New Directions get high marks

Chicago based ensemble New Directions garners a nice review.

The most striking ensemble appeared first, under the well-chosen name New Directions. Though ostensibly co-led by protean flutist Nicole Mitchell and mercurial keyboardist Jim Baker, Mitchell assured the crowd that this was a band of equals.

To say the least. The ease with which these six musicians interacted defied believability, particularly because New Directions pursued the “free jazz” aesthetic that avoids traditional melody, harmony and rhythm. Mitchell’s sensuous flute lines, Jaimie Branch’s trumpet arabesques and Greg Ward’s incendiary alto saxophone riffs created the most intricate frontline work of the night.