell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roscoe Mitchell
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Mitchell at the German Jazz Festival, 2015
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| Background information | |
| Born | August 3, 1940 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
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| Years active | 1960s–present |
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Roscoe Mitchell (born August 3, 1940) is an American composer, jazz musician, and teacher. He is known as a very skilled saxophone player. Experts say he is a very important person in a type of jazz called avant-garde, which means new and experimental. He has been a leader in modern music for many years. Mitchell is also known for helping to start two important groups: the Art Ensemble of Chicago and the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).
Roscoe Mitchell's Musical Journey
Growing Up with Music
Roscoe Mitchell was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States. He grew up in the Chicago area. He started playing the saxophone and clarinet when he was about twelve years old. Music was always a big part of his family life. Many different styles of music were played in his home. His brother, Norman, was the one who first introduced him to jazz music.
While attending Englewood High School in Chicago, he continued to study the clarinet. In the 1950s, he joined the United States Army. During this time, he was stationed in Heidelberg, Germany. He played in military parades with other saxophone players like Albert Ayler. He also studied music with the main clarinet player of the Heidelberg Symphony while in Germany.
Mitchell returned to the United States in the early 1960s. He moved back to the Chicago area. There, he played in a band with other college students. He also studied with Muhal Richard Abrams and played in his band, the Muhal Richard Abrams' Experimental Band, starting in 1961.
Starting the AACM and Art Ensemble of Chicago
In 1965, Roscoe Mitchell became one of the first members of a non-profit group called the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). Other early members included Jodie Christian (piano) and Steve McCall (drums).
The next year, Mitchell and other musicians recorded their first studio album, Sound. This album was different from other jazz music at the time. The band used unusual items like toys and bicycle horns in their recordings.
From 1967, Mitchell, Lester Bowie (trumpet), and Malachi Favors (bass) performed together. They were first known as the Roscoe Mitchell Art Ensemble. Later, they became the Art Ensemble, and by 1969, they were called the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
The group lived and performed in Europe from 1969 to 1971. They didn't have a drummer at first, so they learned to play percussion themselves. Later, they found a drummer named Don Moye. For their shows, the band often wore bright costumes and painted their faces. The Art Ensemble of Chicago became one of the most famous jazz bands in the 1970s and 1980s.
New Musical Groups and Experiments
Mitchell and the other musicians returned to the United States in 1971. After three years back in Chicago, Mitchell started the Creative Arts Collective (CAC) in 1974. This group had a similar musical style to the AACM. The CAC was based in East Lansing, Michigan. They often performed at Michigan State University.
Mitchell also formed the Sound Ensemble in the early 1970s. This group grew out of the CAC. Its main members were Mitchell, Hugh Ragin, Jaribu Shahid, Tani Tabbal, and Spencer Barefield.
In the 1990s, Mitchell began to explore classical music. He worked with composers and artists like Pauline Oliveros. He also formed a trio called Trio Space with Thomas Buckner and Borah Bergman. In 1992, he created the Note Factory. This group included both old and new musical partners.
He lived near Madison, Wisconsin and continued to perform with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. In 1999, Lester Bowie passed away, which was a big loss for the band. However, Mitchell decided the band should continue. He said, "You can't do that," meaning you can't just replace a member like that. The band kept playing despite the loss.
Mitchell has always made an effort to work with younger musicians. Many of these players were not even born when the first Art Ensemble recordings were made. These younger musicians include trumpeter Corey Wilkes and bassist Karl E. H. Seigfried.
In 2007, Mitchell became a professor of composition at Mills College in Oakland, California. He taught there until 2019.
Teaching Music
Mitchell has taught music at several universities. He taught at the University of Illinois, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and the California Institute of the Arts. From 2007 to 2019, he taught at Mills College in Oakland, California. One of his well-known students is Dave Soldier.
Awards and Recognitions
Roscoe Mitchell has received many awards and honors for his contributions to music.
Awards
- DownBeat magazine: Talent Deserving Wider Recognition, Best Jazz Group (Art Ensemble of Chicago), Record of the Year (Nonaah)
- Madison Music Legend, Madison magazine
- Certificate of Appreciation from St. Louis Public Schools
- Certificate of Appreciation for the Art Ensemble of Chicago (Smithsonian Institution)
- 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
- Foundation for Contemporary Arts 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
- Michigan State University matching grant
- Minnesota Composer's Forum
- National Endowment for the Arts
- Wisconsin Arts Board
Roscoe Mitchell's Music Albums
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Roscoe Mitchell has released many albums, both with his groups and as a solo artist. Here are some of his recordings:
With Art Ensemble of Chicago
- Sound - Roscoe Mitchell Sextet (1966)
- Old/Quartet - Roscoe Mitchell (1967)
- Early Combinations - Art Ensemble (1967)
- Congliptious - Roscoe Mitchell Art Ensemble (1968)
- A Jackson in Your House (1969)
- Tutankhamun (1969)
- The Spiritual (1969)
- Message to Our Folks (1969)
- Les Stances a Sophie (1970)
- Live in Paris (1970)
- Bap-Tizum (1972)
- Fanfare for the Warriors (1973)
- Nice Guys (1978)
- Full Force (1980)
- Urban Bushmen (1980)
- The Third Decade (1984)
- Ancient to the Future (1987)
- The Alternate Express (1989)
- Art Ensemble of Soweto (1990)
- Thelonious Sphere Monk with Cecil Taylor (1990)
- Dreaming of the Masters Suite (1990)
- Coming Home Jamaica (1996)
- Tribute to Lester (2001)
- The Meeting (2003)
- Sirius Calling (2004)
- Non-Cognitive Aspects of the City (2006)
- We Are On the Edge (2019)
- The Sixth Decade From Paris To Paris (2023)
With Roscoe Mitchell and the Sound Ensemble
- Snurdy McGurdy and Her Dancin' Shoes (1981)
- 3 x 4 Eye (1981)
- Roscoe Mitchell and the Sound and Space Ensembles (1983)
- Live at the Knitting Factory (1987)
With Roscoe Mitchell and the Note Factory
- This Dance Is for Steve McCall (1993)
- Nine to Get Ready (1999)
- Song for My Sister (2002)
- The Bad Guys (2003)
- Far Side (2010)
Solo Albums
- Solo Saxophone Concerts (1974)
- Nonaah (1976)
- L-R-G / The Maze / S II Examples (1978)
- Duets & Solos (1993)
- Sound Songs (1997)
- Solo [3] (2004)
- Dots/Pieces for Percussion and Woodwinds (2021)
Other Collaborations
- Before There Was Sound (1965)
- Duets with Anthony Braxton (1977)
- The Flow of Things (1986)
- After Fallen Leaves (1992)
- Hey Donald (1995)
- In Walked Buckner (1999)
- Turn (2005)
- Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1, 2 & 3 with Evan Parker (2007)
- Spectrum (2010)
- Numbers (2011)
- Duets with Tyshawn Sorey and Special Guest Hugh Ragin (2013)
- Conversations I (2014)
- Conversations II (2014)
- In Pursuit of Magic (2014)
- Angel City (2014)
- Bells for the South Side (2017)
- Flow States (2020)
- Distant Radio Transmission (2020)
- One Head Four People (2024)
