From: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org (JMDL Digest) To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2007 #497 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 Thursday, December 13 2007 Volume 2007 : Number 497 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- jonifests? ["Jean Stockburger" ] rock jazz pop techno [Eric Taylor ] Re: jonifests? [Victor Johnson ] It's So Hard For Me To Say This, njc, but please read [Rian Afriadi ] Re: starart [Bob.Muller@Fluor.com] Re: starart ["P. Henry" ] Re: starart [FMYFL@aol.com] remastered Joni [Dave Blackburn ] RE: It's So Hard For Me To Say This, njc, but please read [Patti Parlette] (NJC) Buffy Sainte-Marie ["Lori Fye" ] Re: (NJC) was Buffy Sainte-Marie now hi Lori [Em ] Re: (NJC) was Buffy Sainte-Marie now hi Lori ["Lori Fye" ] SV: It's So Hard For Me To Say This, njc, but please read ["Marion Leffle] njc, "The People Speak" [Patti Parlette ] Re: Hello from Bo [Peep Richman ] NJC Neil Young concert review ["Laurent Olszer" ] Re: Hello from Bo not sure if this is now njc or not, so therefore, it is [Catherine McKay ] Re: rock jazz pop techno [J Kendel Johnson ] Re: Hello from Bo ["Dan Olson" ] Re: rock jazz pop techno [J Kendel Johnson ] Maire (Moya) Brennan, VLJC [Joseph Palis ] Re: Hello from Bo ["Randy Remote" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2007 22:31:30 -0900 From: "Jean Stockburger" Subject: jonifests? How can I learn more about Jonifests? jean ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 03:18:14 -0500 (GMT-05:00) From: Eric Taylor Subject: rock jazz pop techno Tonight i subjected my good friend Bill to a second listen of Shine. Bill is stuck in the 70s like too many people i know. He has an amazing LP collection includig much Tower Of Power, Weather Report and many classics from the 60s & 70s such as Meet The Beetles. Court & Spark is the only Joni LP in his vast collection. Listening intently for the second full time Bill especially liked Hana, BYT2007 & NOTI (rhymes with naughty) When I asked him how he would categorize Shine he answered 'Rock jazz pop' All I would add is a good dose of techno sprinkled in...... Am I the only one to be blown away by Joni's shocking synth playing on Shine??? ET ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 04:45:38 -0500 From: Victor Johnson Subject: Re: jonifests? Hi Jean, To start with, you might click on the link, http://jmdl.com/ jonifest/ , which is full of pictures and comments from previous jonifests. This will give you an idea of what goes on. I've been to several and have always had a blast. People come from all over the world. There are at least two of them in the works, one in the fall in England in the Cotswolds and another at Full Moon Resort in Oliverea, N.Y. in April. If you sing and or play an instrument, there is plenty of opportunity to perform Joni Mitchell songs and/or any other covers, orginal music, etc...though it's certainly not required that you be a musician. Plenty of people attend who simply enjoy socializing and listening to good music. There are usually some scheduled performances as well as late-night song circles and jamming that can go on till the early hours of the morning. If you have any specific questions, I'm sure there are people here who would be glad to answer them. Victor On Dec 12, 2007, at 2:31 AM, Jean Stockburger wrote: > How can I learn more about Jonifests? > > jean ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 04:07:20 -0800 (PST) From: Rian Afriadi Subject: It's So Hard For Me To Say This, njc, but please read Dear all. I've been a victim of a crime. A burglar broke into my house, stole my money, my gadgets, my notebook, my precious things. This is one of the hugest lost that i ever had. It's so hard for me to say this. Maybe i have to lessen my time with you since i have no means to stay connected with you anymore (ah, i can use my old Nokia  but it's not like a computer) I'm writing this on a rainy Wednesday evening, in an internet cafe. No. This is not a goodbye. Maybe i won't be able to send posts as usual as i do past these 3 months. But i'm sure i'll try to be in touch with you. You know what? I love this community. Rian. - --------------------------------- Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 05:01:18 -0800 (PST) From: Laura Stanley Subject: ZoSo very good indeed....njc LeZoSo wrote: Time to clear the stage. Audience: Light blue touch paper and retire to safe distance.....Dear god, here they come...... Long shoes... they're wearing looooong shoes....... Hi Les Zeppelin, Thanks for telling the story. It brought tears to my eyes. I'm glad one of us made it to tell it. Now just how long were those shoes? Love and gratitude, Laura ____________________________________________________________________________________ Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:57:23 -0500 From: Bob.Muller@Fluor.com Subject: Re: starart <...a bargain... no bids yet: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&&item=250195078603> Can't tell if it was a bargain or not as there was a reserve on it - that might have been what scared off the bidders. Bob NP: Shelby Lynne, "I Can't Wait" - ------------------------------------------------------------ The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain proprietary, business-confidential and/or privileged material. If you are not the intended recipient of this message you are hereby notified that any use, review, retransmission, dissemination, distribution, reproduction or any action taken in reliance upon this message is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of the company. - ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:16:45 +1000 (ChST) From: "P. Henry" Subject: Re: starart Good point Bob... Didn't catch that. speaking of scary bidders, Mark in Sydney pointed out that the BASIC shipping was $25! That probably didn't help much either... Pat NP: Under The Streetlight - -- "The last time I saw Joni was Detroit in '68..." http://www.angelfire.com/pq2/phenryboland/ - -- - ---------------------------- > http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&&item=250195078603> > > Can't tell if it was a bargain or not as there was a reserve on it - that > might have been what scared off the bidders. > > Bob > > NP: Shelby Lynne, "I Can't Wait" > ------------------------------------------------------------ > The information transmitted is intended only for the person > or entity to which it is addressed and may contain > proprietary, business-confidential and/or privileged material. > If you are not the intended recipient of this message you are > hereby notified that any use, review, retransmission, dissemination, > distribution, reproduction or any action taken in reliance upon > this message is prohibited. If you received this in error, please > contact the sender and delete the material from any computer. > > Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual > sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of the company. > ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:37:42 EST From: FMYFL@aol.com Subject: Re: starart In a message dated 12/12/2007 9:07:48 AM Eastern Standard Time, Bob.Muller@Fluor.com writes: > <...a bargain... no bids yet: > > http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&&item=250195078603> > > I got the best bargain, when I won it in a raffle at Jonifest! Jimmy NP Happy Birthday Dear Ed ************************************** See AOL's top rated recipes (http://food.aol.com/top-rated-recipes?NCID=aoltop00030000000004) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:23:34 -0800 From: Dave Blackburn Subject: remastered Joni Many thanks for the kind words Mark. As of now I have contacted Joni's management and sent them a copy each of DJRD and DED for them to pass on to her. The replied they would if the situation presented itself. So probably they have forgotten about it by now. I also have given a copy of my remastered STAS through a friend (with YOUR artwork) to Graham Nash who has agreed to pass it on to David Crosby, who is seriously ailing in health. So who knows if that will lead anywhere but it was a fun project to share with you all regardless. On Dec 12, 2007, at 12:00 AM, onlyJMDL Digest wrote: > As for remastered Joni, I'm not sure now which ones have been > remastered officially. Maybe someone else is more knowledgeable on > this. Anyone? I do know that our own mastering specialist, Dave > Blackburn did some incredible work on several albums. My personal > favourite was the amazing job he did on bringing Song To a Seagull > into the 21st century. He totally breathed new life into that album > and I hear things that I never knew were there before. Joni really > needs to give him a call. > > Mark in Sydney ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 16:24:14 +0000 From: Patti Parlette Subject: RE: It's So Hard For Me To Say This, njc, but please read Holy merde, Rian! That is awful! I can just imagine how violated you must feel, and at a loss for your precious things. I can SEE you writing: It was a rainy night, sitting in some cafe. But thank God you are alright and did not get hurt. Try to hear Joni singing: "I guess I should be happy, just to be alive." We know you will come back for comfort and consultation. You know, that's what you'll find. Big hug, Patti P. P.S. I saw Neil Friday night (Hi Kenny B! "Whenever two or more of you are gathered in Her Name, there is love...") and he was, in a word, awesome, but I have no time for a full report. Crazy busy organizing a big (hopefully big) petition (NO WAR IN IRAN!) delivery to my Congressman's office tomorrow (and parties for the press, we hope), not to mention it's comin' on Christmas (yikes!), and WORK (everyone is all stressed out over finals so I have to be Hana), and a b/day party (with another party for the press) for my friend who will be 100 on Sunday. I'm craving simplicity! I know everyone else is busy, too, so I wish you all peaceful, easy feelings as we make it through these waves. Especially those that are suffering losses. (Aren't we all?) Let your little lights shine. _________________________________________________________________ The best games are on Xbox 360. Click here for a special offer on an Xbox 360 Console. http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/wheretobuy/ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:54:27 -0800 From: "Lori Fye" Subject: (NJC) Buffy Sainte-Marie I'm back