Nicole Mitchell - Mandorla Awakening II: Emergin Words

Styles: Flute Jazz 
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:25
Size: 175,5 MB
Art: Front

( 7:36)  1. Egoes War
( 5:35)  2. Sub-mission
( 2:49)  3. The Chalice
( 5:48)  4. Dance of Many Hands
(12:06)  5. Listening Embrace
( 4:54)  6. Forestwall Timewalk
( 9:48)  7. Staircase Struggle
( 8:06)  8. Shiny Divider
(10:22)  9. Mandorla Island
( 7:15) 10. Timewrap

Mandorla Awakening II: Emerging Worlds is Nicole Mitchell's second album for Chicago-based FPE Records. Recorded in May of 2015 at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, it features her longtime collaborators Renée Baker (violin), Tomeka Reid (cello, banjo), Alex Wing (electric guitar, oud) and Jovia Armstrong (percussion), along with new members Tatsu Aoki (bass, shamisen, taiko) and Kojiro Umezaki (shakuhachi). Also in the mix is Chicago artist, scholar and poet avery r young, who brings the her lyrics to life with visceral humanity. Composer and flutist Nicole Mitchell, once hailed by Chicago Reader music critic Peter Margasak as the greatest living flutist in jazz, continues the work begun when jazz visionary Sun Ra and his Arkestra first touched down on Planet Earth and told humanity that space (outer and inner) is indeed the place. As with contemporary Afrofuturist pioneers like cosmic jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington, post-everything beat maker Flying Lotus, R&B cyborg Janelle Monáe and dystopian noise-rappers Death Grips, she uses Afrofuturism as a platform to launch her own, unique vision. Her vast sound often encompasses contemporary classical, globally oriented fusion, gospel, spoken word, funk-inspired groove research and even brittle shards of avant-rock. Mandorla Awakening II collides dualities such as acoustic vs electric, country vs urban, simple vs complex, while also sounding through intercultural dialogue between Black, European and Pan-Asian improvisational languages. The outcome is a creative music suite that blurs musical styles into recognizable fragments that weave a unique sound fabric, where human emotion and the struggles of today swim. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Mandorla-Awakening-Ii-Emerging-Worlds/dp/B06W9J3KJ5

Personnel: Nicole Mitchell (flute, electronics);  Alex Wing (electric guitar, oud, Theremin); Tomeka Reid (banjo, cello); Tatsu Aoki (shamisen, taiko); Renée Baker (violin); Kojiro Umezaki (shakuhachi); Jovia Armstrong (percussion).

Mandorla Awakening II: Emergin Words

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Nicole Mitchell - Awakening

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:39
Size: 148,3 MB
Art: Front

( 7:01)  1. Curly Top
( 9:08)  2. Journey On A Thread
( 7:07)  3. Center Of The Earth
( 2:47)  4. Snowflakes
(11:40)  5. Momentum
( 8:58)  6. More Than I Can Say
( 6:24)  7. There
( 6:07)  8. F.O.C.
( 5:23)  9. Awakening

Flautist Nicole Mitchell's generous improvisational abilities are at the musical heart of Awakening. Not only does she move effortlessly from single-note lines and sliding honks to wispy, soft timbres, but she is equally comfortable moving from pure melodic phrasing to more experimental, free content. Coupled with an exceptional trio backing, Mitchell's album crackles with infectious spontaneity. Her music manages to be at once reflective and energetic, accessible as well as clever. "Curly Top" kicks of the set in a laidback groove, with splendid give and take between lead flute and guitarist Jeff Parker's fluid comping. In fact, Mitchell and Parker's musical synergy is key to the album's success. Again and again they fortify each other's musical flights with perfect harmonic support, giving the music a wide sonic texture and cleverly making the most of its melodic landscape. Behind them, Harrison Bankhead's bass and Avreeayl Ra's percussion team up to lay down a funky groove, pushing each other along in creative, rhythmic accents. On "F.O.C." and the title track, the quartet also plays with a straight-ahead feel and rides out the melody for all it's worth, weaving loping, angular solos into an established song structure.  On other tracks, though, the band breaks more dramatically from straight forms and moves into avant-garde territory. Both "Journey On A Thread" and "Center of The Earth" incorporate progressive musical experimentation while retaining a semblance of melodic structure. And the band is as tight and unified in the experimental modes as they are in the more traditional aspects of the songs. This balancing act results in music both exciting and approachable, and makes Awakening a vibrant musical statement. ~ Jack Huntley https://www.allaboutjazz.com/awakening-nicole-mitchell-delmark-records-review-by-jack-huntley.php
 

Personnel: Nicole Mitchell: flute;  Jeff Parker: guitar;  Harrison Bankhead: bass;  Avreeayl Ra; drums, percussion.

