Nicole Mitchell

[cannonball-addict]

Is Nicole Mitchell the daughter of Roscoe Mitchell? And at any point has she been in the AEC. I really dug her Black Earth Ensemble CD last year. I think it was on Delmark.

Anyone have any recommendations of her music? I am very into AEC and the whole Chicago scene/history is growing on me.

She was just here in Pittsburgh. Was supposed to be with David Boykin on this mini-tour, but word has it he didn't show (probably because he knew he wouldn't make his guarantee at this venue on a Sunday night). It was just her and some good local cats like this sax player named Ben Opie and this bassist named Mark Perna. Apparently they were playing pretty straight-ahead material.

Y'all need to check out Opie and his ensemble Opek which does concerts that are usually tributes to a given composer - Trane, Miles, Sun Ra, Monk, etc. He is an excellent all-around reed player. His day job is teaching music technology at Carnegie Mellon and the local performing arts high school. He does a mean version of Beatrice! He also leads a group called Thoth Trio.

Anyways, info on Nicole Mitchell Would be appreciated.

[Chuck Nessa]

Not Roscoe's daughter.

Her site HERE should answer your questions.

[JSngry]

Don't know too much more about her other than I've very much enjoyed all of her work that I've heard, and that Dusty Groove seems to be on top of handling her releases.

[cannonball-addict]

Ok. So no albums on Delmark. I must be mixing her up with all the other Chicago jazz Delmark sends my station. This dude SavoirFaire (an electric violinist) had a pretty good album this year on Delmark. Not earth-shattering but the dude can definately play his axe.

So JSngry I should get her first two releases huh?

Matt

[JSngry]

I liked them, yeah. Definitely not the same old same old.

[jlhoots]

Afrika Rising is the one I like best.

[sheldonm]

I see Nicole from time to time in Chicago; she is also a member of the AACM. Here is one image I made of her recently.

m~

[clifford_thornton]

That duo with Hamid Drake on his new one on RogueArt is great. Saw her a few times years ago in Chicago with Boykin, and remember enjoying quite a bit.

Funny Savoir Faire being brought up - I remember playing a really nice gig with him in Chi-town a few years back - two drummers, two guitarists, violin and cello - really heavy stuff!

[cannonball-addict]

How do I get ahold of that Hamid Drake. Speaking of him are there any recommendations of stuff he has led or been on over the years. He was on this hip-hop jazz group's CD (IsWhat?!) as a guest and I frequently see him on free stuff. What is his deal? What is he best known for?

Matt

[Nate Dorward]

RogueArt is availabel through Cadence/North Country. The Drake disc is quite nice, not a knockout but if you like his playing it's certainly worth getting. The Mitchell track is one of the better ones on the disc.

He's best known for his associations with Fred Anderson, Don Cherry & William Parker. He plays free jazz but usually not that far "outside", often with a groove. He's also well-known for using hand drums rather than kit quite often.

[Alexander Hawkins]

Anyone else checked out the quartet 'Frequency'? Nicole Mitchell is absolutely breathtaking on this. The other three members are Edward Wilkerson, Harrison Bankhead, and Aveeryl Ra. But Mitchell - wow.

[sal]

  cannonball-addict said:

How do I get ahold of that Hamid Drake. Speaking of him are there any recommendations of stuff he has led or been on over the years. He was on this hip-hop jazz group's CD (IsWhat?!) as a guest and I frequently see him on free stuff. What is his deal? What is he best known for?

Matt

He's one of those guys that when he plays, everyone else on the bandstand kicks it up another level. He has that presence, spiritually as well as musically. A special drummer IMO.

Nicole Mitchell is cool. I'm not familiar with her studio stuff, but I've seen her perform several times around Chicago and have never been disappointed.

[relyles]

  Red said:

Anyone else checked out the quartet 'Frequency'? Nicole Mitchell is absolutely breathtaking on this. The other three members are Edward Wilkerson, Harrison Bankhead, and Aveeryl Ra. But Mitchell - wow.

I have that one. I had high expectations, which were not entirely met. I thought it was good enough, but it could have been much better. Maybe I need to give it another listen.

[clifford_thornton]

  Nate Dorward said:

RogueArt is availabel through Cadence/North Country. The Drake disc is quite nice, not a knockout but if you like his playing it's certainly worth getting. The Mitchell track is one of the better ones on the disc.

He's best known for his associations with Fred Anderson, Don Cherry & William Parker. He plays free jazz but usually not that far "outside", often with a groove. He's also well-known for using hand drums rather than kit quite often.

