As previously reported here, the world-renowned Chicago jazzwoman Nicole Mitchell has managed to find something positive in the theft of her flute and piccolo, together valued at more than $10,000. The theft occurred after a successful concert in Italy by her Black Earth Ensemble, at the end of a short but grueling tour. Also stolen was band member David Young’s vintage trumpet, along with several irreplaceable items from Mitchell’s instrument bag (including the only recording of her triumphant Chicago Jazz Festival duo performance with pianist Anthony Davis.)
Mitchell explained how the support she received, in response to publicity about the thefts, gave her a new appreciation for the Chicago music community. It also led her to the flute she now carries with her as she once again tours Europe: a brand-new instrument from the legendary Powell Company. And Mitchell couldn’t be happier with the replacement.
“It’s working out fantastic!” she e-mailed me this week, en route from Brest (France) to Madrid for her next concert. “It has a darker, richer sound [than the stolen flute] and I feel so blessed to be playing it.”
In the weeks between Mitchell’s theft and her current performances, she had a hard time imagining this outcome. Immediately after the event, her European agent began talking with Powell about signing Mitchell as an endorser and supplying her with a Powell flute. But such things take time; in the meanwhile, Mitchell explained, she was “back home in Chicago, struggling with my old, raggedy flute” for two previously scheduled concerts; she had barely touched this instrument in the previous two years, and it needed repair.
“By the time I was on stage in Symphony Center, to play with the Chicago Sinfonietta [October 4], my flute wasn't working at all; I had to borrow a flute from the lap of the flutist next to me to play my solo, and then replace it in her lap! Luckily, most of that gig was on piccolo, which I had borrowed from a friend and had to return after the concert.”
But Mitchell has more than a couple of guardian angels. One of them is Mike Reed, the Chicago drummer, composer, bandleader, and music presenter (for events ranging from the Chicago Jazz Festival to Pitchfork). Reed and Mitchell have worked together on numerous projects, and he stepped up with a bold promise in a phone call that first week of October.
“Before I could barely greet him,” Mitchell recounts, “he stated matter-of-factly that he would get me a new instrument, because that was the right thing to do and he had the ability to do it. I don't have the words to express the silence of that moment, as my mind turned from gratitude to humility to joy to responsibility to wondering if I deserve such a thing.
“Mike told me he wasn't going to wait around for me to go through all that 'processing,' but to give me a call when I was ready. That moment taught me a lot about community, friendship, and self.” Faced with her upcoming return to Europe (for this week’s performances), but unwilling to waste her benefactor’s offer with a hasty decision, Mitchell waited to see what would happen next – and the bounties kept arriving.
First, a fan of Mitchell’s – who had attended several of her concerts – read about the situation and loaned Mitchell a flute, which she used for the next several days. During this time, there was also some talk about a possible benefit to replace the stolen instruments, neither of which was properly insured. But Mitchell’s discomfort with that idea led her to reject it, despite the magnanimity of the gesture and her own financial straits: “I felt that during this economic crisis, people have much more important needs to raise money for than a flute.” She opted to keep faith in what she describes as the “floating possibilities.”
Next came another unexpected gift, from “a mentor I really look up to – a luminary saxophonist of creative music” who has insisted on anonymity. “He called from Europe to tell me that he wanted to give me his flute. Wow. “I experienced another wave of overwhelming thankfulness. To play a flute that this master has been playing on: his ideas had been punched through those keys and his spirit had blown through that tube. I was floored with this gesture of kindness.”
Mitchell received the instrument last week, and admits that “it will take some work to get it going, but I look forward to continuing the special story of this flute and to inventing new sounds on it.”
And then, the day before she was set to leave for Prague (the first stop on her current tour), the previous threads of this tale knitted themselves together. “On Thursday afternoon [October 14], a box arrived to my house from Powell, with a new silver flute inside. Powell had agreed on an endorsement, and offered a nice discount for a piccolo and flute.” And Mitchell realized now was the time to take Mike Reed up on his offer.
“Mike – I must call him ‘hero’ – paid the remaining balance on the instruments. Just hours before leaving for my concerts in Prague, Brest, Barcelona and Madrid,” Mitchell e-mailed last Friday, “ I have this beautiful instrument to play on. Tonight . . . I will discover a new relationship with this wonderful gift.”
Mitchell’s hopes were apparently prescient; as she wrote me this week, “When I play the flute in concert, I feel like I’m playing a magic instrument that was dipped in blessings from the community. I feel a deeper sense of purpose and responsibility when I pick up the instrument to play.
“I am so grateful for this experience, because I've learned so much about community, friendship, and the power of generosity. I'm thankful to all the friends and new acquaintances who reached out to me with gestures of kindness, and really showed me that I'm not alone while in this situation. We really do have a global music community and Chicago is a special place within it. I'm glad to be a part of it.”
Mitchell returns to Chicago in a duo setting with bassist Dervin Hoff at The Hideout (1354 W. Wabansia) next Wednesday, October 27, starting at 9:30. Come to see the flute; stay to hear the music.
Meanwhile, one good turn deserves another. On Tuesday, as Mitchell and her new flute headed from Czechoslovakia to France, Mike “Hero” Reed’s band Loose Assembly released their latest album. Titled Empathetic Parts (482 Music), it documents a noteworthy concert (starring special guest Roscoe Mitchell) that took place at The Hideout last November.
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