From: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org (JMDL Digest) To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2007 #377 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 Sunday, September 23 2007 Volume 2007 : Number 377 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- River: The Joni Letters [Mark-Leon Thorne ] Re: SJC- Where Ya Gonna Be when Starbuck's Hosts Joni Mitchell Lunch & Listen "Shine" promotion [Deb Messl] chicago tribune review [Deb Messling ] detroit free press [Deb Messling ] Re: River: The Joni Letters [Victor Johnson ] Re: If I Had A Heart Download [Moni Kellermann ] Re: River: The Joni Letters [Bob Muller ] Re: Shine price, WalMart [LCStanley7@aol.com] AllMusic.com review of Shine (long) [Bob Muller ] Shine price Best Buy Canada $12.99 [Catherine McKay ] Re: (VLJC) Long Blah Blah Blah...(NJC) [Sherelle Smith ] Shine is shining.... [motitan@aol.com] Shine price [Dave Blackburn ] Re: Shine price [Victor Johnson ] LA Times Review ["Happy The Man" ] Subject: Re: Upcoming NPR Special [Bryan ] RE : Re: RE : NJC: thanks for sharing this [Joseph Palis ] RE : Re: Rolling Stone Review now critiquing the critics SJC [Joseph Pali] Joni, a cesspool, and the press [Motitan@aol.com] RE: My Shine, political content [Danilo Monno ] Re: River: The Joni Letters ["Cassy" ] Re: River: The Joni Letters [Michael Paz ] The Kakki report (NJC) [Michael Paz ] Fourth Sunday of Advent Prayer [Patti Parlette ] RE: njc, Sally Field speaks out [Patti Parlette ] You Tube viewers love the "Shine" promotional video ["Jim L'Hommedieu" Subject: River: The Joni Letters I just got Herbie Hancock's, River. Overall, I love it. My biggest disappointment was Tina Turner. I was looking forward to this cover the most. Edith is the perfect song for her but, it was so dead. I imagined that Tina Turner could have put such emotion into a song like this. It surely touches on aspects of her own life but Tina showed no interest and sings it quite mechanically to my ears. Norah Jones, however, exceeds my expectations. At first I thought it was an odd pairing but she pulls it off well. I don't know Luciana Souza but she has a lovely voice and does a fine job of Amelia. Herbie Hancock is a great musician but in his efforts to jazzify Both Sides, Now, he has stifled all of the song's original melody. It is completely unrecognisable. There are two instrumentals that I am baffled by - Nefertiti and Solitude. I don't see any connection with Joni. Can anyone tell me how these are connected with Joni? I'm not sure a jazz version (at least this jazz version) of The Tealeaf Prophecy was good planning. It puts a lighthearted sound to a very heavy song. Even Joni's vocals are in throw-away mode to me. Like she was doing a one off performance for charity. Leonard Cohen's bedtime story reading of The Jungle Line is interesting though. He shows just how much of a storyteller Joni is. Kind of glad he didn't attempt to sing it. It works, somehow. That's my AU$0.02. :-) Mark in Sydney NP Jungle Line - Herbie Hancock featuring Leonard Cohen ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 07:10:36 -0400 From: Deb Messling Subject: Re: SJC- Where Ya Gonna Be when Starbuck's Hosts Joni Mitchell Lunch & Listen "Shine" promotion I jokingly suggested a Tuesday lunch date to my best friend, who rolls her eyes over my Joni obsession. To my surprise, she said, "I think we should." So I'll be lunching with my sarcastic friend. - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Deb Messling -^..^- dlmessling@rcn.com http://www.sensibleshoes.vox.com - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 07:28:16 -0400 From: Deb Messling Subject: chicago tribune review I've added today's Trib review to the library database. Greg Kot criticizes the "clunky" lyrics, but praises the music. - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Deb Messling -^..^- dlmessling@rcn.com http://www.sensibleshoes.vox.com - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 07:33:15 -0400 From: Deb Messling Subject: detroit free press I've also added the Detroit Free Press review. I guess I won't continue to announce these library additions; just check daily if you're interested. - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Deb Messling -^..^- dlmessling@rcn.com http://www.sensibleshoes.vox.com - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 08:16:08 -0400 From: Victor Johnson Subject: Re: River: The Joni Letters On Sep 23, 2007, at 3:09 AM, Mark-Leon Thorne wrote: > > I don't know Luciana Souza but she has a lovely voice and does a > fine job of Amelia. > Luciana Souza is a Brazilian singer who is married to Larry Klein. She does have a lovely voice and covered "Down to You" on her recent release The New Bossa Nova. I had the pleasure of seeing her perform last year with the ASO doing Golijav "The Passion of St. Mark" and I was thinking to myself, who is this amazing singer.... Larry Klein sure knows how to pick them. I guess he's glad he didn't hook up with that blonde lady at the bar we saw him chatting up after Joni's Chastain show in 2000. Victor ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:24:38 +0200 From: Moni Kellermann Subject: Re: If I Had A Heart Download Wie Mike and Patti Haskins so vortrefflich formulierte: > Over at Crooks and Liars political site you can download If I Had A Heart. > Link URL of the page: http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/09/22/debut-exclusive-cls-late-nite-music-club-with-joni-mitchell/ If I Had A Heart (mp3, 160 KBps): http://www.crooksandliars.com/Media/Download/21675/1/If-I-Had-A-Heart.mp3 (right-click, save as...) If I Had A Heart (m4a, 160 KBps, iTunes): http://www.crooksandliars.com/Media/Download/21675/2/If-I-Had-A-Heart.m4a (right-click, save as...) moni ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 05:44:04 -0700 (PDT) From: Bob Muller Subject: Re: River: The Joni Letters Mark, Thanks for your review. Some of my initial takes on "River" were similar to yours, I'll say to give it more spins and perhaps like me some of your thoughts will evolve. I agree