My central quest was to have a piece played on the saxophone sound like more than one instrument, exploiting different registers and wide interval leaps. Roscoe Mitchell centralexploitinstrument Change image and share on social
I felt that I had been influenced by being in the city enough and I wanted to go off by myself to see what was going on. I remember going out there and looking in the mirror and thinking I wasn't anything. Roscoe Mitchell cityfeltinfluence share on social
Man, I used to go around and think, 'Oh my God, what must it be like to be going down the street, and someone asks you, 'What's your name?' and the reply would be, 'John Coltrane.'' I couldn't imagine what that would be like. Roscoe Mitchell askcoltranegod share on social
I like to hear melodies that go from one extreme to the next- saxophone to a bell to a whistle, for instance. Roscoe Mitchell bellextremehear Change image and share on social
Music has a way of getting under your skin. Roscoe Mitchell musicskin Change image and share on social
What I try to impart to a musician is to really try to practice the instrument in a really sincere way. Learn as much about music as you possibly can. Learn composition. Study to try to create compositions of your own and put your own personal touch on your music. Roscoe Mitchell compositioncreateimpart share on social
I'm into something that definitely does require your attention, and with that, you're not going to run out of things to do. You're never going to be the master of music. Roscoe Mitchell attentionmastermusic Change image and share on social
I don't like to box myself in when I'm composing. Roscoe Mitchell boxcompose Change image and share on social
I'm approaching a period in my life though where I'd like to be totally absorbed into music, doing concerts, writing something. Basically, that IS what I am doing. Roscoe Mitchell absorbapproachbasically Change image and share on social
To be a good improviser, you have to study composition as a parallel. Because what improvisation is, on a high level, is spontaneous composition. Roscoe Mitchell compositiongoodhigh Change image and share on social
