Nicole Mitchell Afrika Rising CD

CadenceSeptember 2003Phillip McNallyNicole MitchellBlack Earth EnsembleAfrika RisingDreamtime 004Chicago has, almost from the beginnings of Jazz, been the home of two musical worlds. Ever since Bud Freeman and Art Hodes went roaming southwards to be blown away by the likes of King Oliver and that young cat he had on cornet, the cross pollination of uptown With music with the South Side has been a key reason why Chicago has so richly stayed at the center of what is happening in Jazz. These two recordings are evidence that these two musical worlds still thrive, and the cross pollination we hope continues. Nicole Mitchell's second recording is not to be missed (1) (Afrika Rising) is a true discovery, and I urge everyone interested in this music to seek it out. Hearing it reminded me of the first time I heard the Abdullah Ibrahim recordings from South Afrika, or of Randy Weston's incredible work with Melba Liston's arrangements. But since Mitchell plays the flute, composes and arranges, the more appropriate comparison might be to the early Blue note work of James Newton. Indeed, this is for me the most exciting debut on the flute since Newton came to light over 20 years ago. She thanks both Ed Wilkerson and Ernest Dawkins in her comments, and so we can hear her Chicago roots in the Afrocentric work of the AACM, and there is more than a hint of Chicago's sun Ra in the way she uses group vocals (on the brief "Goldmind") and in the cosmic reach of her imagination. Let's face it, those are some big names to throw around. But on the evidence of this one recording, Mitchell is already in that league. I know I will be searching out her first recording, Vision Quest (also on Dreamtime). But a few words about the music: the Black Earth Ensemble varies from a 6tet to a 12tet, but it always keeps the feel of a little big band, reminiscent of Wilkerson's 8 Bold Souls. Mitchell writes well for the ensemble, using lost of fresh colors in the arrangements while keeping space for some serious soloing. Her work on flute is wonderful, stretching the admittedly limited instrument with Rahsaan vocalizations, but she is able to play it straight and pretty too. Yet as well as she plays, this music is about the ensemble. And all the various musicians seem to be deeply part of the group spirit. The first 22 minutes of the recording are devoted to the Afrika Rising Trilogy, an extended piece for 12 players that expands and uses a Weston-like high life to support some strong solos from David Boykins on tenor sax and Tony Herrera on trombones and eventually shells. While a lot of hour long recordings might fade after an opening twenty minutes like that, Afrika Rising just keeps stretching and growing in new dimensions, mixing in gospel with an allusion to "Wade in the Water" and eventually straight out swinging at times. Mitchell is an artist to watch for, and Afrika Rising is a recording you need to discover. In fact, Afrika Rising is more interesting, exciting and approachable than the much more heralded work of the other side of Chicago Jazz, as Tigersmilk is likely to demonstrate. Bio-InfoNicole Mitchell, a "Widely Praised Soloist" (Chicago Tribune), is one of few African Ameri

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