It only took about 30 years, but Roscoe Mitchell's classic double-LP, Nonaah is finally available on disc in all its idiosyncratic and stubborn glory.
His notorious — almost perverse — performance of the title track leads things off, a live solo rendition wherein, on alto, he just repeats a brief theme over and over again, gouging into its essence, scouring its innards, drilling it into the heads and ears of the audience who, it seems, only gradually become aware that "This is all he's going to do!". It's a thrilling piece, imbued with an escalating tension brought about by the repetition and consequent wondering how long it'll last that reaches near unbearable levels, even as the theme becomes increasingly corroded.
On the whole, the recording arguably captures Mitchell at or near the creative apex of his career insofar as extremes of experimentation go, capping an amazing decade of work that began with "Sound" and "Congliptious", ranged up through the glorious Art Ensemble material of the late 60s and early 70s, as well as his own non-pareil solo work. After his period, he'd divide his time between his Sound Ensemble (earthier, more rhythmic music) and the Space Ensemble (more academically inclined forays), a dichotomy that continues to some extent to the present day in various groupings. For this listener, the heights attained in recordings like Nonaah were never quite scaled again.
His solo pieces here, which make up the bulk of the album, tend toward the extreme, even taking Joseph Jarman's lovely piece, "Ericka" out into the maelstrom. As a group, they routinely astonish and remain quite strong today, easily on a par with quasi — similar territory being investigated around the same time by Braxton, Evan Parker, etc. Braxton, in fact, appears in duo with Mitchell on the first of two takes of "Off Five Dark Six", a fascinating pointillist exercise using small, high sounds. Two other non-solo tracks are a duet with the late Malachi Favors and a trio with the youthful George Lewis and Muhal Richard Abrams. They're both compositions of the sparse and carefully considered variety, involving careful note placement in space, each very compelling.
Two additional lengthy performances of Nonaah are presented, offering, in the solo cut, a glimpse at how much variation Mitchell could wring out of that single melodic/rhythmic line. His concentration and sheer determination wrestling with this material is extremely impressive and rare. The second is for saxophone quartet (Jarman, Wallace McMillan and Henry Threadgill called upon) and is a marvel of freedom within compositional constraints, far more intricate than most of the World Saxophone Quartet's music from around the same time, more closely approximating the saxophone quartet on Braxton's first Arista release.
The CD reissue appends five previously unreleased pieces, all solo, including two early incarnations of "Sing", which would soon appear as part of "Sing/Song" on the "Snurdy McGurdy album, a wonderful melody. It's great to finally have this in digital form. A must for anyone with the slightest interest in Mitchell, the AACM or adventurous music from the 70s.
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