UP!

Funny enough, I generally don't like Drake's playing. However, I LOVE this disc and his playing on it.

Highly recommended... this and the Rob Brown have been my favorite Rogue Art discs so far. Less so the R Mitchells but then again I'm not entirely on the horse with Roscoe's recent group work.

The band on Frequency is hip; I may have to investigate it, even if it's not earth-shaking.

[alocispepraluger102]

  clifford_thornton said:

  Nate Dorward said:

RogueArt is availabel through Cadence/North Country. The Drake disc is quite nice, not a knockout but if you like his playing it's certainly worth getting. The Mitchell track is one of the better ones on the disc.

He's best known for his associations with Fred Anderson, Don Cherry & William Parker. He plays free jazz but usually not that far "outside", often with a groove. He's also well-known for using hand drums rather than kit quite often.

UP!

Funny enough, I generally don't like Drake's playing. However, I LOVE this disc and his playing on it.

Highly recommended... this and the Rob Brown have been my favorite Rogue Art discs so far. Less so the R Mitchells but then again I'm not entirely on the horse with Roscoe's recent group work.

The band on Frequency is hip; I may have to investigate it, even if it's not earth-shaking.

frequency can be purchased by download from thrilljockey for 10 bucks, i think. one of the numbers on the download is cut off just a tad.

Edited January 17, 2007 by alocispepraluger102

[alocispepraluger102]

  alocispepraluger102 said:

  clifford_thornton said:

  Nate Dorward said:

RogueArt is availabel through Cadence/North Country. The Drake disc is quite nice, not a knockout but if you like his playing it's certainly worth getting. The Mitchell track is one of the better ones on the disc.

He's best known for his associations with Fred Anderson, Don Cherry & William Parker. He plays free jazz but usually not that far "outside", often with a groove. He's also well-known for using hand drums rather than kit quite often.

UP!

Funny enough, I generally don't like Drake's playing. However, I LOVE this disc and his playing on it.

Highly recommended... this and the Rob Brown have been my favorite Rogue Art discs so far. Less so the R Mitchells but then again I'm not entirely on the horse with Roscoe's recent group work.

The band on Frequency is hip; I may have to investigate it, even if it's not earth-shaking.

frequency can be purchased by download for 10 bucks, i think. one of the numbers is cut off just a tad.

here is a site where you can purchase some music of the same type for download by the song for next to nothing. site works pretty good. music is great(run by ernest dawkins).

http://chi-creates.tv/c/

[jlhoots]

I just ordered the Nicole Mitchell Trio live CD with Harrison Bankhead & Hamid Drake from Greenleaf (paperback series).

[Clunky]

I've really been enjoying Nicole Mitchell's Emerald Hills-(Rogue Art), from 2009. I'm a bit behind the curve here given when this thread was started as this was my first exposure to her. Very impressed I am. Any other recommendations??

[colinmce]

Awakening on Delmark.

FWIW I reallly don't like flute, but I enjoy her work a lot.

[relyles]

Emerald Hills is fantastic! I also really like Awakenings. You might also want to check out some of the Indigo Trio recordings with Harrison Bankhead and Hamid Drake.

Edited September 17, 2012 by relyles

[ValerieB]

i remember when Joe Williams was "presenting" Nicole. i got to see her at the Jazz Bakery in L.A. she was wonderful.

[Pete C]

She was one of the big hits when Vision Festival honored Fred Anderson in 2005. It may have been her first time performing in NYC. Amazing trio with Bankhead and Isaiah Spencer.

[ejp626]

  On 9/17/2012 at 6:12 PM, colinmce said:

Awakening on Delmark.

FWIW I reallly don't like flute, but I enjoy her work a lot.

I really like the idea of what she is doing, i.e. some of her concept albums. And I've seen her around Chicago a few times, and she seems like a great musician/person. However, I just can't get past the flute playing -- and so very rarely enjoy the music itself.

[colinmce]

I honestly don't know what it is ... I can just get into it. Maybe it is the strength of her conception. I feel the same about Braxton and Threadgill on the flute. But, on the other hand, the likes of Dolphy, Kirk, and Newton leave me cold.

[Pete C]

  On 9/17/2012 at 7:09 PM, colinmce said:

I honestly don't know what it is ... I can just get into it. Maybe it is the strength of her conception. I feel the same about Braxton and Threadgill on the flute. But, on the other hand, the likes of Dolphy, Kirk, and Newton leave me cold.

Add Sam Rivers and I think you've mentioned all the flute players I like (not so big on Braxton, though).