''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.Black Earth Strings
at Nicole Mitchell

Reception

In his review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, 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." The ''

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' 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."Margasak, Peter. ''Renegades'' review. ''Down Beat'' November 09: page 66. Print. 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."Collins, Troy
''Renegades'' review
at All About Jazz 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."Shoemaker, Bill
''Renegades'' review
at Point of Departure

Track listing

:''All compositions by Nicole Mitchell'' # "Crossroads" – 5:54 # "No Matter What" – 3:49 # "Ice" – 3:53 # "Windance" – 3:50 # "Renegades" – 3:24 # "By My Own Grace" – 5:28 # "What If" – 4:36 # "Symbology #2A" – 1:56 # "Wade" – 6:03 # "Waterdance" – 5:19 # "Symbology #1" – 3:32 # "Mama Found Out" – 4:17 # "If I Could Have You the Way I Want You" – 4:00 # "Symbology #2" – 1:40 # "Waris Dire" – 5:43 # "Aaya's Rainbow" – 3:47

Personnel

* Nicole Mitchell -

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

alto flute The alto flute is an instrument in the Western concert flute family, the second-highest member below the standard C flute after the uncommon flûte d'amour. It is the third most common member of its family after the standard C flute and the ...

piccolo flute The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...

*Renee Baker –

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

* Tomeka Reid –

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

*Josh Abrams –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

gimbri The sintir ( ar, سنتير), also known as the guembri (), gimbri or hejhouj or Garaya in Hausa language, is a three stringed skin-covered bass plucked lute used by the Gnawa people. It is approximately the size of a guitar, with a body carv ...

*Shirazette Tinnin –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

References

{{Authority control 2009 albums Nicole Mitchell (musician) albums Delmark Records albums