Music, art and dance were alive on Monday night at Vision Festival 2025 presented by Arts for Arts.
The event, now in its 28th year, started with honoring composer and jazz legend Roscoe Mitchell. He was awarded the lifetime achievement award in jazz.
The music was led by Mitchell in three separate sessions from the Roscoe Mitchell Quartet to Space Ensemble and finally Roscoe Mitchell Metropolis Trilogy.
In over 60 years of performing, composing and improvising, Mitchell has continued to push his own creative limits in music and as a visual artist. He consistently includes younger musicians as he creates music in real time with people who inspire him and seek to expand and embrace all the sounds.
Early on, Mitchell was inspired by Albert Ayler, and then mentored by Muhal Richard Abrams. He has energetically devoted himself to pushing the creative boundaries in music and art. His artwork was projected while the music was performing.
“America has always identified itself with the idea of Freedom, yet it has always struggled to apply that to everyone, specifically Black, Brown and Asian peoples and all women. Jazz is America’s original music form, born and developed in African American communities across the US. AFA and VISION celebrates the coming together of Freedom and Jazz in FreeJazz, with performances that bring healing and inspiration,” said Arts for Arts in a statement. “All Americans need to have the ‘Heart to Resist’. Holding onto the legacy of freedom and its struggle, we, the organizers and the artist,s aim to inspire and empower people in creativity and healing.”