to s*ubsc*ribing briefly after going on haitus in August or whenever that was. I know there are some fans of Buffy Sainte-Marie here, and I thought I'd share that she will be speaking at the National Museum of the American Indian ( http://www.nmai.si.edu/) in Washington, DC on March 19, 2008. I ran into this tidbit because my boss, Greg Sarris, is reading and speaking at the museum today, and there will be a live webcast of his engagement today at 6:30 pm EST (3:30 pm PST). The webcast (if you're interested) can be accessed by starting at this page: http://www.nmai.si.edu/nw07/schedule.html Further down that page you'll find the info about Buffy. I'll bet there will be a webcast of Buffy's talk on March 19, too. Best to all, Lori, with, oh yeah, a(nother) new job that I started in October : ) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:33:57 -0800 (PST) From: Em Subject: Re: (NJC) was Buffy Sainte-Marie now hi Lori hey there Lori! nice to see you back. Missed your comments/input during the initial "Shine" release rush. :) Em - --- Lori Fye wrote: > I'm back to s*ubsc*ribing briefly after going on haitus in August or > whenever that was. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:51:07 -0800 From: "Lori Fye" Subject: Re: (NJC) was Buffy Sainte-Marie now hi Lori > hey there Lori! > nice to see you back. > Missed your comments/input during the initial "Shine" release rush. Thanks, Em! Believe it or not, I still haven't bought "Shine." I did read some of the comments (via www.smoe.org/lists/joni) during the initial rush, but I think doing that just pushed me farther away at the time. I really like to make up my own mind about any new recorded work, so it's probably better if I don't read what others think of it -- at least until much, much later! Now that I've forgotten what everyone said about it, I may go out and buy it today. : ) My new job is hectic and I don't know how much time I'll have to participate here, but it's nice to be back in whatever form ... Lori ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 11:46:34 -0700 From: "Les Irvin" Subject: FW: Message from website Copy Guillaume on any responses. Les - -----Original Message----- Hi, I'm a student and I'd like to ask you some questions about Joni Mitchell's songs concerning Natives conditions and concerning Black Americans conditions. Did she wrote about them ? thanks a lot Name: Guillaume email: guillaumeloreau@voila.fr ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 20:02:55 +0100 From: "Marion Leffler" Subject: SV: It's So Hard For Me To Say This, njc, but please read Rian, thats terrible! I am so sorry for you! And I do hope you can manage somehow to visit the jmdl every now and then anyway. We will miss you! You have made some great contributions, and you made me laugh more than once. I am going to miss you a lot. So please take every chance you get! See you, Marion _____ Fren: Rian Afriadi [mailto:do9eatdo9@yahoo.com] Skickat: den 12 december 2007 13:07 Till: Monika B; cc; eric; hell; s Box of Paints Jamie'; jeannie; jonipeople; Marion Leffler; mags; marian; Catherine McKay; bob muller; Bob Muller; notaro; Joseph Palis; patti parlette; randy remote; Mark Scott; Barbara Stewart; Mark-Leon Thorne Dmne: It's So Hard For Me To Say This, njc, but please read Dear all. I've been a victim of a crime. A burglar broke into my house, stole my money, my gadgets, my notebook, my precious things. This is one of the hugest lost that i ever had. It's so hard for me to say this. Maybe i have to lessen my time with you since i have no means to stay connected with you anymore (ah, i can use my old Nokia  but it's not like a computer) I'm writing this on a rainy Wednesday evening, in an internet cafe. No. This is not a goodbye. Maybe i won't be able to send posts as usual as i do past these 3 months. But i'm sure i'll try to be in touch with you. You know what? I love this community. Rian. _____ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 20:24:30 +0000 From: Patti Parlette Subject: njc, "The People Speak" FYI: LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Matt Damon, Marisa Tomei and Eddie Vedder will contribute their talents to a documentary miniseries based on historian-author Howard Zinn's 1980 book "A People's History of the United States." Titled "The People Speak," the project will feature music and readings based on America's struggles with war, class, race and the rights of women. No network is attached yet. Damon and Tomei, along with Viggo Mortensen, Josh Brolin, Danny Glover, David Strathairn and Kerry Washington, will provide performances for the project, which will interweave archival footage, photographs and interviews. Pearl Jam frontman Vedder and R&B singer John Legend will handle the music. "It's going to be a great piece of entertainment but more importantly something people can watch and learn and remember how great this country has been and how individual people have changed the course of history," said executive producer Chris Moore. "It's going to make them think, laugh and cry and be proud to be American." The project, also based on Zinn's companion book "Voices of a People's History of the United States" which he co-wrote with Anthony Arnove, will begin production