CCMW Faculty

Roscoe Mitchell

One of the top saxophonists to come out of Chicago's AACM movement of the mid-'60s, Roscoe Mitchell is a particularly strong and consistently adventurous improviser long associated with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. After getting out of the military, Mitchell led a hard bop sextet in Chicago (1961) which gradually became much freer. He was a member of Muhal Richard Abrams's Experimental Band and a founding member of the AACM in 1965. Mitchell's monumental Sound album (1966) introduced a new way of freely improvising, utilizing silence as well as high energy and "little instruments" as well as conventional horns. Lester Bowie and Malachi Favors were on that date and Mitchell's 1967 follow-up Old/Quartet.

William Parker

William Parker is a master musician, improviser, and composer. He plays the bass, shakuhachi, double reeds, tuba, donso ngoni and gembri. He was born in 1952 in the Bronx, New York. He studied bass with Richard Davis, Art Davis, Milt Hinton, Wilber Ware, and Jimmy Garrison. He entered the music scene in 1971 playing at Studio We, Studio Rivbea, Hilly’s on The Bowery and The Baby Grand, playing with many musicians on the avant-garde school Bill Dixon, Sunny Murray, Charles Tyler, Billy Higgins, Charles Brackeem, Alan Silva, Frank Wright, Frank Lowe, Rashid Ali, Donald Ayler, Don Cherry, Cecil Taylor, Jimmy Lyons, Milford Graves and with traditionalists like Walter Bishop, Sr. and Maxine Sullivan.

Nicole Mitchell

Nicole Margaret Mitchell has been noted as “a compelling improviser of wit, determination, positivity, and tremendous talent...on her way to becoming one of the greatest living flutists in jazz,” (Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader). A creative flutist, composer and bandleader, Mitchell placed first as Downbeat magazine’s "Rising Star Flutist 2005-2008, was awarded "Jazz Flutist of the Year 2008"by the Jazz Journalist Association and ““Chicagoan of the Year 2006” by the Chicago Tribune. The founder of the critically acclaimed Black Earth Ensemble and Black Earth Strings, Mitchell’s compositions reach across sound worlds, integrating new ideas with moments in the legacy of jazz, gospel, pop, and African percussion to create a fascinating synthesis of “postmodern jazz.”

Michael Zerang

Percussionist, improvisor and composer Michael Zerang was born in 1958 in Chicago, Illinois. He has co-founded and performed with the musical groups Liof Munimula, The Neutrino Orchestra, Trio Troppo, The Wonderfuls, The Blue Angels, Sam Pappas' Tumbling Strains, Frozen Lucy, The Quirt Quintet, Musica Menta, The Vandermark Quartet, Dream Cheese, The Sputter Ensemble, In Zenith, and Broken Wire . In addition to these ensembles, Zerang currently performs with many innovative musicians including AACM co-founder Fred Anderson, Mats Gustafsson, Raymond Strid, Sten Sandell, Don Meckley, Jaap Blonk, Daniel Scanlan, Peter Brötzmann, Kent Kessler, Barre Phillips, Jim Baker, Hamid Drake, Ken Vandermark, Luc Hautkamp, and Fred Lonberg-Holm.

David Boykin

Critics have called saxophonist David Boykin one of Chicago's "best kept secrets." A master of improvisation, his free jazz knows no musical boundaries. Keeping busy as leader of the David Boykin Expanse, member of Boykin, Seigfried and Reed, and founder of Sonic Healing Ministries, David Boykin is one of the most dynamic musicians on Chicago's rich and diverse music scene.

Ellen Waterman

Ellen Waterman is Associate Professor in the School of Fine Art and Music at the University of Guelph. She holds the Ph.D. in Critical Studies and Experimental Practices from the Department of Music at the University of California, San Diego, and is a professional flutist specializing in creative improvisation and contemporary music. Recent performances include artist-in-residencies at The Art of Immersive Soundscapes II (U. Regina, 2007) and the Sound Travels festival (Toronto, 2008).

Renee Baker

Ms. Baker is founder/leader of FAQ (Faith Action Quorum), Mantra Blue Free Orchestra, Red Chai, ProJect 6, Connoisseur Musica String Ensemble (classical), Poemusici (spoken word group), Blanche’ (experimental orchestra) Renee' Baker ArText and the Renee’ Baker Trio. She has created eclectic chamber festivals for Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, Norris Cultural Arts Center and Classical Symphony Hall. As a composer, Ms. Baker has composed numerous compositions ranging from string quartets to larger ensembles.