Knowing Jazzrook's discerning taste I immediately thought of him when I started to play the latest CD that I have snapped up. This is by AACM flautist and composer Nicole Mitchell. Over the last few weeks I've been checking her music out on Youtube as I was intrigued by the favourbale reviews this CD has achieved. I haven't quite got through listening through all the tracks yet since I recevied the album yesterday but this represents some of the most potent jazz I've heard played on a flute.
The quartet includes the post-Frisell guitar of Jeff Parker who seems like a cross between Jim Hall and Derek Bailey, the hitherto unknown drummer Avreeayl Ra and the wonderful bassist Harrison Bankhead. The latter is simply one of the greatest jazz bassists around at the moment. If you dig William Parker's playing, then you will be impressed by the brilliant musician. Parker is a wonderful improvisor and not afraid to push the music slightly outside the envelope. The whole band gels perfectly and the music is extremely compelling. The opening "Curly Top" sounds almost as if it has snuck off from a 1960's Blue Note and the 3/4rds pf the disc I have played to date is pretty sensational. This record is demonstrative that the Chicargo jazz scene continues to produce great jazz just as the city did back in the 1920's.
As for Nicole Mitchell's flute, I am hugely impressed and can't recall hearing such startling playing on this instrument since I first heard Steve Kujala over 25 years ago. This record is something else - effectively, what jazz should be in my opinion.
The quartet includes the post-Frisell guitar of Jeff Parker who seems like a cross between Jim Hall and Derek Bailey, the hitherto unknown drummer Avreeayl Ra and the wonderful bassist Harrison Bankhead. The latter is simply one of the greatest jazz bassists around at the moment. If you dig William Parker's playing, then you will be impressed by the brilliant musician. Parker is a wonderful improvisor and not afraid to push the music slightly outside the envelope. The whole band gels perfectly and the music is extremely compelling. The opening "Curly Top" sounds almost as if it has snuck off from a 1960's Blue Note and the 3/4rds pf the disc I have played to date is pretty sensational. This record is demonstrative that the Chicargo jazz scene continues to produce great jazz just as the city did back in the 1920's.
As for Nicole Mitchell's flute, I am hugely impressed and can't recall hearing such startling playing on this instrument since I first heard Steve Kujala over 25 years ago. This record is something else - effectively, what jazz should be in my opinion.
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