in January in Boston. Zinn, who will provide introductions and the historical context through oncamera appearances, also is executive producing. Reuters/Hollywood Reporter _________________________________________________________________ Don't get caught with egg on your face. Play Chicktionary! http://club.live.com/chicktionary.aspx?icid=chick_wlhmtextlink1_dec ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:41:47 -0800 (PST) From: Peep Richman Subject: Re: Hello from Bo When you feel really safe within a family...a group...you muster up the courage to ask what will certainly be considered a "dumb" question....and I know, I know...there aren't any dumb questions...but here's mine: what does 'remastered' mean? And why would we want something remastered as opposed to the original? Dumb enough for you??? I listened to "Court & Spark" most of the morning. I tend to enjoy listening to the same CD over and over again....I can hold an emotional response and be delighted when, during the same time of listening to the same CD, I feel an entirely different emotion about the exact lyric. Can anyone in our family give me some...any...info/take on "My Secret Place"? Love to all...please be safe, healthy, have abundant reasons to feel content and, as I often say, I wish for everyone that life is treating you gently. Bo - --------------------------------- Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 20:34:31 +0100 From: "Laurent Olszer" Subject: NJC Neil Young concert review Hi Monika Glad you enjoyed the ride. Both Neil's gigs at Upper Darby are currently available at dimeadozen . I recommend the Jerseboy recording (same taper as the Stills at Collingswood which you have) of the 2nd night. Laurent ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 18:09:49 -0500 (EST) From: Catherine McKay Subject: Re: Hello from Bo not sure if this is now njc or not, so therefore, it is - --- Peep Richman wrote: .and I > know, I know...there aren't any dumb questions...but > here's mine: what does 'remastered' mean? And why > would we want something remastered as opposed to the > original? Dumb enough for you??? Thanks for asking on behalf of some of us other dummies. I know I'm one. I don't really get it either. But you know darn well that someone - or two or three - - is going to answer, so it's all good. Catherine ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:23:53 +0000 From: waytoblue@comcast.net Subject: Re: Hello from Bo (njc) -------------- Original message ---------------------- From: Peep Richman > When you feel really safe within a family...a group...you muster up the courage > to ask what will certainly be considered a "dumb" question....and I know, I > know...there aren't any dumb questions...but here's mine: what does 'remastered' > mean? And why would we want something remastered as opposed to the original? > Dumb enough for you??? Not a dumb question at all. While some people here are actually mastering engineers and can probably give a more in depth answer, the simplest explanation is in any recording process, after all tracks have been recorded in the studio and mixed together, the mix itself is then mastered, meaning the engineer tweaks and works with every song track, attempting to give it some overall balance with the cd as a whole, really bring out the sound, get rid of any troublesome frequencies or noise, and there is a threshold of space that he can work with to boost levels and give the tracks more presence, etc...the final result is what you hear on the cd. When a cd is remastered, they go through this process again, in order to do a better job than before and improve the overall sound quality and end up with a better sounding product. In many cases, with the shift from vinyl to cd, especially in the early stages of cd's, many albums did not sound very good on cd at all because the transfer to the new medium was done poorly and a lot of the original vibrancy was lost. Since then, many cd's have been remastered and sound much better than their earlier brethren. Victor, finished with exams with just one assignment to turn in tomorrow! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 16:17:23 -0800 (PST) From: Em Subject: Re: Hello from Bo not sure if this is now njc or not, so therefore, it is To me, the large idiot of sound, some re-mastered recordings sound a bit more "open" and less overly dense than the original. Thats what I enjoy about the best re-mastered albums I've heard. It kind of opens up the sound a bit and makes certain parts not as muddy. It least that's how it seems to me. I've enjoyed Dave's efforts alot. Particularly DJRD. It took an album that formerly came across as a bit "flat" (to me) and gave it greater depth. I don't mean it was "flat" as far as pitch, but flat as far as spatial quality of the recording. Which was no good because artistically the scope of that album was so vast and expansive, and yet the recording (again *to me*) seemed kind of claustrophobic. The re-mastered version is less so. It may seem different to others. I'm trying to think of a re-mastering, other than Dave's DJRD, that I really swear by - but I can't. I think its only an issue if you're trying to listen sort of critically to the way a song or album