Roscoe Mitchell-David Wessel "Contact"

A great document of this unusual musical moment for Roscoe Mitchell -- a set that features both a CD and DVD of his improvisations with electronic musician David Wessel! Mitchell plays both alto and soprano sax on the date, mixing airy tones with sharper, more soulful moments -- often in rich contrast to the sounds coming from Wessel's electronics. The pairing recalls the Richard Tietelbaum/Anthony Braxton collaborations at some level -- yet the sound here is a lot warmer overall, more earthy and with a clear lineage to some of Mitchell's other duo or solo recordings. Titles include "Orange Sky", "Moving", "Schreeds", "Jakarta", "The Call", and "For Oliver Johnson (parts 1 & 2)". (DVD is Region 0.) © 1996-2009, Dusty Groove America, Inc."David Wessel, despite whatever label on can attach to his music, is very familiar with the musical object commonly called jazz (never mind the name we give to this music which is both one and multiple, pushing the limits of its frontiers, the importance being that it exists, whatever the label). He has also played with George Lewis, Steve Lacy to name but a few; several times during later meetings, David told me of his admiration for the drummer Oliver Johnson, found dead in tragic circumstances one morning in March 2002 in the Halles square in the heart of Paris...

Roscoe Mitchell Mitchell, from the Art Ensemble of Chicago to his performances with Thomas Buckner, to his Note Factory and numerous other groups, is not a stranger to adventure as long as it serves the cause of music...

This duo is an evidence in itself. When we know that their first musical encounter dates from the 80's (as witness a first concert in 1986 at IRCAM), we can only be surprised that their musi has not been diffused more widely...Roscoe Mitchell and David Wessel are of those, each in his own right, who push musical expression to its furthest limits. No cold rigour her, no search of form for form's sake; music, complex, refined, is warmly offered to the audience."-Michel Dorbon, from the liner notes

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