This Dance Is for Steve McCall refers to the late drummer who contributed not only to
Roscoe Mitchell's music, but was a member of the AACM. The disc is not only a tribute to
McCall, but also to other musicians
Mitchell had collaborated with over the years who have passed on, including
Phillip Wilson,
Gerald Oshita, and
Tom Buckner.
Mitchell pays the highest tribute to these fallen comrades of the avant-garde by assembling a band that signifies the embodiment of creative music:
Matthew Shipp on piano, the twin-bass attack of
Jaribu Shahid and
William Parker, and
Tani Tabbal and
Vincent Davis on drums. The music ranges from dense contemporary classical to violence incarnate on "The Rodney King Affair," in which
Mitchell's circular-breathing technique pushes the tempo to a dizzy, frightening place. All compositions are
Mitchell originals except "Ericka," written by
Art Ensemble of Chicago member
Joseph Jarman. ~ Al Campbell