MusicWorks Review
Johannes Valtz
"...If Lori Freedman was the chief revelation among the wind instrumentalists from the Montreal circle, she found her Chicago counterpart in flutist Nicole Mitchell, who is currently vice-chair of the AACM. Mitchell's Black Earth Ensemble was the one group most obviously steeped in mid-'60s hard bop. Andrew Hill's soulful, yet abstract, compositional style comes to mind, but Mitchell's flute techniques are simply unmatched. She displays a similar love for the classical flute tone as did Eric Dolphy, and she counts James Galway among her early influences. But the way she employs tonguing, singing, and whistling puts her at the head of the experimentalist camp. Mitchell also profited from the solid support of bassist Josh Abrams, who, together with drummer Chad Taylor, forms one of the most sought-after rhythm sections of the current Chicago scene."