Roscoe Mitchell (born August 3, 1940 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American composer, jazz instrumentalist and educator, mostly known for being "a technically superb – if idiosyncratic – saxophonist." The Penguin Guide to Jazz described him as "one of the key figures" in avant-garde jazz; All About Jazz states that he has been "at the forefront of modern music" for the past 35 years. The New York Times has mentioned that he "qualifies as an iconoclast."