is recorded. Or maybe if a recording bugs you. Also, it may the case that some re-masterings are actually worse in some way than the originals. that's my take. As always, your mileage may vary... :) Em - --- Catherine McKay wrote: > --- Peep Richman wrote: > > .and I > > know, I know...there aren't any dumb questions...but > > here's mine: what does 'remastered' mean? And why > > would we want something remastered as opposed to the > > original? Dumb enough for you??? > > Thanks for asking on behalf of some of us other > dummies. I know I'm one. I don't really get it either. > > But you know darn well that someone - or two or three > - is going to answer, so it's all good. > > > > Catherine ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 16:29:44 -0800 (PST) From: J Kendel Johnson Subject: Re: remastered Joni Dave Blackburn wrote:David Crosby, who is seriously ailing in health. David Crosby is seriously ailing in health?!! He just did a lengthy tour with Graham this fall, and looked and sounded terrific to me during their Oct 6 Indiana stop. A quick Google search and searches of the L.A. Times, NYTimes and Rolling Stone sites -- even posts to the JMDL -- did not turn up any mentions of him currently suffering serious illness. Can you tell us what you know -- or what you heard? J NP: Tom Prasada-Rao, Angel Wings ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 16:58:56 -0800 (PST) From: J Kendel Johnson Subject: Re: rock jazz pop techno Eric Taylor wrote:Am I the only one to be blown away by Joni's shocking synth playing on Shine??? ET Please explain what you mean by "shocking". I do find it shocking that she would play those cumbersome, heavy-handed synth parts and deem them ready for release -- or anything more than demos for live instrument players. I am equally shocked that her record company would listen to them and agree to release the tracks as is. Weeks after the release of Shine, I continue to feel sadness and disappointment that it's those very synth tracks that keep me from listening any further beyond the first 6 or 7 times through. Beyond that, I remain embarrassed for her. I am further shocked that "One Week Last Summer" -- awash in the album's amateurish synth performances and arrangements -- was deemed worthy of a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. Performance!!! So far as I can tell, the emperor has no clothes... J ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 23:00:01 -0600 From: "Dan Olson" Subject: Re: Hello from Bo When an old LP is converted to CD, it's possible (but more time-consuming) to remaster it, by going back to the original tapes (where each instrument and voice is typically recorded on a separate track) and "mixing" it (combining in different quantities - i.e., volumes) digitally, and then putting that on the CD's. Alternatively, you can go back to the original analog mix, and put it on a CD, which has extra noise from the second generation of tape. It reminds me of something I read about the Who's "Tommy": when it was released, they thought it was so perfect, that they burned the master tapes, making it impossible to ever digitally remaster it. ~Dan On 12/12/07, Peep Richman wrote: > > When you feel really safe within a family...a group...you muster up the > courage to ask what will certainly be considered a "dumb" question....and I > know, I know...there aren't any dumb questions...but here's mine: what does > 'remastered' mean? And why would we want something remastered as opposed to > the original? Dumb enough for you??? > I listened to "Court & Spark" most of the morning. I tend to enjoy > listening to the same CD over and over again....I can hold an emotional > response and be delighted when, during the same time of listening to the > same CD, I feel an entirely different emotion about the exact lyric. > Can anyone in our family give me some...any...info/take on "My Secret > Place"? > Love to all...please be safe, healthy, have abundant reasons to feel > content and, as I often say, I wish for everyone that life is treating you > gently. > Bo > > > --------------------------------- > Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 22:57:40 -0800 (PST) From: J Kendel Johnson Subject: Re: rock jazz pop techno Eric Taylor wrote: body{font-family: Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:9pt;background-color: #ffffff;color: black;} body{font-family: Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:9pt;background-color: #ffffff;color: black;} Joni's been playing synthesizer for 25 years now and I've always liked it. The Reocurring Dream is pure genius! To me Shine is among her five best albums.Yes, I have ALWAYS loved Joni's synth playing before now, too -- ALWAYS! Almost all the snyth on Shine, though, sounds clunky, sophomoric and un-artful to me. I really want to love it, but I guess I'm just not going to be one of those who do. Thanks for the dialogue. I actually envy your enjoyment of this album! Respectfully, J NP: Michael Gott, Quiet Christmas ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2007 08:25:18 +0100 (CET) From: Joseph Palis Subject: Maire (Moya) Brennan, VLJC JoniListas, I watched the concert of Moya Brennan tonight at the Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill. Being