| Renegades | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2009 | |||
| Recorded | December 12–14, 2008 | |||
| Studio | Riverside Studios, Chicago | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 67:21 | |||
| Label | Delmark | |||
| Producer | Robert G. Koester | |||
| Nicole Mitchell chronology | ||||
| ||||
Renegades is an album by American jazz flautist Nicole Mitchell, recorded in 2008 and released on Delmark. It was the first album by her Black Earth Strings, a band that brings African rhythms, contemporary sounds and swinging improvisation to a chamber music setting. [1]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Down Beat |  [3] |
In his review for AllMusic, Alex Henderson notes that "Baker and Reid's strings do a lot to shape the sound of Mitchell's quintet, which incorporates elements of Euro-classical chamber music but has strong African, Asian, and Middle Eastern influences as well." [2]
The Down Beat review by Peter Margasak says "With a composer open to exploring as many sounds and approaches as Mitchell, it’s important to have a group that keep things grounded, and despite the range of the pieces here, the music never feels dilettantish or erratic." [3]
The All About Jazz review by Troy Collins states "Avoiding eclectic posturing by virtue of her compositional acumen, Mitchell's writing eschews stylistic boundaries to embrace a multiplicity of genres, making each one her own. An endlessly fascinating listen, Renegades is her most compelling record to date, and a sure contender for many end of the year lists." [4]
The Point of Departure review by Bill Shoemaker says "Mitchell’s scores span folkloric gravity, bright swing and romantic blush. As is the case with her other projects, Mitchell manages to make listening to jazz a teachable moment, but without the pedantry that has become part and parcel of such exercises since the rise of the Neo Cons." [5]
Nicole Mitchell is an American jazz flautist and composer who teaches jazz at the University of Virginia. She is a former chairwoman of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).
Tomeka Reid is an American composer, improviser, cellist, curator, and teacher.
Black Unstoppable is an album by American jazz flautist Nicole Mitchell, which was recorded in 2007 and released on Delmark. It was the fourth album by her Black Earth Ensemble and the first for Delmark after three recordings on Dreamtime, the label she established with David Boykin. According to Mitchell, this project features a diverse collection of songs that touch all sides of Great Black Music: avant-garde jazz, blues, R&B and soul. The group ranges in size from a quartet to a nonet.
Awakening is an album by American jazz flautist Nicole Mitchell, which was recorded in 2011 and released on Delmark. She leads a quartet with guitarist Jeff Parker, bassist Harrison Bankhead and drummer Avreeayl Ra. Although she's worked extensively with these musicians, the group played together for the first time just days before heading into the studio. Mitchell explained "With this quartet I tried to put the flute more out front as usual. I wanted to dig back into the old school jazz a bit and yet still make room to branch out into never-never land".
Aquarius is an album by American jazz flautist Nicole Mitchell, which was recorded in 2012 and released on Delmark. It was the debut of her ensemble Ice Crystal, a quartet with vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, bassist Josh Abrams and drummer Frank Rosaly. The last piece is a tribute to saxophonist Fred Anderson.
Arc of O is an album by American jazz flautist Nicole Mitchell & an_Arche New Music Ensemble, a Polish chamber group co-founded and directed by Rafal Zapala and Filip Walcerz. It was recorded live as part of the Made in Chicago Festival of Poznań in 2010 and released on the French RogueArt label.
Emerald Hills is an album by American jazz flautist Nicole Mitchell, which was recorded in 2009 and released on the French RogueArt label. It was the debut recording by Sonic Projections, a quartet featuring pianist Craig Taborn, saxophonist David Boykin and drummer Chad Taylor. The band was formed in 2008 to celebrate the publication of George Lewis's book A Power Stronger Than Itself: The AACM and American Experimental Music.
Hope, Future and Destiny is an album by American jazz flautist Nicole Mitchell, which was released in 2004 on Dreamtime, the label she established with David Boykin. It was the third recording by her Black Earth Ensemble. This work was the musical score for a multi-arts community play involving a cast of over 50 people in dance, video, acting and live original music.
