This is Samuel SavoirFaire Williams (Jazzviolinist). I am an avid fan of “our” Chicago Reader, being a Chicago native. I am also a fan of Nicole Mitchell [“An Improvised Life” by Peter Margasak, August 3], having shared in numerous memorable moments performing with BEE [Black Earth Ensemble] over the years. While I was certainly pleased, even exuberant, about the front page story that was written about Nicole, I must say that I was shocked and disheartened to read such a blatant misrepresentation of our working relationship–“have developed significantly under her tutelage.” I doubt seriously that Nicole would have said that she has mentored me or been in a position to teach me anything about improvisation except that she had a certain focus on fearlessness and a specific sound that she was looking for from us as her bandmates.
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And last but not least I doubt sincerely that there are any other musicians in the world that could have successfully collaborated with Nicole to have created the music that we performed and recorded. It was and will remain a unique and timeless series of recordings.
