UCI Flutist, composer and band leader Nicole MItchell won the coveted 2012 "Flutist of the year" award from the Jazz Journalists Association.

The JJA Awards honor excellence in jazz music, recordings, presentation and journalism. Nicole Mitchell joins the like of Sonny Rollins (Musician of the Year), Horace SIlver (Lifetime Achievement in Jazz), and a host of other jazz leaders. Read more: JJA Awards 2012.