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
Released2017
RecordedSeptember 2015
VenueMuseum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
GenreJazz
Length2:07:18
LabelECM
ECM 2494/95
ProducerSteve Lake
Roscoe Mitchell chronology
Four Ways
(2017)
Bells for the South Side
(2017)

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
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

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All tracks are written by Roscoe Mitchell except where noted.

Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
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
No.TitleLength
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

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References

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  1. ^ Bells for the South Side at ECM Records
  2. ^ a b Jurek, Thom. Roscoe Mitchell – Bells for the South Side: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  3. ^ a b 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
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