It was the third studio recording by the Note Factory, a nonet with twin rhythm sections.

[1] Vijay Iyer and Craig Taborn will later record duo album The Transitory Poems in 2019.

[2] In his review for AllMusic, Don Snowden states "Song for My Sister is a strong album that takes in a wide variety of musical settings—short pieces, long pieces, excursions into tradition, textures, and abstraction—without losing cohesiveness.

"[3] The Penguin Guide to Jazz says "As an entity, the ensemble feels shapeless in the way it handles various talents, and Mitchell himself never imposes enough of himself to unite it all.

"[5] The BBC review by Bill Tilland states "Overall, this CD puts on display the diversity of Mitchell's musical vision, and while most listeners will respond more fully to some of its elements than to others, everything here is eminently worthy of attention.