by Scott Yanow
Since Roscoe Mitchell (who on this set made his return to the Delmark label after 28 years) is best known as a free jazz pioneer and a longtime member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, the straightahead nature of a few of the selections will surprise some of his followers. &Walking in the Moonlight& is a sly and witty strut, &Jeremy& a melodic ballad for the leader's flute and &Hey Donald& could have come from the Sonny Rollins songbook. But Mitchell has not forsaken his innovative style. On &Dragons& his soprano playing (with its circular breathing) sounds very African, there are four free duets with bassist Malachi Favors and the blowouts on &Song for Rwanda& and &See You at the Fair& are pretty adventurous. In general Mitchell (who is joined by a versatile rhythm section comprised of pianist Jodie Christian, bassist Favors and drummer Tootie Heath) saves the more boppish pieces for his tenor while on soprano his intense sound creates a drone effect reminiscent a bit of bagpipes. All in all his release for Delmark should keep listeners guessing.