with your take on BSN - the first time I heard it I had no idea what song it was until about the 3-minute mark when he plays a 4-5 note figure that gives it away. It's lovely but I don't see how it does anything for the composition - unlike "Sweet Bird" which is amazing interpretation and you maintain a keen sense of what he's working with throughout. Like you I adore Norah's contribution, and on first listen I was bored with Joni's phrasing on "Tea Leaf" but changed my mind upon repeats, so hang in there with it and keep your mind open. I personally don't think it's that heavy of a song, and it sounds like she's offering it up as a peaceful homage to Myrtle. As for the two non-Joni compositions, here's what his website says: "To add another dimension to their picture of Mitchell's musical world, they also included two compositions that were important to her musical development, Wayne Shorter's asymmetrical masterpiece "Nefertiti", first recorded by Hancock and Shorter on Miles Davis' classic album of the same name, and Duke Ellington's prescient standard "Solitude". Doesn't tell us much, specifically. Here is a clip from 1983 - Joni appeared on the BBC radio show "My Top 12" and had selected "Nefertitit" as one of her 12. Here's what she had to say about it: http://download.yousendit.com/A2D253A011CBB5C8 I can't recall if "Solitude" was on the Starbucks CD that featured Joni's tracks by others, but I think it was. Bob NP: Me'Shell Ndegeocello, "Akel Dama" - --------------------------------- Don't let your dream ride pass you by. Make it a reality with Yahoo! Autos. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 09:22:43 EDT From: LCStanley7@aol.com Subject: Re: Shine price, WalMart A potential WalMart shopper wrote: > For me, in U.S. dollars it is ranging from $14.88 (Walmart) > Hi MonEY, The price you quote here is the regular price, NOT the first week price for new releases. If you go this week, you can get it for about $10. I'll be doing the same. Christmas gifts, etc. Love, Laura ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 06:40:51 -0700 (PDT) From: Bob Muller Subject: AllMusic.com review of Shine (long) http://wm09.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kifpxzrhldje~T1 by Thom Jurek Shine, recorded and released in 2007, is the sign from the heavens that Joni Mitchell has come out of retirement. She left in the early part of the century, railing against a music industry that only cared about "golf and rappers," accusing it of virtually every artistic crime under the sun. So the irony that she signed to Hear Music, Starbucks' music imprint, is pronounced. The company has been embroiled in controversy over its labor and trade practices, and has been accused of union-busting and spying on its employees and union members. It's especially ironic given the nature of the music on this set, which is political, environmental, and social in its commentary. Hear Music has also issued recordings by Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan, so she's in great company. But it's music that we're after here, and Mitchell doesn't disappoint on this score. She doesn't have the same reach vocally that she used to. A lifetime of cigarette smoking will do that to you. But given the deeply reflective and uncomfortably contemplative nature of some of these songs, it hardly matters. Mitchell produced this set herself, and with the exception of guest performances: saxophones by Bob Sheppard, steel guitar by Greg Leisz, some drum spots by Brian Blade, and bass by Larry Klein, all selectively featured. Mitchell plays piano, guitar, and does all the other instrumentation and arrangements herself. The drum machine she uses is so antiquated, it's corny, but it's also charming in the way she employs it. The songs carry the same weight they always have. Her off-kilter acoustic guitar playing is as rhythmically complex as ever, and her commentary is biting, sartorial, and poetic. The set begins with a five-minute instrumental that would be perfect to accompany the images of the ballet dancers on the cover. "This Place," where her acoustic guitar, a synth, and the pedal steel are kissed by Shepard's soprano saxophone, follows it. Its a statement of place, and the knowledge that its natural beauty is heavenly, but will not remain that way: "You see those lovely hills/They won't be there for long/They're gonna tear 'em down/And sell 'em to California...when this place looks like a moonscape/Don't say I didn't warn ya." She ends it with a prayer for the "courage and the grace/To make genius of this tragedy/The genius to save this place." It's hardly the standard pontificating of rock stars. Thank God. The next tune, "If I Had a Heart," with Blade, Klein, and Leisz, offers this confession: "Holy war/Genocide/Suicide/Hate and cruelty...How can this be holy?/If I had a heart, I'd cry." It's the acceptance of the dehumanization of the culture as well as the increasing uninhabitability of the planet, this resignation that's so startling even as these melodies take you to the places in Mitchell's songwriting we've always loved. The massive drum loops, didgeridoo samples, and bass throbs  with additional percussion by Paulinho da Costa  is a story-song that is meant to be a backbone, hands dirty working and improving things. It's haunting, as it hovers inside its groove with startling electric guitar distortion and effects. But only two songs later we move to "Big Yellow Taxi (2007 Version)." It's radically revisioned and reshaped. It's full of darker tones, soundscapes, an accordion sample, and a tougher acoustic guitar strum. What used to be a hummable if biting indictment of the powers that be, who wanted to develop every last inch of natural space, has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The exhortation to farmers is still there, but it's more a bitter reminder of the refrain. It's the only song here, and followed by the most beautiful cut on the entire set in "Night of the Iguana," a big, elegant, polyrhythmic allegory that features some of the greatest guitar playing Mitchell has ever done  those leads actually sear, though she employs them as Brian Eno would. In this tune, the storyteller is at the height of her powers, examining the contradictions in being human in a morality tale. With her poetic powers at a peak, she sings, "The jasmine is so mercilessly sweet/Night of the iguana/Can you hear the castanets?