Description
Any new recording by Muhal Richard Abrams, George Lewis and Roscoe Mitchell would be a notable occasion, but a recording by all three together is a genuine historical moment.
All three are members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). Muhal Richard Abrams (piano and percussion), a founder of the AACM, is a hugely influential musician who has been responsible for vastly expanding the boundaries of jazz. Roscoe Mitchell (saxophones and percussion) is well known as the founder of one of jazz's most recognized groups: The Art Ensemble of Chicago. George Lewis (trombone and laptop) is a MacArthur genius grant recipient who is influential in his use of computer electronics. The three have worked together in the past, recording on each others albums such as Lewis' "Shadowgraph" (Black Saint, 1977), Mitchell's "Nonaah" (Nessa, 1978) and Abrams' "Spihumonesty" (Black Saint, 1980). The trio most recently played together at the 2003 Venice Biennale and that concert provided at least part of the impetus for the three to collaborate again as a trio.
So how to describe this music? As George Lewis wrote in his liner notes for the CD, "What we hear are particular moments in time, in which improvisative musical experience proceeds directly from manifestations of trust and openness, and from visions of new models of community." "Trust" and "open" are two words that Lewis often goes back to when describing the creative process behind this music. Unlike the composed pieces found on the trio's previous recorded works, the five pieces found on this CD were openly improvised - each piece is a spontaneous creation. There were no prior agreements as to tempo, timbre, volume or length - any such rules would only restrict the open flow of ideas.