a fan of Clannad and of Moya (whose name is really spelled "Maire" but pronounced as Moya, but she said that people usually call her Mary or Marie, so she decided to spell it out in her albums in a way that is as close to the phonetic pronunciation of her name as possible), I did not think twice about watching the concert. Plus the semester is almost over so why not indulge? I grew up listening to Clannad when I was in Manila. For some reason, before Enya became a superstar in mid-1980s, we tuned to Clannad and the Brennan family band in the early 80s and we played their music (tape format then) at home like pop music. Through the years I followed up Moya's solo career as well as Enya's and of course of Clannad. Plus she did a great cover of Joni's BYT in her second solo album called "Misty Eyed Adventures" and I am not sure if it was me who sent that cover to Bob first or someone else did but I am sure I have heard that version before Bob started collecting all Joni covers. I thought her arrangement of BYT, though retaining the bouncy cadence of the song, also introduced choruses that really worked well. So anyway it was a pleasant surprise to know that Moya and her entourage decided to play and end their US concert tour in Chapel Hill. The venue was in Cat's Cradle and at first I thought her type of music might not work in Cat's Cradle and should best be heard in the nearby Arts' Venue or even in our campus recital hall where the format of the seats are more organized and disciplined. I kinda thought that Cat's Cradle's 'venue format' is more for Yo La Tengo than Vashti Bunyan, but was I pleasantly surprised to see how at-home the 2 harps, a fiddle, the piano/synthesizer and the traditional drum look in Cat's Cradle dark interiors. It kinda created a ghostly appearance as though it is Diamanda Galas who will come out and give her famous schrei shrieks. The people who attended the concert were almost the exact same people who watched Rickie Lee Jones' show when she performed in Chapel Hill in early 2006. This is a concert for the perpetually-hip aging children. There were about 80-90 people in the audience tonight. Moya started the set by singing two Gaelic songs. It didn't matter to me what they meant because it communicates in a different level where language fails. Her voice has this rich texture in her lower range but when she hits a high note, it is even-toned and effortless. She half-whispers when she begins her songs but it doesn't make you worry that she'll lose her voice mid-flight because they are executed cleanly and with a gleaming soprano tone. She played the other harp, and the traditional drum (the same one Mari Boine uses) and this castanet-like instrument that acts as a bass (not sure what to call it). She then told the audience that she is going to sing a "couple of songs". She explained that in Ireland "a couple" means "more than two" which sent everyone giggling. She sang 3 selections from her latest album and sang Christmas songs in that beautiful Gaelic sound that is lovely in its despairing-longing kinda way. It sounded foreign yet familiar at the same time. She and her band (one guitarist, one fiddler, one pianist/synthesizer-player, and one more harpist) were so in sync with everything. I guess that since Chapel Hill is their last stop, they must already communicate in psychic levels. The close harmonies that we all heard from Enya's albums were replicated here minus the multi-tracking. Very very beautiful. The vocal dynamics expertly outlined the contours of the songs they sang. She said that they just came from NYC and DC for this series of concerts and everytime she sings Christmas songs alluding to cold, bleak mid-winterish weather, she thought it made sense in NYC and the mid-Atlantic states because there's snow or at least a cold temperature to make it somehow appropriate. "But here in Chapel Hill, it is pleasantly warm that I dipped into the pool this morning". (The weather has been great lately in NC that it feels more like Easter except that the leaves in the trees are falling fast but according to the weather bureau, things will get colder in a few days -- so much for the Indian summer in late Fall, right?) The guitarist (who looks and plays like a younger Luka Bloom) sets the tone for much of the more spirited numbers. And as brilliant and self-effacing as he is, I thought the best moments in the concert happens when Moya caresses her harp and sings in that beautifully mournful way. When the bandmembers provide additional back-up vocals, they do so in such an ethereal way that it sounds like an echo to Moya's lead vocals. More like whale songs, really. Very moving. They evoked the moors and the (probably romantic) notions I had of Ireland. When she introduced the next "couple of songs", she said that these are very old songs composed by a harpist (Moya said "composed by a harper...no, wait a harpist? or harpard? ...One that plays the harp during ancient times!" to gales of laughter from the enthralled audience). She plucked the strings of her own harp while the band shadowed her instrumental leads. Then in one song, an otherworldly voice floated in the air and I was looking among each of them to figure out is singing since no