/It's the widow and her lover boys/Down on the beach." She suspends all judgment of the protagonist. She merely lets it all come in and sort itself out. "Strong and Wrong" reasserts with Blade and Leisz, and Mitchell's beautifully articulate piano and warm, watery sonic textural backdrops, her feminism, and the story of war is because men love it and that's what history is for, "a mass-murder mystery/His story." Right. Chrissie Hynde and Madonna may have trouble with Mitchell's old-school feminism, her politics, and her view, but she indicts not only men but all of us for "still worshipping/Our own ego." Shine is an unsettling album, full of lean, articulate statements that are not meant to make you feel good. She doesn't have to finger-wag like Bono, who foolishly tries to use the power of guilt on the people he's playing with  they've been at this game for far longer and seen it all  or Thom Yorke's own contemptuous anguish that pleads as much as it professes. Mitchell doesn't have to do anything but lay it down in song, play the generalities and ambiguities as part and parcel of human existence as it has "evolved" and wandered off the path to paradise, through the seduction of power and money. She's an artist; it's her job to report what she sees. "Shine," a relatively simple, mantra-like song, is the other side of the coin and provides that glimmer of Beckett-ian hope we need more than she does, but it seems she's holding out for it too. It's hunger. Musically it's imaginative, fresh, full of a more studied elegance and a leaner kind of pomp that we heard during her Geffen years (a period of her career that's still criminally underappreciated). In addition to her truly iconoclastic songwriting ability, she has proved herself to be a worthy producer of her own work. She's picked up tips from many others from Klein to Daniel Lanois to Jon Brion, and by employing excess at all the seemingly wrong moments, while stripping away the drama from her truly forceful lines and letting them hang out there nearly naked, she offers a view inside her music we haven't heard before but still sounds familiar. Shine isn't a coffee table record. It's an intuitive one; it won't attract record execs looking for the next fading star to resurrect. Mitchell doesn't need them, because there is little to resurrect in the life of a singular artist, especially this one. Her spirit is as unbowed, aesthetically curious and restless as it has ever been  thankfully. - --------------------------------- Catch up on fall's hot new shows on Yahoo! TV. Watch previews, get listings, and more! ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 09:49:50 -0400 (EDT) From: Catherine McKay Subject: Shine price Best Buy Canada $12.99 From this week's flyer - $12.99. Nothing listed for the Herbie. HMV.ca has both listed on their online store for $19.99 each. I can't find anything for the retail stores. Catherine ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 10:28:01 -0400 From: "Jim L'Hommedieu" Subject: Missing digests? Did anyone else miss digests 372 and 375 this weekend? Jim L ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:35:56 +0000 From: Sherelle Smith Subject: Re: (VLJC) Long Blah Blah Blah...(NJC) Thanks so much Paz for letting us know! I'm so sorry this happened to her as I know she would have loved hanging out with Kris Kristofferson and John Flynn. I heard someone do Kris' song "Sunday Morning Coming Down" and it was fantastic! What a writer. I will be sending healing thoughts her way for sure! Love, Sherelle Paz wrote: Sorry everyone I thought Kakki had written in since her accident. She was attending an event at a hotel and fell in the parking lot. There was one of those metal construction rods that had been sheared off in the surface of the parking lot but there just enough of a stub left that you could catch your shoe on it and of course trip and fall. She broke her arm (left) in two places and also hit her nose. She is hurting pretty bad. This happened before the party started and so she missed both her event and mine. I thought it would be so cool for Kakki to hang out with Kris Kristofferson and John Flynn. Maybe next year. Please sned healing thoughts to her and understand that she is only typing with one hand so she may not be to active for awhile. Best Paz (posting too much today) Michael Pazmichael@thepazgroup.com Tour ManagerPreservation Hall Jazz Bandhttp://www.preservationhall.com _________________________________________________________________ Kick back and relax with hot games and cool activities at the Messenger Cafi. http://www.cafemessenger.com?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_SeptWLtagline ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 10:10:23 -0500 From: "Happy The Man" Subject: LA Times Full Page Ad for "Shine" in the Arts and Music section of the LA Times. Just happen to be slouching out here from Austin hanging with my Mom. The add has her in side profile she looks good. Though it is back to back with the crossword puzzle that Mom has done so some inks have bled through. Peace, Craig NP: Over the Rhine - Let's Spend the Day in Bed ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 11:11:23 -0400 From: motitan@aol.com Subject: Shine is shining.... ? Currently, "Shine" is #19 on Amazon, #13 in pop rock and #14 in rock.? Not bad! - -Monika ________________________________________________________________________ Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail! - http://mail.aol.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 08:16:14 -0700 From: Dave Blackburn Subject: Shine price I just placed my Shine order along with Herbie's River from Amazon and they have a "Buy both now" deal for $25.98 U.S. Seemed reasonable to me. Ordered Chaka's Funk This too.....love that woman! Dave ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 11:34:16 -0400 From: Victor Johnson Subject: Re: Shine price Plus, Herbie's River has a couple of bonus tracks exclusive to Amazon. I'll probably order it there and pick up Shine locally. There's a new Mark Knopfler album I might order as well. Another awesome talent! Victor NP: Grateful Dead "California Earthquake" 10-23-1989 Charlotte Coliseum (I was actually there for this show...they only played this song a couple of times, once in Philly and here) On Sep 23, 2007, at 11:16 AM, Dave Blackburn wrote: > I just placed my Shine order along with Herbie's River from Amazon > and they have a "Buy both now" deal for $25.98 U.S. Seemed > reasonable to me. Ordered Chaka's Funk This too.....love that woman! > > Dave ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 10:54:40 -0500 From: "Happy The Man" Subject: LA Times Review Review from Ann Powers> Joni and Herbie, together again Aron Harris / AP Mitchell's great year, which began in April with the excellent and = star-studded Nonesuch Records release "A Tribute to Joni Mitchell," = continues with "Shine." Mitchell and Hancock release companion pieces, the former a return to = form, the latter a celebration of the former. By Ann Powers, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer=20 September 23, 2007=20 Joni Mitchell "Shine" (Hear Music) * * * =BD Herbie Hancock "River: The Joni Letters" (Verve) * * * =BD JONI MITCHELL has often been described as elusive. This is partly = because she has frequently retreated from the public eye, most recently = taking a nine-year hiatus from writing music, which she's now broken = with the album "Shine," to be released Tuesday on the Hear Music label. = Mitchell has also always been somewhat dismissive of her rock-icon = status, preferring to call herself a painter and turning toward jazz = when the sound of the 1960s counterculture started to calcify. But Mitchell's elusiveness is, at its core, a musical thing: her songs = are great not just for their erudite lyrics, daring compositional = elements or Mitchell's bravado performances but because of the way all = those elements interact. Think of Mitchell singing the phrase "O Canada" in "A Case of You," her = alto reaching toward the snow-capped peaks of her homeland, her tone = suddenly anthem-like, yet containing a laugh. Why is that moment so = memorable? It's not one thing but every little choice she made. This and not her confessional tendencies is why Mitchell's music = resonates so profoundly as a study of relationships. But it can make her = greatness hard to grasp. If Dylan is her generation's master lyricist, = and Hendrix its great player, and Aretha its No. 1 singer, what is Joni? = There's no right title for this Jill of all trades. Incongruously, Mitchell's talent has become easier to grasp in the = post-hip-hop era, because singer-songwriters raised to respect that = genre's collage art care equally about sound, words and style. And so = Mitchell's great year, which began in April with the excellent and = star-studded Nonesuch Records release "A Tribute to Joni Mitchell," = continues with "Shine," along with a ballet based on her work, an = exhibition of her paintings in New York and an offering from an old = friend, Herbie Hancock, whose "River: The Joni Letters," also comes out = Tuesday. "River" and "Shine" are themselves best viewed as linked works, and not = only because Hancock and Mitchell are old collaborative pals. The shifts = Mitchell makes out of necessity on "Shine" reflect what Hancock and his = band uncover, reworking old material, on "River." Both albums leave a = lot of room for considering the way words influence melody and = instrumentation shapes song craft. Each is pretty enough to be savored = simply but rewards time spent contemplating their subtle pleasures. "Shine" has a purpose, stated through Mitchell's lyrics; you could call = it a protest record. In songs such as "This Place" and "If I Had a = Heart," she fumes about land developers and fundamentalist warriors = desecrating "Holy Earth"; cellphones and pesticides bother her too. Her = lyrics are, in turn, potent and somewhat clich=E9d. The way Mitchell = inhabits her protests takes them outside the norm; her singing is = ruminative, even when her words sting, and her delicate arrangements, = often centering on the graceful pedal steel of Greg Leisz, encourage = contemplation, not marching in the streets. In these songs, Mitchell stands fairly still, observing; the album's = ruling metaphor puts her at the piano in her country house as a bear = rummages through the garbage outside. She doesn't attempt the leaps and = wandering melodies of her earlier work. Decades of committed smoking = have changed her voice, and she makes an adventure of exploring her more = limited range. Some songs, like the droll, dreamy title track, have the feel of = litanies; others are more up tempo, with the focus on Mitchell's = phrasing as it connects to Paolino Da Costa's percussion or Brian = Blade's elegant drumming. "Shine" is being touted as a return to = storytelling, and the songs are fairly compact and easy to follow. But = they're far less easy to track and more interesting to live with than = the work of most pop bards. Hancock has been living with Mitchell's work since she invited him to = play piano on her 1979 album, "Mingus." That album showed Mitchell = experimenting with new ways to use words; Hancock's new tribute explores = how her old words resonate when interpreted instrumentally and offers = beautiful insight into her conversational artistry. Among Hancock's many collaborators on "River," a longtime friend, tenor = saxophonist Wayne Shorter, makes the biggest impact. Shorter's horn = becomes Mitchell's other voice throughout, teasing out the hidden = harmonies in her familiar tunes, playing around with the phrasing she = invented and finding new ways in, even on the seemingly inalterable = "Both Sides Now." That song is transformed in a new arrangement that = connects perfectly to the non-Mitchell compositions Hancock includes, = Duke Ellington's "Solitude" and Shorter's "Nefertiti." There are singers on "River" -- Norah Jones, Tina Turner, Corinne Bailey = Rae, Luciana Souza and Mitchell herself, redoing "The Tea Leaf Prophecy" = - -- and Leonard Cohen gives a warm poetic reading of "The Jungle Line." = But what's most interesting on "River" is hearing the band communicate = Mitchell's meanings, beyond verbal bounds. At last, an interpreter = really grasps the key to Mitchell's genius -- the meanings she uncovers = in making connections, as her words become music and her music makes = plain sentences sing. ann.powers@latimes.com [demime 0.97c-p1 removed an attachment of type image/jpeg which had a name of 32691303.jpg] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 09:07:54 -0700 (PDT) From: Bryan Subject: Subject: Re: Upcoming NPR Special Maybe nit-picking here guys, but it appears to be a PRI program, not NPR, if I'm reading it right. Of course, PRI programming is heard on many NPR stations. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 18:11:54 +0200 (CEST) From: Joseph Palis Subject: RE : Re: RE : NJC: thanks for sharing this Hi AJ, Wow thanks for the website link. I looked it up and was trying to see your face in the "reunions" gallery -- no such luck. ;-) I actually grew up in central Philippines -- in a huge island of Panay famous for its nice beaches. In 1970, I was 2 years old (I am 39 this year!) and went to a boys' school run by monks. Very Catholic. It would have been cool if we both came from the same school! But Nicolette Larson's song has been given massive radio airplay during the time I was coming of age in the 70s and early 80s. I have been to Clark Air Base several times -- most of my friends are from there. When the US bases thankfully left the country in 1990, the places have been turned into duty free shops. Joseph in "sunny Sunday" NYC ajfashion@att.net a icrit : -------------- Original message from Joseph Palis : -------------- > Hi Oddmund, > > Thanks for making me remember the late Nicolette Larson. And yes she did a very > good version of "Lotta Love" which I first heard from Neil Young back when I was > younger in he Philippines. > ________________________________________________________________ Joseph, Were you at Clark AFB? Sound like you were there in the late 70s if that Larson song was popular. I lived there 1970 through 1971. If so, have you been the to Wagner high school website (I think it's www.whoa.org --in not, google WHOA. Wouldn't it be funny if we'd gone to middle or high school together? Aleda - --------------------------------- Ne gardez plus qu'une seule adresse mail ! Copiez vos mails vers Yahoo! Mail ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 09:27:32 -0700 From: "Mark Scott" Subject: Re: Christgau & Joni Thank you for the link to the FTR review Richard. I always find it interesting to read what various critics wrote about Joni's records at the time of their release. Although it's kind of nice that Christgau gave a brief profile of Joni and his take on her career up to that point in time, he leaves any discussion of For The Roses for the last 2 paragraphs. And then he doesn't say much. Also, is it just me, or is there a tone of condescension in this review and some evidence of a sexist attitude running through it? I'm not sure Joni would have like being classified as 'James Taylor's (Graham Nash's) (B. Mitchell Reid's) girlfriend' in a piece that purports to be a review of her work as a musician. Mark E. in Seattle - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Flynn" To: Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2007 10:22 AM Subject: Christgau & Joni > If you want to see the history of Christgau's reviews of Joni go > here: > > http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=704&name=Joni+Mitchell > > His extended review of FTR is here: > > http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/bk-aow/mitchell.php ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 18:36:15 +0200 (CEST) From: Joseph Palis Subject: RE : Re: Rolling Stone Review now critiquing the critics SJC Hi Catherine et al, I agree with you here. I guess critics in general have tough jobs. Some are misunderstood. Some are cranky and derive pleasure in belittling efforts of artists. Others want to appear cool and hip by using big words to show how erudite they are. Others do a lot of research so that an effort gets fair comparisons to similar artistic efforts. Yet despite that, I sometimes feel that critics are outsiders too. Much of them are marginalized by the same space that made them famous for writing about artists and marginalizing these artists' work. Michael Franks' newest album has this song called "Critics Are Never Kind" where three painters as sang/voiced by Franks and two other guests lamented how their works were dismissed for being different and 'simplistic' by the critics. I once read an interview with the late film critic Pauline Kael (I think within a year before she died) where she was asked if it was any fun for her to say daming things about films. She answered that it is never fun -- she is acutely aware of the dagger looks and negative vibes she engender when she enters a place where one or several whose works she criticized was/were present. But she said, she had to remain true to what she was -- that of a discerning film critic whose opinions is as much subjected to her own ideals or ideas of what constitutes a worthwhile film from a bad one. She also said that despite her early opinions, she sometimes backtrack in her later books by saying that she was wrong to assume a film to be bad when she found out that it has nuances that only revealed themselves in repeated viewings and seen in a particular mood or age. There is another article in the NYT in the last year where a woman (Anne Midgette I think) who said that watching a live performance of an opera or a jazz concert is hard because of the particularity of that single performance where a review is based on. Some performances are