Nicole Mitchell - Bamako*Chicago Sound System '2024

Tracks list

Sweetly haunting flute and kora, beckoning the title song of this album,
“Bamako Chicago”, transported me back to 14 Sept 2017, in the Strobe
Recording Studio in Chi-town, where I had the honor of witnessing it all come to
life. The atmosphere was electric, almost surreal—a mix of playfulness
and loving focus, creating a sense of family (which included 8 accomplished
musicians, and the recording engineer, Caleb Willitz) overcoming odds to forge
something groundbreaking. What more could one expect from a collaboration
between two internationally esteemed composers: renowned flutist, former AACM
chair, Nicole Mitchell, and innovative kora player, Bamako's musical ambassador,
Ballaké Sissoko? Both have defied conventions in their respective genres;
Mitchell’s Afrofuturist sound and cosmic ethic and Sissoko's integration
of guitar progressions into kora compositions. Both push traditional forms into
new spaces. Both bring a rich history of collaboration across various genres.

"Ballaké was really open. We came together as equals, each with our
compositions, creating collaborative music—an amazing feat considering
traditional gender roles. It represents a much-needed unity in this dystopian
world we live in." --Nicole Mitchell

The magic began during a 2014 residency in the swanky suburbs of Paris, France,
at the splendiferous Royaumont. Then, their host Frederic Duval suggested the
rather awkward working title “Beyond Black." Three years later, with
modest funding, Bamako musicians arrived in Chicago, and the project adopted a
more fitting name inspired by a conversation between Mitchell and celebrated
cultural critic/musician, Greg Tate: Bamako*Chicago Sound System.

The musical collaboration echoes fusion artists like Foday Musa Suso and Herbie
Hancock, yet it forges a unique path with a blend of depth and frequency more
closely relatable to Alice Coltrane's lesser-known
blues/’occidental’ music, such as “Galaxy in Turia”
and “Er Ra”, along with the nuanced and celebrated Journey in
Satchidananda. Like Coltrane, this album is transformative, taking listeners to
other worlds through sonic transference. Ballaké’s post-traditional
innovative writing leaves ample space for interpretation and breath,
complementing Nicole's layered, complex otherworldly compositions.

The signature track, "Bamako Chicago”, transports listeners to a space
that is both Bamako and Chicago, the Midwest and West Africa, Fatim Kouyate's
and Mankwe Ndosi’s hypnotic vocal refrain “Chicago –
Bamako” blending two separate geographical bodies into one. Percussionist
Jovia Armstrong's splashing cymbal subtly accents and fuses with Fassery
Diabate’s vibrant balafon, the combination evoking the kind of cool
summer drizzle that produces rainbows. Each instrument, from vocals to strings
to wind to the percussive, merges into the other, while retaining distinction.
It feels like a celebratory dance between new lovers, whose connection spans
lifetimes—bridging romantic ties while affirming ancient ones.

The entire album embodies the African griot traditions of call and response,
rooted in the Black Amerikan blues/jazz lineage. Some songs arouse the feeling
of Bamako serenading Chicago through Malian streets and home-grown stories, as
seen in "Tara." Kouyate's lush vocals, accompanied by Sissoko's succulent
strings, create a traditional yet powerfully sensory experience, reflecting a
rich ancient culture.

Other times, it feels like Chicago is guiding Bamako on a similar journey, as
with "Spicy Jambalaya". Mitchell's butterfly-like, pied-piper build leads us
through sonic ebbs and flows, echoing Chicago's deep blues and jazz roots.
Ballaké's kora responds in a familial frequency, accepting Mitchell’s
invitation. Joshua Abrams' bluesy stand-up bass, Ndosi's atonal Sun Ra-esque
vocals, and Jeff Parker's psychedelic guitar further flavor this sonic stew,
while Diabate's balafon and Armstrong’s rhythms act as percussive gumbo.


The exchange reaches a dauntless culmination in "Vulnerable”, where
Ndosi's blues vocals meet Ballaké's dexterous responses on kora. Punctuated
choral intonations rise from some ancient place – a gateway to a parallel
realm of unrestricted consciousness, opening the heart and leaving it bare. As
the song progresses, Mitchell lays down a soul-searing serenade, punctuating
Kouyate's sensual vocals, revitalizing a space of mutual acknowledgment, and
embracing the bittersweet alchemy that prefaces healing.

Then, "This Moment" expresses thankfulness and joy, feeling more like a reunion
than a first meeting. Mitchell's celebratory composition harmonizes
Chicago-style love into a universal cry, answered empathically by Bamako's
contemporized traditional groove, with Diabaté's notable balafon solo
elevating ecstatically high frequencies. Here, the collusion of all things
string creates a tapestry of plush noise, pushing the boundaries of each
instrument. By the end, “fears and doubts” dissipate, as both
vocalists share sorrows and joys, grateful for "this moment” – to
be transported to an ephemeral third space where terrestrial boundaries are
erased via the sonic melding of esoteric sound – and that is something,
as the title song suggests, no earthly power can, “take away”.

--Jamika Ajalon, 2024 

Tracklist:
01. Nicole Mitchell - Bamako Chicago (08:21)
02. Nicole Mitchell - Doname (04:44)
03. Nicole Mitchell - Kanu (04:48)
04. Nicole Mitchell - Tolotai (04:37)
05. Nicole Mitchell - Spicy Jambalaya (07:28)
06. Nicole Mitchell - Tara (04:01)
07. Nicole Mitchell - This Moment (14:47)
08. Nicole Mitchell - Se Wa Kole (04:20)
09. Nicole Mitchell - Vulnerable (09:21)

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