lips are parted/open to reveal the identity of the singer. But of course it turned out to be Moya herself (funny how singers can sometimes create sounds without opening their mouths). It is a beautiful paean to life. Actually, the image that came to mind when I heard it, is that of a flying bird that is about to land on a perch or wood or something that is unsteady -- so the flapping of wings gracefully hovers around the chosen place for perching before the bird actually lands. That image pretty much captures the voice that Moya produced in that segment. Quietly hair-raising. After that there was an intermission where the audience mingled with the musicians in a very informal way. Moya was talking to people who lined up to speak to her and when my turn came, I told her how much Clannad's music somehow became a soundtrack of my early adolescence in Manila. I told her I loved her BYT version ("I love Joni" she later said). I also said that I love the song that she sang (as part of Clannad) in the movie "The Last of the Mohicans". Then she went back onstage to do the second half. She did a couple of Christmas medleys that paired a modern carol with an ancient Irish carol which I thought was brilliantly-conceived. Then she said "The next song I am about to sing is from the movie "The last of the Mohicans" [applause] "... I talked to this guy from the Philippines earlier during the break...where is he?" I yelled "here" and could sense several heads look at the direction where my voice came from. Moya asked "what's your name?" Then when I answered back, she said "I dedicate this song to you Joseph". Wow, and I thought it happens only in movies that a singer dedicates a song to you; or when these surreal things happen in real life, it happens to other people other than me. It felt good being singled out and I felt like a spotlight was turned to me. After the song, the applause came long and built into this crescendo. The nice thing about a concert with about 80-90 people is that when everyone claps, the sound comes out fuller and more high def. Or maybe I was in a state of exaltation that is why I thought that way. But then the applause sounded like that too earlier even before Moya singled me out. But what do I know? She did a couple more Irish songs and some truly awesome instrumental pieces. She also dedicated a few other songs to people she met during the break and I was wondering how suddenly in-your-face and intimate the whole event was where Cat's Cradle appeared less like a dive. The last song she performed is "Against the Wind" from her first solo album "Maire" and for the second time that night, she said "This is again for you Joseph because you grew up with these songs". My 15 minutes got an extension (beat that Andy Warhol!). It was a very upbeat song that made for a great ending. But of course the audience kept on clapping and she came out again and did "Silent Night" in Gaelic encore and enjoined the audience to sing along. Needless to say I feel as though I was blessed. The Catholicism in me always alludes to religious motifs when describing something, and tonight, I thought I was in the glorious mysteries of the rosary. Now its time to go back to obscurity. But oh what a night! Joseph in (warm) Chapel Hill - --------------------------------- Ne gardez plus qu'une seule adresse mail ! Copiez vos mails vers Yahoo! Mail ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 22:17:39 -0800 From: "Randy Remote" Subject: Re: Hello from Bo there aren't any dumb questions...but here's mine: what does 'remastered' mean? And why would we want something remastered as opposed to the original? Recording: First the recording is made, with each instrument or voice occupying it's own track. 24 tracks or more is typical. Mixing: Next, the multitrack recording is mixed to stereo (or sometimes to 'stems'-more than two tracks but that's another story) by the mixing engineer. Mastering: Then the stereo tapes of all the songs are sent to a mastering engineer who does nothing but mastering. He will sequence the songs in the proper order, make the volumes all the same, tweak the sound in other ways with equalization, compression, limiting etc, give it it's final spit polish. Remastering: Remastering is done mainly because digital technology has improved quite a lot since CD's were first introduced. Also, carelessness on the part of the record companies was common then, often the CD master was made from a copy of a copy of the original master tape, or using a master intended for phonograph records or cassettes. Remember those? RR ps remastering should not be confused with remixing (as they did for "Let It Be..Naked") where the original multitracks are used to create a new stereo mix. This is rare, and some might say sacrelige! On a complex album like Dark Side of the Moon, no doubt the new mix would be noticeably different in spots. Some early albums (Sgt Pepper) cannot be remixed because parts were being added during the mixing process, or individual parts were lost in the "bounce". ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2007 #497 ***************************** ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here: mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe -------