SUNDAY WITH JONI MITCHELL...
In 1977, like many young guys, I developed a crush on this world wise lady. I have all but three of her CD's today; "For the Roses" is my all-time favorite along with "Hejira". She transitioned from Folk to Jazz in the spirit of being true to herself. In that process, she may have lost some fans. That is a risk anyone takes in being true to themselves. Her musicianship with the guitar is an enigma for me as the lady herself. For decades, I have long wanted to sit down with her over coffee for a day and exchange world views. There is simply no one like her; artist Jewel Kilcher (another lady I enjoy) and others credit her seminal CD "Blue"--a masterpiece that influenced them. That CD prompted friend Kris Kristofferson to intone: "Joan, for God's sake, hold back a little". I was glad she didn't. Her musical explorations sonically were helped by the late bassist Jaco Pastorius and jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter--both of the band Weather Report whom I saw live in concert. Joni's paintings--for me--both rival and surpass Picasso. But the great joy for me is her newest CD, "Shine" which opens with a beautifully expressive piano solo.
posted by Michael Manning @ 3:56 AM
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10 Comments:
What a great interview with one of my favorite female recording artists.
Thanks for the link Michael,
A nice way to start a Sunday.
Glenn Bishop
This was so interesting. I've always heard such hype about Joni, but I've only known a few of her songs. Seeing her actually perform them, I can see how she really puts herself into her creations. And I loved the photo exhibit. Her visual art success has nothing to do with her already being famous; she is extremely good at both.
Seamus: She is fascinating!
Glenn: A nice way to move forward a bit. Glad you enjoyed it, my friend.
Sylvana: Next time you ate in a music shop, take a look at her CD covers; she painted most of them. "Clouds" is a nice early work. I think you'll be impressed. She chose her own road and was true to herself in her art, which is very impressive. "Court and Spark" was the commercially successful CD with "Help Me". "Miles of Aisles" was her first "Live" outing. Glad you stopped by! :)
Wonderful....never heard of her....looking into her though!
Have a great week
Love, jess
Jess: She is as the film segment says, one of the most important songwriters of our time. Much of her early work deals with extremely honest and personal portaits of romantic disappointments interwoven with delightful, if not complex outlooks on the human condition, happiness and remaining true to one's soul. Her songwriting is rich with a world wise sensibility of a woman who has has taken the time in life to love, risk and valiantly live well against the odds. What I am seeing more and more today are people, who unlike Joni, busy themselves intentionally to avoid dealing with their lives. I respect her tremendously after all these years and hope that visit over a cup of coffee happens one day. I think: "Wouldn't that be nice?" lol to you, Jess! :)
I've heardc so little of Joni's work, though know she is so highly regarded.
Jean-Luc: She is very prolific and has a fascinating career in painting and music. Just a fascinating lady!
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