better in some nights. But the article recommended watching that artist again or that same opera again if only to see if the performer or opera improved or gained some gravitas than the last one. I like this approach as well because of its openness to interpretations and its flexibility to accommodate retractions. I know that Joni's Mingus received scathing reviews when t came out in 1979. But Leonard Feather -- the estimable jazz critic and sometime jazz lyricist -- has said the most positive thing about it. Not as a way to counter the critiques that came out for the album, but as a different kind of engagement with the material (i.e. the whole conceptual make of Mingus the album). Any review of Joni's "Shine" is bound to reveal and expose the critics' subjective takes on Joni and/or her music. Some will use her former outputs as the benchmark standards, while otehrs will continue to see her ever-changing musical palate as idiomatic of her genius and non-fixity with a musical genre. I think good critiques are universally liked. But a healthy dose of healthy and constructive critiques also show a breadth and depth to a work that may not be covered by those who like it very much. Joseph in NYC (in a Spanish-language eatery) Catherine McKay a icrit : It must be very difficult to be a critic. You have to form an opinion on something after only a listen or two, or, in the case of theatre or film or a live music show, after seeing it once, or maybe after not even seeing the whole thing, because you're on deadline. And then you get the hate mail or the death threats on top of that. I know that I have a tough time forming an opinion of a disc after only one listen. Sometimes there's a song or two that I like right off the bat, but later I get tired of it. Similarly, sometimes the ones I don't like all that much to begin with grow on me. So, you're giving your opinion based on one quick listen. Tough job, that! And what do you do, if you're the critic, and you can't stand the artist or the music you're criticizing, but the task is assigned to you, so you have to do it, but want to be fair? I guess what pissed me off about Christgau is that he said nothing about the music, he just went off on a rant. IF he criticized the music and didn't like it, that would be OK. What I've heard (OK, I've heard the whole thing, but I've paid more attention to some songs than others and even though I used to think I was a words person, now I think I'm probably a music person and I like something with a beat, that you can dance to) I like, more or less, but am not sure (yet) if this is an album I'm going to listen to a whole lot. Probably more than Travelogue though (heh heh.) It's a bit synthy for my taste, though not as synth-heavy as Taming the Tiger. Catherine - --------------------------------- Ne gardez plus qu'une seule adresse mail ! Copiez vos mails vers Yahoo! Mail ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:10:01 EDT From: Motitan@aol.com Subject: Joni, a cesspool, and the press I have noticed the press really enjoy repeating Joni's comment about the music business being a cesspool. In about 90% of the reviews I read, they repeat this! - -Monika ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 20:17:54 +0200 From: Danilo Monno Subject: RE: My Shine, political content Yes, that's the pic! > From: jlamadoo@sbcglobal.net > To: joni@smoe.org > Subject: RE: My Shine, political content > Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 22:56:02 -0400 > > Danilo said, > >Yup, Victor, Universal is distributing Shine over here. > One more thing. On the top surface of the cd there is a beautiful satellite > photograph of Europe by night. I think America will have > its own.> > > Europe at night? Like this, from the NASA web site? > http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/49257main_europe_nightm.jpe > > Sometimes, the US Gov't brings something beautiful into the world. > > Jim L. _________________________________________________________________ Doretta h In linea: vieni a conoscerla su Messenger! http://www.doretta82.it/banner/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 11:50:50 -0700 From: "Cassy" Subject: Re: River: The Joni Letters Bob wrote: <<< I can't recall if "Solitude" was on the Starbucks CD that featured Joni's tracks by others, but I think it was. >>> The Starbucks CD "Artist's Choice: Joni Mitchell, Music that Matters to Her" does contain "Solitude" performed by Billie Holiday. Nefertiti doesn't appear. Warmly, Cassy NP: Lenny Kravitz - Let Love Rule ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:05:31 -0500 From: Michael Paz Subject: Re: River: The Joni Letters I hear what you guys are saying about BSN, but I like it alot for the mere fact that it has been done to death (like Yesterday by MacCartney) and it's nice to have a fresh take on it and force the listener to listen. Best Paz (in the recoup ward. Freda came thru great.) Michael Paz michael@thepazgroup.com Tour Manager Preservation Hall Jazz Band http://www.preservationhall.com On Sep 23, 2007, at 7:44 AM, Bob Muller wrote: Mark, Thanks for your review. Some of my initial takes on "River" were similar to yours, I'll say to give it more spins and perhaps like me some of your thoughts will evolve. I agree with your take on BSN - the first time I heard it I had no idea what song it was until about the 3-minute mark when he plays a 4-5 note figure that gives it away. It's lovely but I don't see how it does anything for the composition - unlike "Sweet Bird" which is amazing interpretation and you maintain a keen sense of what he's working with throughout. Like you I adore Norah's contribution, and on first listen I was bored with Joni's phrasing on "Tea Leaf" but changed my mind upon repeats, so hang in there with it and keep your mind open. I personally don't think it's that heavy of a song, and it sounds like she's offering it up as a peaceful homage to Myrtle. As for the two non-Joni compositions, here's what his website says: "To add another dimension to their picture of Mitchell's musical world, they also included two compositions that were important to her musical development, Wayne Shorter's asymmetrical masterpiece "Nefertiti", first recorded by Hancock and Shorter on Miles Davis' classic album of the same name, and Duke Ellington's prescient standard "Solitude". Doesn't tell us much, specifically. Here is a clip from 1983 - Joni appeared on the BBC radio show "My Top 12" and had selected "Nefertitit" as one of her 12. Here's what she had to say about it: http://download.yousendit.com/A2D253A011CBB5C8 I can't recall if "Solitude" was on the Starbucks CD that featured Joni's tracks by others, but I think it was. Bob NP: Me'Shell Ndegeocello, "Akel Dama" - --------------------------------- Don't let your dream ride pass you by. Make it a reality with Yahoo! Autos. