After Fallen Leaves

Recorded in 1989 and released in 1992 on the Swedish Silkheart label, 'After Fallen Leaves' captures Roscoe Mitchell in a unique collaborative setting with the Brus Trio (Arne Forsén, Ulf Åkerhielm, and Gilbert Matthews). The album is a fascinating study in the tension between Mitchell’s highly disciplined, structural approach to improvisation and the more intuitive, reactive style of the Swedish trio. While Mitchell is known for his work with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, this session highlights his soloistic voice and his ability to lead a traditional piano-bass-drums format into avant-garde territory. Critics often note that the trio occasionally struggles to fully integrate with Mitchell’s idiosyncratic methods, yet this very friction provides the album's most compelling moments. It stands as a significant, if somewhat overlooked, entry in Mitchell's discography, bridging the gap between his 80s structuralism and his later, more expansive orchestral works.