Intergalactic Beings is an album by American jazz flautist Nicole Mitchell with her Black Earth Ensemble, which was recorded in 2010 and released on FPE. The work was commissioned by the Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art and the album is the result of the live performance. It was her second suite based on the Xenogenesis novels of American science fiction writer Octavia Butler.
Celebrating Fred Anderson is an album by American jazz saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell, which was recorded live in 2015 at Chicago's Constellation and released on Nessa. For this tribute to saxophonist Fred Anderson, Mitchell assembled a quartet with cellist Tomeka Reid, bassist Junius Paul and drummer Vincent Davis and prepared four original pieces and adaptations of two Fred Anderson compositions, "Bernice" and "Ladies in Love".
Artifacts is an album by a collective trio consisting of Nicole Mitchell on flute and electronics, Tomeka Reid on cello and Mike Reed on drums, which was recorded in 2015 and released on 482 Music. The trio, which Tomeka Reid conceived for a concert in Seattle early in 2015, was formed to celebrate the legacy of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians during its 50th anniversary, interpreting compositions by some of its members. Cover art by Lewis Achenbach, created live during the 50th anniversary of the AACM at Mandel Hall in Chicago.
Last Year's Ghost is the debut album by Loose Assembly, a quintet led by American jazz drummer Mike Reed featuring alto saxophonist Greg Ward, vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, cellist Tomeka Reid and bassist Josh Abrams. It was released in 2007 on 482 Music. The recording started in 2005 and completed in 2006, but the original sessions were lost and the album is a re-creation of the lost recordings.
The Speed of Change is the second album by Loose Assembly, a quintet led by American jazz drummer Mike Reed featuring alto saxophonist Greg Ward, vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, cellist Tomeka Reid and bassist Josh Abrams. It was recorded in 2007 and released on 482 Music.
Afrika Rising is an album by jazz flautist Nicole Mitchell with her group Black Earth Ensemble. It was released in 2002 by Dreamtime, Mitchell's own label.
Xenogenesis Suite is an album by American jazz flautist Nicole Mitchell with her Black Earth Ensemble, which was recorded in 2007 and released on Firehouse 12. The work was commissioned by Chamber Music America and premiered at Vision Festival XII in New York City. It was her first suite based on the Xenogenesis novels of American science fiction writer Octavia Butler.
Three Compositions is an album by American jazz saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell which was recorded live at the occasion of Sant'Anna Arresi Jazz Festival 2009 and released on the French RogueArt label. Mitchell's scores are played by flautist Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Ensemble.
Bill Dixon with Exploding Star Orchestra is an album by American jazz trumpeter Bill Dixon and Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star Orchestra. It was recorded at Electrical Audio studios in Chicago in 2007, and was released in 2008 on the Thrill Jockey label. The album features two versions of a composition by Dixon plus one by Mazurek.
Frequency is the debut album by Chicago-based collective jazz quartet Frequency, featuring saxophonist Edward Wilkerson, flutist Nicole Mitchell, bassist Harrison Bankhead, and percussionist Avreeayl Ra. It was recorded at Riverside Studio in Chicago, and was released in 2006 by Thrill Jockey. The album includes compositions by all four musicians, along with group improvisations.
Tomeka Reid Quartet is an album by the jazz ensemble of the same name, led by cellist and composer Tomeka Reid, and featuring guitarist Mary Halvorson, double bassist Jason Roebke, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara. It was recorded on September 1, 2014, at Strobe Recording in Chicago, Illinois, and was released in 2015 by Thirsty Ear Recordings as part of their Blue Series.
Shards and Constellations is an album by pianist Alexander Hawkins and cellist Tomeka Reid. It was recorded on April 13, 2019, at Challow Park Studios in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, and was released in 2020 by Intakt Records. While eight of the album's ten tracks were collectively conceived, the recording also features versions of "Peace on You" by Muhal Richard Abrams, originally heard on the album Afrisong, and "Albert Ayler " by Leroy Jenkins, which first appeared on The Legend of Ai Glatson.