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:13:08 -0500 From: Michael Paz Subject: The Kakki report (NJC) Here is the word from Kakki. She is in alot of pain therefore not answering her phone or emails. She will resurface as soon as she is feeling better. the surgery went well and i did not need as much plastic put in as they thought. i am in bad pain and trying to manage it without overdoing it. i am back home and julie and mom are here. thanks so much for all your good thoughts. Best Paz Michael Paz michael@thepazgroup.com Tour Manager Preservation Hall Jazz Band http://www.preservationhall.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 21:00:45 +0000 From: Patti Parlette Subject: Fourth Sunday of Advent Prayer Fourth Sunday in Advent Fourth Candle Color: Purple Theme: Peace Ah, the peace and the star; our shining star who returns to us this holy week. Come on light the candle in this poor heart of mine, Joni! Googling some peace prayers, I found this one. Perfect. It's from "This Place" (Vancouver). So I hold out my purple peace candle and I shine it in on: "The world prayer for peace comes from the Vancouver Assembly of the World Council of Churches : For peace in your country For the victims of violence everywhere For those struggling for peace and justice For churches in conflict situations For a world without war and violence Lead me from death to life, from falsehood to truth, Lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust. Lead me from hate to love, from war to peace, Let peace fill our beings, our world and our universe. Amen. http://www.prayerguide.org.uk/bookreviews/school1.jpg This decade has been named as the decade to overcome violence. In the logo, the hands represent a heart, above a broken yellow earth." *** I think Joni would like that logo (although surely she could design a better one). I'm not the only one having a religious experience here. Yesterday I sent my friend S. the Shine promo video. (S. is the one who walked down the wdding aisle to LOVE, met Joni in the Hammerstein Theater when Joni told her that "marriage is a rough rough road", or something like that, and S. talked to her again and thanked her for inspiring her to finish her ballet and Joni was very loving and kind.) And this is what she wrote: excellent thank you so much, at the end of Yom Kippur, this made my spiritual journey complete! xox S. So deep..... .....and now superficial: The Hartford Courant today has relatively NOTHING about Shine. Stoopid newspaper! All they have is this: MUSIC Chris Botti -- "Italia" (Columbia). Melissa Etheridge -- "The Awakening" (Island). Foo Fighters -- "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace" (Roswell/RCA). Herbie Hancock -- "River: The Joni Letters" (Verve). Another tribute album to Joni Mitchell. This one features Tina Turner, Norah Jones and Corinne Bailey Rae. Queen Latifah -- "Trav'lin Light" (Verve). Jazz/R&B covers album. Joni Mitchell -- "Shine" (Hear Music). (TIC! Oh, let your little light shine....) Rascal Flatts -- "Still Feels Good" (Lyrics Street). Paul Robeson -- "On My Journey: Paul Robeson's Independent Recording" (Smithsonian Folkways). The new release ads for Target (8) and Best Buy (12) don't show "Shine". Whatever, big box stores. You're so square. Babies, I don't care! We all know where we're getting the fix that will mainline to our blues. Love & Peace, Patti P., sipping Starbucks iced tea and lemonade NPIMH: Rocking rhythms while they're waiting with the candle in the window Sometimes we do We wait for you...... _________________________________________________________________ More photos; more messages; more whatever  Get MORE with Windows Live Hotmail.. NOW with 5GB storage. http://imagine-windowslive.com/hotmail/?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGHM_migration_HM_mini_5G_0907 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 23:47:07 +0000 From: Patti Parlette Subject: RE: njc, Sally Field speaks out On Tue, 18 Sep 2007, Bob wrote: No offense, but if I was Sally Field I sure wouldn't want a lot of folks watching this clip - she bumbles and fumbles as much as our Miss Teen USA did a couple of weeks ago. You'd think that a professional actor with 40+ years of experience could memorize a 2-minute award acceptance speech and not come off like a total airhead - it pretty much dilutes the message. **** I say: "A hold on there, brother!" Forgive me for running behind the times on this one, but I just have to speak my peace. No offense, either, Lieber Bruder. I see both sides now on this. Yes, I cringed, too. I was embarrassed for her. But look at her sets of circumstance. She had just won a major award (dizzy dancing way you feel) and she's excited and she's on national TV, LIVE, (even though she's a professional actor with 40+ years of experience) and then they're trying to cut her off --aiming the hoses on her --just when she's getting to the heart of the matter/message that she really really wants to get out. They start bringing out the hammers and the boards and the nails, but she's still got something to say. A thunderhead of judgment was Gathering in around her and it made her nervous And it made most FOX people nervous They just didn't want to hear the truth (sorry for messing with those lyrics) or they just wanted to clock her and move the show