From: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org (JMDL Digest) To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2007 #88 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk Unsubscribe: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe Archives: http://www.smoe.org/lists/joni Website: http://jonimitchell.com JMDL Digest Tuesday, February 27 2007 Volume 2007 : Number 088 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- njc, Sting plays lute on PBS tonight, and thoughts on melancholy ["Patti ] NJC Oscars [Wtking59@cs.com] More on 'Miles of Aisles' [Wtking59@cs.com] HOSL & Hejira and Blue critics [] Re: rickie lee et joni [kjhsf@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 02:12:40 +0000 From: "Patti Parlette" Subject: njc, Sting plays lute on PBS tonight, and thoughts on melancholy Bon soir, music lovers! Maybe this will interest some of you? Check your local listings. Classical Music, Here Is Thy Sting Rock Star Trades Bass For Lute In Playing 16th-Century Songs On PBS Special February 24, 2007 By ROGER CATLIN, Courant TV Critic Before he picked up his electric bass to reconvene the Police for their much-anticipated reunion tour this summer, Sting was winding up a quite different tour - in classical halls, singing the songs of Elizabethan composer John Dowland accompanied by lute. It seems at first an odd match, this pop star and the 16th-century courtesan singer-songwriter. But, Sting says, "these songs have been chasing me around for 20 years." It was back in the '80s, about the time the Police originally broke up, that "I became aware of them," Sting told TV writers last month during a press conference at which he first went on record about his leanings toward a Police reunion. "Someone came up to me and said, you know, `You should try singing that kind of stuff.' He said, `There's something in your voice that might suit that quality, that melancholy or whatever,'" Sting said. He heard it a couple of other times over the years, including when he met leading lutenist Edin Karamazov two years ago, who said, "`You know, we should sing John Dowland together.' And I was intrigued enough to say, `OK.'" It meant learning some rudimentary lute, the complex multistringed period instrument. But the resulting "Songs From the Labyrinth" ended up No. 1 on the classical charts for 15 weeks - the top-selling classical release last year. Monday, a performance of the work "Sting: Songs From the Labyrinth" has its premiere on PBS's "Great Performances." "We made the record just out of curiosity and love, with no idea that we could have a No. 1 record," said Sting. "Every day's been an adventure since then, totally unexpected." Dowland's titles, which include "Flow My Tears," "Forlorn Hope Fancy" and "In Darkness Let Me Dwell," are generally melancholy. But that's not a bad thing, Sting said. "I think it can be quite a useful emotion," he said. "It comes from self-reflection, comes from thinking about the state of the world and one's position in it and why we're here." And not all of it is melancholy. "He also wrote some that were very passionate and very loving and all sorts of funny songs," Sting said. "There was a whole rainbow of emotions that he covered. But I love the doom and gloom." The previous recordings of the work were generally more operatic and recorded in a way that seemed remote, he said. "I felt, from reading the text and listening to the melody, that it perhaps could be treated more personally, a little more sensuously, a little more wet," he said. With modern recording equipment, "it's right next to you, so you can whisper into someone's ear." Still, Sting was well aware of his own classical shortcomings. "It's difficult. There's a lot of breath control, and to stay concentrated, it's like tightrope walking," he said. "I spent a lot of time studying and researching and took a lot of advice from people who had been in this realm for many years." He knew classical audiences could be tougher than rock critics. "Makes me nervous when people in the audience have the score right in front of them," he said. And the lute presented its own problems. "I've played guitar for many years," Sting said. "This is a different kind of animal altogether." He hopes he's attracting people who know the music as well as his own fans interested in his latest dabblings. "I think the classical-music community are coming out of curiosity, because they love Dowland, and they want to see what this pop singer does with it," Sting said of his tours, which also bring "people who have probably never heard 16th-century songs before. "A Police fan or Sting fan will come to this thing with, I hope, an open mind and see my enthusiasm and seriousness about it. I think the record sales will tell you that somehow it's clicked." The "Great Performances" production was shot in part before a live audience at St. Luke's Church in London, but also at Lake House, the pop star's 16th-century manor house in Wiltshire, and in Il Palagio, his Renaissance-era home near Florence. "That's the kind of place that music was played. There were no concert halls," Sting said. "There were just rooms to play chamber music." In his live shows, Sting throws his fans a bone with a lute version of the Police's "Message in a Bottle" and his solo hit "Fields of Green" in the encores (they are also included in a new deluxe package of "The Journey & the Labyrinth: The Music of John Dowland," issued Feb. 13). But he assures he won't be bringing Dowland songs - or his lute - when the Police go out on a reunion tour this summer. **** I extract/highlight this part of the article because it makes me think of Joni: "Dowland's titles, which include "Flow My Tears," "Forlorn Hope Fancy" and "In Darkness Let Me Dwell," are generally melancholy. But that's not a bad thing, Sting said. "I think it can be quite a useful emotion," he said. "It comes from self-reflection, comes from thinking about the state of the world and one's position in it and why we're here." ......... "There's comfort in melancholy, when there's no need to explain..." Love & peace & comfort, Patti P. NPOMTV until I find the right PBS channel: UConn women vs. Rutgers _________________________________________________________________ Win a Zunemake MSN. your homepage for your chance to win! http://homepage.msn.com/zune?icid=hmetagline ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 22:07:32 EST From: Wtking59@cs.com Subject: NJC Oscars Bob.Muller@Fluor.com wrote: >>>Celine Dion still scares the hell out of me and looked awfully silly with that 60-second pucker at the end of her song.<<< AGREED, Bob--wasn't she a trip? I mean, downright CRINGE-inducing. Her "NEW SONG" was completely forgettable as well. But then, so was Melissa Etheridge's winning (!) song. Then again, I don't think I've never heard a song by EITHER of them (Celine OR Melissa) that I could really stomach. Loved the show in general, however. Just not much of the music. And, yeah--I thought we were definitely gonna have another "wardrobe malfunction" (from Jennifer Hudson) as well. For a brief moment, at least, she certainly came close! :-o As for the gowns, I thought Penelope Cruz, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, Cate Blanchett, Sherry Lansing--even Helen Mirren--all looked sensational. On the other hand, poor Sally Kirkland (spotted whirling on the red carpet) shoulda been banned! XXXOOO, Billy NP: 'Take a Picture' (1968) by Margo Guryan ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 22:33:40 EST From: Wtking59@cs.com Subject: More on 'Miles of Aisles' My personal opinions on 'Miles of Aisles'--track-by-track (...and side-by-side): ;-) Side 1: 1. "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio"; Impressive, updated arrangement that's considerably slower than the original version. And Joni's soaring vocal--especially towards the end--is beautiful. 2. "Big Yellow Taxi"; Fun, jazzy little surprise--even if it does sound a bit dated now. 3. "Rainy Night House"; Another jazzy "band" arrangement that completely transforms the original into something mysterious and unique. Featuring one of the most gorgeous vocals on the entire disc, this is a spellbinding highlight--for sure. 4. "Woodstock"; Uptempo, rocking "band" version that's quite different from the classic original. Side 2: 1. "Cactus Tree"; The first acoustic track on the disc remains very similar to the original. Stark and moving. 2. "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire"; This particular version of Joni's greatest jazz composition has always struck me as sounding rather sluggish--especially when compared to the brilliant original (although both arrangements are quite similar). 3. "Woman of Heart and Mind"; This excellent acoustic version sounds very much like the original. 4. "A Case of You"; Again, quite similar to the original version--only better. Accompanied by only her dulcimer, this incredibly passionate performance is sensational in every way. This is one of the albums most brilliant tracks. 5. "Blue"; Yet another beautifully rendered highlight that's (dare I say it) actually superior to the classic original. Simply breathtaking. Side 3: 1. "The Circle Game"; Very nice acoustic version--complete with sing-along chorus--that's alot like the original in many ways. 2. "Peoples' Parties"; Nice, but nothing special. In fact, I actually prefer the original version. 3. "All I Want"; Another major highlight, and again--another dulcimer performance that's better than the original. Very impressive, and one of my absolute favorites on the disc. 4. "For Free"; Similar--but slightly inferior--to the brilliant original. 5. "Both Sides Now"; Lovely band arrangement of Joni's most popular composition. Another winner. Side 4: 1. "Carey"; As great as the song itself is--and it's STILL enjoyable--this awkward arrangement is one of the albums rare mistakes. 