Throughout his career, saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell (b. 1940, Chicago) has been a leading voice in the fields of contemporary composition and improvised music. He is a founding member of Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and of its flagship group, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, has composed for small combos, orchestras, and string ensembles, and has conveyed his lifetime of knowledge to a new generation of musicians as an educator at Mills College in Oakland.

Nameless Sound hosts Mitchell for a week-long residency during which he will lead a series of workshops and rehearsals.

Mitchell's residency culminates in this performance by the longstanding Roscoe Mitchell Quartet, co-presented with Project Row Houses. Trumpeter Hugh Ragin (b. 1951) was raised in Houston, played in the all-city orchestra and studied at the University of Houston before establishing himself as the trumpeter of choice for Mitchell and David Murray. Bassist Jaribu Shahid (b. 1955, Detroit) and drummer Tani Tabbal have also worked together as the rhythm section for Sun Ra in Philadelphia.