Delayed Visions: Review of Nicole Mitchell at Vision Festival XII
by Taylor Ho Bynam, SpiderMonkey Stories
Nicole Mitchell brought out her Black Earth Ensemble from Chicago (David Young - trumpet, Nicole Mitchell - flute, David Boykin - reeds, Justin Dillard - piano, Tomeka Reid - cello, Josh Abrams - bass, Avreeayl Ra - drums, Marcus Evans - drums, Mankwe Ndosi - vocals) to perform the premiere of her Xenogenesis Suite: A Tribute to Octavia Butler. I’ve considered Nicole probably the finest flute player active today ever since I first heard her, and it’s been a great pleasure to work with her in Braxton’s 12+1tet, her personality is as sparkling as her music. But this performance brought my esteem to a still higher level. The music drew inspiration from the work of the late, great science fiction writer Octavia Butler, specifically the novel Dawn from her Xenogenesis Series. (I’ve yet to read that one, but I’ve read a few other of her books. Butler is a truly brilliant author, who exploits the metaphorical potential of science fiction to its fullest potential, a profound commentator on race, gender and sexuality through the prism of space, magic and potential futures.) Nicole received Butler’s blessing on the project just weeks before Butler’s too early passing, so the tribute carries a real legacy. The music did Ms. Butler full justice. It was the most intricate compositional work I’ve yet heard from Nicole. She chose not to use Butler’s specific text, but rather used the novel’s themes as inspiration, which I think was a good choice. There was a clear narrative feel, but the sounds remained beautifully abstract and unencumbered by the need to lock the listeners into a single story. There were improvised solos and free jazz energy, but also moments of layered pastoralism and complex ensemble interplay. Most of the excellent young Chicago musicians in the band were a discovery for me, all played with poise and fire. Mankwe Ndosi was a vocal chameleon and a striking musical presence, singing in real and invented languages, sometimes sounding like some kind of alien species of cat (in a good way!). But for me, the veteran percussionist Avreeayl Ra was MVP; he locked in with the bassist Josh Abrams and drummer Marcus Evans on grooves sweet and subtle, and every thing he touched provided the perfect percussive foil, from long strands of bells and metals to a custom made instrument that sat on his lap, a hybrid of a bata drum and a cajon. And in my tradition of shameless plugs for my record label, I’m really happy to say that the band was up in New Haven the day before the Vision concert, recording the music for fall release on Firehouse 12. From all reports, everything went great, and if the concert is any indication, that will be a really special album.