First lending her talents to other artist's projects (David Boykin, Ed Wilkerson), Mitchell issued her solo debut in 2001, titled Vision Quest, credited to Nicole Mitchell and Black Earth Ensemble. Joined on the recording by a host of other musicians (violinists Savoir Faire and Edith Yokley, bassist Darius Savage, plus percussionists Hamid Drake and Avreeayl Ra), Vision Quest received favorable reviews in the Chicago music press, as avant-jazz veteran (and fellow flutist) James Newton offered praise, saying that Newton "has produced new techniques that have not yet been heard from any other flutist." A year later, Afrika Rising arrived on Dreamtime Records. It was also credited to the Mitchell/Black Earth Ensemble combination, continuing her collaborations with the large Chicago-area ensemble. ~ Greg Prato