nicole mitchell’s
black earth sway

About:

Black Earth SWAY, founded by award winning creative flutist Nicole Mitchell, sings liberation through Afro-Folk-Futurism. BE SWAY is a celebration of open spirits and sisterhood and is a platform for new mythologies in Black American storytelling in a liquid melding of funk, blues, experimental jazz, and more.  Putting the “fun” back in music, each member brings her songs that seek realness, joy and honesty in their free expression.

The multigenerational sister friends of BE SWAY all have creative and family connections to Chicago and its great cultural legacy. As one of the newest groups of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), they traverse the endless possibilities of Great Black Music. 

BE SWAY is unique in that it showcases the storytelling work of Coco Elysses who modernizes the didley bow (an African American folk instrument). Percussionist JoVia Armstrong plays an original cajon set (a box drum with cymbals). Alexis Lombre effortlessly handles the dual roles of bass and piano between a Nord keyboard and acoustic piano. Nicole Mitchell brings otherworldly sounds with her processed flute sounds and electronics.  Together these sonic ingredients are bake up Afro-Folk-Futurism. 

BE SWAY started in 2021, and in the last two years we have brought joy to audiences at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, Harvard University, Sao Paulo's SESC Jazz, SF Jazz, Dartmouth College, Pittsburgh's City of Asylum, Chicago's Promontory and Jazzowa Jesien (Katowice, Poland). 

Outside of BE SWAY, each member has an outstanding career as a composer and performer with her own projects.