2. "The Last Time I Saw Richard"; The final, absolute highlight of the disc. This is a revelatory--even transcendent--band arrangement of the original tear-jerker. And as one of my all-time favorite performances by Joni, I think it's positively stunning. 3. "Jericho"; The first of two new compositions, and one of the most pedestrian songs on the disc. Not a bad performance per se, but the composition itself is a major disappointment compared to Joni's earlier classics. So what happened? My best guess is "distractions." Distractions brought on by drugs or the grind of touring--or perhaps both. At any rate, her recently neglected "muse" had largely abandoned her for the first time ever--and it showed. 4. "Love Or Money"; Another new song, this is the biggest low-point in terms of composition, almost entirely lacking the profound originality of her early classics. This proved to be an unfortunate preview of things to come, and sadly sounds like an outtake from 'The Hissing of Summer Lawns.' XXXOOO, Billy NP: '...And I Mean It!' (1979) by Genya Ravan ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 20:51:26 -0800 From: Subject: HOSL & Hejira and Blue critics Monica wrote about the critic assessing Joni's Blue as "self-centered with no compassion for the people" and then mentions the radical 70s. Geez, I was there, age 17, when Blue was released and remember exactly where I was etc. How anyone or a critic could think that way is just a joke. I think or maybe know now that a lot of what I guess I was supposed to think in the 60s and 70s was either over my head or totally misinterpreted by me. At the time I always thought it was all about respect, understanding and tolerance for the individual. That is who "the people" were and still are to me. What, they thought Joni should co-opt her own unique expression to provide an "acceptable" product? Yeesh. What about the much bigger expression you find in Blue - that it is individual, personal and totally universal all at the same time? I don't know of anyone who would not relate to her expressions on that album. That is always why she has been so great - she is able to express the most personal and yet most everyone ("the people") can relate to it. The greatest artists channel and express the universal. Katherine commented that people found fault in women who didn't play games back then and that there was a sort of cultural norm that something inherently wrong with strong, independent women. I am so glad that part went way over my head back then. By not perceiving it, I was not held back by it. Sure there was prejuduce but it wasn't the norm and with all the social changes, that kind of prejudice still and will always endure. But it was not the overwhelming cultural norm then nor is it now. I am not trying to diminish incidents of real prejudice then and now but to believe it was/is the norm is to build one's own kind of prison in which one can never break out above and beyond whatever "ceiling" may present itself. Kakki ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 01:24:35 -0500 From: kjhsf@aol.com Subject: Re: rickie lee et joni Synchronicity! I was listening to "The Magazine" this afternoon and thinking how wonderful it was. The opening, Prelude to Gravity, is so moving and so beautiful-followed by "Gravity", which is to me, Rickie at her best. I also adore "Deep Space" which, in concert, Rickie refers to as "Equestrienne in the Circus of the Falling Star." And there is nothing more somber and precise than her opening bars on "Rorshachs"--"there must be a golden frame coming to me. But where are you? Where are you? Where are you?" Rickies voice is plaintive and beautiful. What a magnificent record. And you are right-there is no point in comparing her to Joni. They are completely different. Ken - -----Original Message----- From: darinaria@sbcglobal.net To: joni@smoe.org Sent: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 5:44 Subject: rickie lee et joni Have been wanting to save my cassettes and albums to disk for quite some time. Finally figured out how to do it. Saving them to computer today. The first cassette I pulled out, at random, was 'the magazine' by Rickie Lee. Have both the cassette and the album of most of her recordings and couldn't see spending the extra money to buy the cd's of them, as well as many other artists. While recording it and listening to it intently I realize why I love her so. This album could have been named 'the masterpiece' for it truly is one. Some say 'she ain't no Joni Mitchell.' That is true, she's not. She's Rickie Lee Jones. Better? Hmmm. Apples are very sweet and good and so are peaches. mack ________________________________________________________________________ Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more. ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2007 #88 **************************** ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here: mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe -------