Roscoe Mitchell: Dots

Legendary alto saxist/composer/music director Roscoe Mitchell is in partnership with Wendy Nelson on this album who “engineers the environment” in order to do some time-effacing recordings with various pieces of percussion, tools and toys teamed with an actual musical wind instrument. The result 19 “pieces” ranging from just over one minute to a bit over five, most of them in the three minute range. The title for the album, “Dots” is appropriate, as each “song” is simple a collection of Mitchell essentially creating alto sax Morse Code messages juxtaposed with toy cash registers, bottles, triangles and various wooden/metal objects. Many of them begin with the exact same percussion instruments, creating a feeling of déjà vu all over again. Don’t go around looking for a transcription of this one.

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