More visceral flute jazz
Anthony Cooper | Louisville, KY United States | 09/23/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Nicole Mitchell's "Renegades" is an earthy follow-up to 2007's "Black Unstoppable" (there was also 2008's "Xenogenesis Suite", which I haven't heard). The band has Renee Baker on violin, Tomeka Reid playing cello, Josh Abrams is the bassist, and Shirazette Tinnin plays drums and percussion. You might think from the string-heavy lineup this would be a classically influenced CD, but it's heavily influenced by funk and blues. With flute sonically on top, it has a 70's Archie Shepp-influenced jazz feel, but the music is certainly modern. Similar to a lot of modern jazz discs, "Renegades" has some free jazz and some complicated intertwining lines, though not in the same song. Mitchell even sings a few lines on "By My Own Grace". The recording quality is very good - hearing the wood of the wooden instruments (including the drums) adds to the earthy qualities of the music. This is very good jazz, and if anything in the review sounds slightly interesting, you should consider picking this one up.
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