Bells for the South Side

Bells for the South Side is a double album by American jazz saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell, which was recorded live in 2015 at Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago in the context of "The Freedom Principle", a 50th-anniversary exhibition devoted to the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, and released on ECM.[1]

Bells for the South Side
Live album by Roscoe Mitchell
Released	2017
Recorded	September, 2015
Venue	Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
Genre	Jazz
Length	127:18
Label	ECM
Producer	Steve Lake
Roscoe Mitchell chronology
Four Ways (2017) Bells for the South Side (2017)

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Down Beat	[3]

In his review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek states, "Bells for the South Side is indeed massive, but its depth, breadth, and inspired performances border on the profound."[2]

The Down Beat review by Bradley Bambarger says, "Pitched between avant-garde jazz and modernist chamber music, the sound poems of Bells for the South Side challenge the ear, whether they are keening or swirling, spare or textured. But the music also has an undeniable grandeur, the feel almost ritualistic."[3]

The Point of Departure review by Michael Rosenstein states, "This release is a tour de force in Mitchell’s impressive catalog and the result is a tribute to his singular vision and sage choice in collaborators."[4]

Track listing

All compositions by Roscoe Mitchell except where noted.
Disc One:

1. "Spatial Aspects of the Sound" – 12:14
2. "Panoply" – 7:36
3. "Prelude to a Rose" – 12:44
4. "Dancing in the Canyon" (Roscoe Mitchell, Craig Taborn, Kikanju Baku) – 10:23
5. "EP 7849" – 8:13
6. "Bells for the South Side" – 12:26

Disc Two:

1. "Prelude to the Card Game, Cards for Drums, and the Final Hand" – 16:03
2. "The Last Chord" – 12:26
3. "Six Gongs and Two Woodblocks" – 7:50
4. "R509A Twenty B" – 1:34
5. "Red Moon in the Sky / Odwalla" – 25:49

Personnel

• Roscoe Mitchell - sopranino sax, soprano sax, alto sax, bass sax, flute, piccolo, bass recorder, percussion
• James Fei – sopranino sax, alto sax, contra-alto clarinet, electronics
• Hugh Ragin – trumpet, piccolo trumpet
• Tyshawn Sorey – trombone, piano, drums, percussion
• Craig Taborn – piano, organ, electronics
• Jaribu Shahid – double bass, bass guitar, percussion
• William Winant – percussion, tubular bells, glockenspiel, vibraphone, marimba, roto toms, cymbals, bass drum, woodblocks, timpani
• Kikanju Baku – drums, percussion
• Tani Tabbal – drums, percussion

References

1. Bells for the South Side at ECM Records
2. Jurek, Thom. Roscoe Mitchell – Bells for the South Side: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
3. Bambarger, Bradley. Bells for the South Side review. Down Beat October 17: page 65. Print.
4. Rosenstein, Michael. Bells for the South Side review at Point of Departure

External links

• A Pioneering Black Composer Keeps Pushing, by Seth Colter Walls at New York Times