Awakening

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Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Ensemble - Black Unstoppable

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:37
Size: 181,8 MB
Art: Front

( 7:04)  1. Cause and Effect
( 7:24)  2. Black Unstoppable
( 5:42)  3. February
( 8:51)  4. Love Has No Boundaries
( 7:57)  5. Sun Cycles
(12:46)  6. The Creator Has Other Plans For Me
( 9:07)  7. Life Wants You To Love
( 4:05)  8. Navigator
( 8:37)  9. Thanking the Universe

Co-President of the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) and voted Down Beat Magazine's # 1 Rising Star Flutist for the past two years, Nicole Mitchell is the most significant jazz flutist of her generation. A former student of flutist James Newton, Mitchell is a peerless improviser, having fully absorbed the extended vocal techniques pioneered by Rahsaan Roland Kirk and the abstruse verticality of Eric Dolphy. Bolstering emotionally direct lyricism with edgy phrasing and expressive vocalisms without abandoning structure or form, she consistently maintains thematic focus, even in uncharted territory. Reminiscent of the halcyon days of the Loft Era, Mitchell's writing balances inside and outside aesthetics gracefully, vacillating between extremes of freedom and structure with ease. Skillfully weaving circuitous lines of bracing angularity with accessible, buoyant harmonies that recall the glory days of hard bop, Mitchell's tunes both challenge and entertain. Mitchell's flagship group, the Black Earth Ensemble, epitomizes the AACM's credo Great Black Music, Ancient to the Future." Trafficking in advanced post-bop structures, free-form improvisation, stirring blues, passionate soul, simmering funk and even Afro-Beat, the Black Earth Ensemble offers a kaleidoscopic array of the finest African-American musical traditions. 

Their fourth album, but first for Delmark, Black Unstoppable follows Vision Quest (2001), Afrika Rising (2002), and Hope, Future and Destiny (2004), all on Dreamtime Records. Available as a studio recorded CD and a live performance DVD, both editions of Black Unstoppable catch the band up close and personal, in brilliant sonic detail. The Black Earth Ensemble features a stellar line-up of some of Chicago's finest improvisers. Ubiquitous guitarist Jeff Parker (Tortoise, New Horizons) displays boundless creativity, ranging from supple, linear introspection to acerbic, EFX-laden abstraction. Stalwart bassist Josh Abrams serves alongside cellist Tomeka Reid, a rising presence on the Windy City's vibrant jazz scene. Lesser known, but no less accomplished, saxophonist David Boykin and trumpeter David Young form a dynamic front line with Mitchell. Boykin's turbulent tenor tantrums and Young's highly vocalized mute work add a broad sense of stylistic diversity to the group. Rounding out the ensemble are drummer Marcus Evans, playing with subtle restraint throughout; and pianist Justin Dillard, who guests on three tunes. Singer Ugochi Nwaogwugwu contributes soulful vocals, engaging in a robust blues duet with David Young on "Love Has No Boundaries," and soaring over the infectious Afro-Beat groove of "Life Wants You to Love." With rousing soul power, she leads "Thanking the Universe," spurring the instrumentalists onward and upward. An enthralling blend of styles and genres unified by an organic sensibility, Black Unstoppable is a definitive statement from the new face of the AACM, and a tribute to the organization's longevity.~ Troy Collins https://www.allaboutjazz.com/black-unstoppable-nicole-mitchell-delmark-records-review-by-troy-collins.php

Personnel: Nicole Mitchell: flute, alto flute, piccolo; David Boykin: tenor saxophone, percussion; David Young: trumpet, flugelhorn, vocal (4); Jeff Parker: guitar; Justin Dillard: piano (4, 5, 8); Tomeka Reid: cello, shakere; Josh Abrams: bass; Marcus Evans: drums; Ugochi Nwaogwugwu: vocals (4, 7, 9).

Black Unstoppable

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