along, I don't know. Unlike Miss Teen U.S.A. who bumbled and fumbled and had no apparent message at all, Sally DID have a message, and she was going to get it out come hell or high water. She definitely had trouble composing herself -- stumbling deaf dumb and blind and Sybill-like for a few painful seconds -- but she showed us she won't expire. She struggled through it and finally was able stammer out her message (with a raised fist) that I live for and cry out every day: "If mothers ruled the world, there would be no. GOD-DAMNED WARS in the first place. That's the beauty in it for me. She wasn't cranking out by rote some memorized speech. She was speaking from her heart. Sometimes the emotions affect your body and you sweat or your heart races or whatever and you stumble and fall, but you pick yourself back up again. I saw a human being being REAL, not a professional actor. For me, it *concentrated* the message. But that's just me, the cheese who stands alone. With affection and respect, a little passion, Patti P. Hope I didn't spoil your birthday I know I'm acting kinda crazy So, I'll close this note to you With good luck and wishes too. Happy, happy, birthday BAYBEEEEEEEE! Mmmmmmwah! P.S. For all you Sally fans who wrote, she's on Brothers & Sisters tonight....it's supposed to be a recap of season I. _________________________________________________________________ Can you find the hidden words? Take a break and play Seekadoo! http://club.live.com/seekadoo.aspx?icid=seek_wlmailtextlink ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 20:17:45 -0400 From: "Jim L'Hommedieu" Subject: You Tube viewers love the "Shine" promotional video The comments attached to that You Tube promo video are overwhelmingly positive. Jim L'Hommedieu ============ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGa4spIe1-E ============ VictorrH (1 hour ago) Duh, that us19 loves her. foolsgetlucky (4 hours ago) know what? pls be specific us19 (4 hours ago) The woman I've loved for forty years will never know. heiligenberg (8 hours ago) AN INCREDIBLE MUSICIAN! What more can I say? hejira1 (8 hours ago) ThX for posting this video! Hope to see the Ballet is coming to Europe too! At this moment there are Views: 2,587 !in one day, If we all buy the new album SHINE! maybe Joni is becoming 1 in the charts ;-) For me she's already number One! vincevl (9 hours ago) I love her music. Blue haunts me, calms me and energizes me. Thanks Joni! Waltzenfree (11 hours ago) This Lady is timeless. She first appeared to me on Johnny Carson singing Both Sides Now '66 or '67. Lost My Heart. I was on the stage at the Isle of Wight, after 18 months of roaming, when I heard the first of Blue. Enchanting. When Love walks in the room every body stands up. Thank you Joan for the Back Stage Pass. SpySlowhands (14 hours ago) The last song featured here, "Shine", just gives you the shivers. Her music is so organic and filled with feeling. I love her. Take a chance and buy "Hejira" if you've just gotten in to her and want to hear something completely unique and challenging and dreamy all at the same time. Happy/Sad music I like to say. GOPeagle (17 hours ago) Show Hide Marked as spam -1 (Reply) Where can we see those dancers? Talk about some hot boys!!! 19580909 (17 hours ago) I was so happy so see the ballet in Calgary in February - you can see how talented the dancers are. The new songs in the ballet gave me major goose bumps. Joni's muse is back stronger than ever - her lyrics are as strong as ever, but the music - ah the music. The muse. Love ya Joni. Keep shinin'! 19580909 (19 hours ago) I was so happy so see the ballet in Calgary in February - you can see how talented the dancers are. The new songs in the ballet gave me major goose bumps. Joni's muse is back stronger than ever - her lyrics are as strong as ever, but the music - ah the music. The muse. Love ya Joni. Keep shinin'! oceanbound222 (20 hours ago) Brilliance from head to toe Joesign99 (20 hours ago) Joni reigns as the queen of singer/songwriters with so much grace, dignity and intelligence. It's wonderful to see and hear fresh new words, pictures and music. jeremygloff (1 day ago) i am so glad our joni is back. we really need this album right now... check out my blog about her disography on myspace/jeremygloff and please leave your thoughts! jonrldge (1 day ago) I love her comment at the end about being "irrational", made me laugh out loud. Joni is the real deal! KittyWhisperer (1 day ago) YaY! Been into Joni's music and lyrics since 1969 with the debut of 'Clouds'. Thanks so much for posting this. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 22:29:59 -0400 From: Deb Messling Subject: Re: You Tube viewers love the "Shine" promotional video Ditto the comments on the Crooks and Liars page. At 08:17 PM 9/23/2007, you wrote: >The comments attached to that You Tube promo video are overwhelmingly >positive. >Jim L'Hommedieu - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Deb Messling -^..^- dlmessling@rcn.com http://www.sensibleshoes.vox.com - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 22:34:49 EDT From: Motitan@aol.com Subject: Woodstock vs. Woodstock. vs. Woodstock vs... There have been a few versions of Woodstock as we know. I like that Joni likes to mix it up in concert and doesn't perform every song note-for-note the same throughout all these years. That being said, which version of "Woodstock" is your favorite? The original studio one? The Miles of Aisles one? The one she's been known to do with just her and her guitar later on? I would say I most prefer the MOA version and the Joni solo guitar rendition of "Woodstock." I do like the original studio version but the MOA version is electrifying. I love that funky/jazzy/rocky feel it has. I also really enjoy Joni alone on guitar singing the song. There's something very intimate about that. What about you? - -Monika ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2007 #377 ***************************** ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here: mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe -------