Awakening: Nicole Mitchell  

Delmark 2011

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

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. This smaller group setting opens the door for Mitchell to stretch out as a soloist more so than on any of her previous recordings. --Alex Henerson, AllMusicGuide

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1. Curly Top 7:01

2. Journey on a Thread 9:07

3. Center of the Earth 7:07

4. Snowflakes 2:47

5. Momentum 11:40

6. More Than I Can Say 8:58

7. There 6:24

8. F.O.C. 6:06

9. Awakening 5:23

Awakening: Nicole Mitchell  Delmark 2011