Search - Roscoe Mitchell, Note Factory :: This Dance Is for Steve Mccall

On its potent 1992 debut, Mitchell's Note Factory group is almost all rhythm section, with drummers Tani Tabbal and Vincent Davis, bassists William Parker and Jaribu Shahid, and pianist Matthew Shipp often creating thick, pulsing backdrops for the leader's reeds. The CD opens with a lovingly rendered version of Joseph Jarman's poignant "Erica," with Mitchell's sweet alto floating through piano and bowed bass before the piece accumulates ever greater momentum. The disc moves into more somber terrain for "The Rodney King Affair," a concentrated coil of circular-breathing soprano with Mitchell and Shipp achieving a tremendous synchronization of complex parts. The concluding homage to Mitchell's late friend, the drummer Steve McCall, is etched in an acidic lyricism. --Stuart Broomer