Michele Rosewoman

The Source is the first album Michele Rosewoman made as a leader, a quartet record for Soul Note recorded in Milan on April 26, 1983 and released in 1984. All five compositions are hers. The pianist had moved to New York from the San Francisco Bay Area in 1978, and her partner on trumpet and flugelhorn, Baikida Carroll, was one of the musicians she had already played with on the West Coast, together with Julian Priester, Julius Hemphill and Oliver Lake.

The rhythm section is bassist Roberto Miranda and drummer Pheeroan akLaff. The session was taped at Barigozzi Studio by Giancarlo Barigozzi, who also mixed it on January 16, 1984; Giovanni Bonandrini produced and Lee Jeske wrote the liner notes. The title piece takes up most of the first side on its own, sixteen minutes, followed by In A Mood at about seven. The second side runs To Be Cont..., the short Newton Baby at a little over four minutes, and For Monk, close to nine, titled for Thelonious Monk. Carroll had recorded his own album Shadows And Reflections for Soul Note in 1982. The Source opened a long career for Rosewoman as composer and bandleader; her later groups include New Yor-Uba and Quintessence.

This is the Soul Note CD 121072-2, which Discogs lists as a reissue of the album first released on LP in 1984 as SN 1072.