Nicole Mitchell - Awakening (2011) torrent

Delmark Records: DE 599
http://www.delmark.com/delmark.599.htm

* Nicole Mitchell: flute
* Jeff Parker: guitar
* Harrison Bankhead: bass
* Avreeayl Ra: drums

http://www.nicolemitchell.com/
http://www.jeffparkersounds.com/
http://aacmchicago.org/avreeayl-ra

Recorded on March 2 & 3, 2011 at Riverside Studio, Chicago by Steve Wagner.

Reviews
~~~~~~~

By Alex Henderson
http://www.allmusic.com/album/awakening-mw0002137823

When jazz critic Peter Margasak interviewed Nicole Mitchell for the liner notes
he wrote for Awakening, she explained: "I wanted to dig back into the
old-school jazz a bit and yet still make room to branch out into never-never
land." And that is a perfect description of what the Chicago-based
flutist/composer does on this 2011 date, which finds her leading a pianoless
quartet that employs Jeff Parker on electric guitar, Harris Bankhead on upright
bass and Avreeayl Ra on drums and percussion. Presumably, the "old-school jazz"
that Mitchell is referring to is post-bop, while "the never-never land" is
avant-garde jazz. Of course, avant-garde jazz comes in many different
flavors. Avant-garde jazz can be totally outside (whether it is scorching,
dense, brutally atonal free jazz or the spaciness of the AACM), or it can be
avant-garde jazz with an inside/outside perspective--and Awakening, like
previous Mitchell releases, has an inside/outside perspective. The material
that Mitchell composed for Awakening is fairly melodic; "There," "Momentum" and
the bluesy "F.O.C.," for example, offer appealing post-bop melodies. "Curly
Top" even has a somewhat Horace Silver-ish funkiness. So no, this 64-minute CD
is not an exercise in atonality; that isn't the scenario at all. But at the
same time, Mitchell and her colleagues don't hesitate to venture into outside
playing when they feel like it. They don't venture far outside, but they do
venture outside--and while Awakening is more inside than outside, the outside
element is an attractive part of the equation. Mitchell, it should be noted,
has favored different combinations of musicians on different albums; she is
quite proficient when it comes to ensemble playing and arranging, but an
intimate quartet format serves her equally well on Awakening. And once again,
the Chicago resident excels as both a composer and a soloist.

--

By Nic Jones
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=41115

By Troy Collins
http://www.pointofdeparture.org/PoD36/PoD36MoreMoments5.html

By Tim Niland

Di Enrico Bettinello (it)
http://italia.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=7155

Por Pachi Tapiz (es)
http://www.tomajazz.com/web/?p=2595