''Before There Was Sound'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist

Roscoe Mitchell Roscoe Mitchell (born August 3, 1940) is an American composer, jazz instrumentalist, and educator, known for being "a technically superb – if idiosyncratic – saxophonist". ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' described him as "one of the key figures ...

recorded in 1965 but not issued until 2011 by

Nessa Records Nessa Records is an American jazz record label founded in Chicago in 1967 by producer Chuck Nessa. After working at Delmark Records for a year, Nessa started the label at the urging of Roscoe Mitchell and Lester Bowie. The first album was releas ...

.''Before There Was Sound''
at

The album presents the earliest recordings available of the work of the AACM, taped shortly after the first meeting of the organization in May 1965 and approximately a year before Mitchell's debut album ''

Sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

''. This quartet, with trumpeter Fred Berry, bassist

Malachi Favors Malachi Favors (August 22, 1927 – January 30, 2004) was an American jazz bassist who played with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Biography "Favors's tendency to dissemble about his age was a well-known source of mirth to fellow musicians of his g ...

and drummer

Alvin Fielder Alvin Leroy Fielder Jr (November 23, 1935 – January 5, 2019) was an American jazz drummer. He was a charter member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), Black Arts Music Society, Improvisational Arts band, and wa ...

, had been working together for close to a year before they gathered at the instigation of Fielder in the studio of WUCB radio station. "Mr. Freddy" is dedicated to the trumpeter. "Jo Jar" is for Joseph Jarman.Original liner notes by Terry Martin

Reception

The ''

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' review by Peter Margasak states "This is incredible, rigorously rehearsed and researched music made only less radical by what followed it—but in 1965 this would have blown minds."Margasak, Peter. ''Before There Was Sound'' review. ''Down Beat'' March 12: page 73. Print. In an article for the

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by a ...

, Margasak wrote: "''Before There Was Sound'' isn't as groundbreaking as what followed... but the band was already blazing its own trail." Writing for Point of Departure, John Litweiler commented: "Here's one to gladden the heart, a CD full of song, swing, youth, energy, creativity... I've been looking forward to hearing this music for a long time, for its historical importance. I see now that it's even more important musically."

Track listing

:''All compositions by Roscoe Mitchell except as indicated'' # "Mr. Freddy" - 6:26 # "Green" (Fred Berry) - 3:08 # "Outer Space" - 12:11 # "Carefree" - 6:28 # "Akhenaten" (Malachi Favors) - 7:43 # "And There was Peace" - 7:01 # "Jo Jar" - 5:07 # "Carefree #2" - 4:36

Personnel

- alto sax *Fred Berry -

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B, though some ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

{{Authority control 2011 albums Roscoe Mitchell albums Nessa Records albums