NOW Orchestra with Nicole Mitchell

Posted on | April 8, 2008 | No Comments

by admin

Originally posted by Steve Bagnell

The New Orchestra Workshop Society Presents Through the Eyes of a Child

On April 11th, special guest artist Nicole Mitchell, arguably one of the world’s top jazz flutists, joins spoken word artists Mercedes Baines and Kedrick James along with the NOW Orchestra for an evening of truly inspired music making. This concert will highlight new works by Nicole Mitchell and Coat Cooke as well as new spoken word compositions by Kedrick James and Mercedes Baines.

“Nicole Mitchell is on her way to becoming the greatest living flutist in jazz.”– Chicago Reader

One of the most sought-after jazz soloists and composers in North America, Nicole Mitchell is based in Chicago where she is a vital part of the local jazz and improv scene. She has appeared on five new recordings in just over a year, both under her own name and in collaborative projects, and has won DownBeat Magazine’s Rising Star Award three years running.

NOW Artistic Director Coat Cooke is “thrilled to have Nicole returning to Vancouver for this performance. She is an incredibly melodic and inventive musician. Nicole is a wonderful, warm person, but can be a ferocious player, as was seen with her Indigo Trio appearance in last year’s Jazz Festival.”

No stranger to Vancouver, she has been a guest artist at the Vancouver Creative Music Institute and for the last two years the conductor of the popular High School Jazz Intensive.

The NOW Orchestra will appear in a brand new incarnation for this special performance: Coat Cooke on saxophone and flute; JP Carter on trumpet; Brad Muirhead on trombone; Chad MacQuarrie on electric guitar; Tommy Babin on electric and acoustic bass; Chris Gestrin on keyboards and piano; and Skye Brooks on drums. Mercedes Baines and Kedrick James join the ensemble for this evening. They are two of Vancouver’s intrepid spoken word artists with a knack for masterful and spontaneous use of language and theatrics.

The title, Through the Eyes of a Child, speaks to the essence of innocence and the bold spirit of embracing the unfamiliar strong themes that run throughout the music and text. Mitchell speaks of her own music in these terms as well, describing her compositions as having an “intuitive narrative… from confusion to revelation.”

Friday, April 11, 2008 at 8:00pm
Vancouver East Cultural Centre (1895 Venables Street)
Tickets $20/$15 plus s/c, Student tickets only $5 plus s/c
Available at Ticketmaster or at the door
http://www.noworchestra.com/