From: les@jmdl.com (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V1 #102 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: les@jmdl.com Errors-To: les@jmdl.com Precedence: bulk onlyJMDL Digest Friday, July 2 1999 Volume 01 : Number 102 The Laborday JoniFest is happening this fall! For information: send a message to Join the mailing list at: ------- The Official Joni Mitchell Homepage is maintained by Wally Breese at http://www.jonimitchell.com and contains the latest news, a detailed bio, original interviews and essays, lyrics, and much more. ------- The JMDL website can be found at http://www.jmdl.com and contains interviews, articles, the member gallery, archives, and much more. ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Covers [Krys & Geoff ] Re: jm of course ["Lisa Peakes" ] Re: Globe and Mail Article [JRMCo1@aol.com] Re: Covers [Joseph Palis ] Re: Tape Tree # 8 - Back To The Garden [Deb Messling ] Re: Tape Tree # 8 - Back To The Garden [Ginamu@aol.com] Re: Covers of Joni Songs. [MDESTE1@aol.com] Re: Tape Tree # 8 - Back To The Garden [IVPAUL42@aol.com] My mistake, & correction [kb420@webtv.net (gr8fuldave)] Re: jm of course [Don Rowe ] joni last night! [Emily Kirk Gray ] RE: joni last night! (jc) ["patrick leader" ] Re: joni last night! [IVPAUL42@aol.com] Re: jm of course [Phyliss Ward ] Joni's Jazz at the Park [Lisa Molin ] Re: Joni's Jazz at the Park ["Gerald Notaro (LIB)" ] FW: Joni's Jazz / the official report ["patrick leader" ] Re: jm of course ["Patricia O'Connor" ] RE: Central Park concert [Jenaya Dawe ] Re: jm of course [Don Rowe ] Re: jm of course [RMuRocks@aol.com] Re: jm of course (sorry if this is a re-send) [Don Rowe ] Re: Joni's Jazz / the official report ["Kakki" ] Re: joni last night! [Brian Gross ] RE: Joni's Jazz / the official report ["Brett Code" ] Re: jm of course ["Kakki" ] Re: joni last night! [Janet Hess ] joni last night [zapuppy2@webtv.net (Penny)] Joni's training [Lori ] Re: Covers of Joni Songs. [CaTGirl627@aol.com] Does it wear off? [Steve Dulson ] RE: Concert last night and new to list ["patrick leader" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 08:35:43 +0100 From: Krys & Geoff Subject: Covers <...speaking of Subject: Re: jm of course <> I don't know how far back this issue goes on this list, but I know there've been rumblings about it - I wonder quite often about this, actually - and I have lots of exposure to the disease - the tendency to be hyper-critical, the deep sensitivity...dunno - when you set your own work schedule and can manage periods of creative mania with enough beauty sleep and can afford lots of good medical care and high quality food and supplements, maybe a good measure of alchohol several times a week is manageable (much conventional wisdom suggests this is hubris - that the 'cosmic joke' about the disease is its trick of managing the user!) - but it's for the individual to assess -whether losses & gains balance out. <<"dry drunk"-a phrase used to describe an alcoholic who has given up drinking but not used any spiritual or emotional means to help alleviate the irritation of quitting>> - beyond not alleviating the irritation - I think it also applies to being technically sober, but being so anesthetized to one's own behavior that there's no awareness of how rude/angry/etc. one is being - there's no conscious attempt to modify the old patterns that seem to come with the alcoholic 'personality' - even without the liquid! ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 05:16:47 EDT From: JRMCo1@aol.com Subject: Re: Globe and Mail Article << "She gave birth to that song-as-soliloquy genre," Kelly said, musing about her significance. "She gave it a depth and consistent autobiographical take. There is a lyricism in her music and a wanderlust that is very sexy and exotic, but it is the impact of the words and the music and the honesty she has that is so strong. She has spent her life trying to see what is going on in her heart." >> I am impressed with this quote from John Kelly, especially the "song-as-soliloquy" observation. That's right on. Has anyone heard of Joni's songs being referred to in these terms before? I'm also wondering if John's use of the word "wanderlust" is a wink-and-a-nod to we Joni fans, who respond in a Pavlovian way due to "Amelia" conditioning. - -Julius ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 17:27:36 +0800 (CST) From: Joseph Palis Subject: Re: Covers I heard Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls an even better version of "River". The inherent simplicity in the song brings out the lyrical quality of Saliers' voice. Joseph On Fri, 2 Jul 1999, Krys & Geoff wrote: > <...speaking of > > Yes, I heard that probably from the same radio interview (some time in > the 80s?). I too thought it was a good interpretation, and I seem to > remember Joni enthusing about it at the time. > > NP: Mediaeval Baebes - Worldes Blysse > > Love and peace, > Krys XX > > ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 02 Jul 1999 06:05:26 -0400 From: Deb Messling Subject: Re: Tape Tree # 8 - Back To The Garden Mark wrote: >I guess what I would really like to know is what the true purpose of a >tribute compilation of this type really is. Is it just a chance for >diverse artists to pay tribute to another artist they admire? Is it >to promote the music of the artist being paid the tribute? Or is it >to promote the artists who are performing? My take on these songs is that most of them were borderline insulting to Joni, not tributes. The lyric was all that remained of Joni, and the artists seemed to be making a game of how far afield they could take the song. Most of them reminded me of Tom Lehrer's bit about Cole Porter singing "Darling Clementine." That said, I did like the Hugh Marsh/Jon Goldsmith version of "River" (recognize those names, Cockburn fans?) and Marti Jones & whoever doing "Songs to Aging Children." As to background on Richard Thompson, he is a fine songwriter and guitarist of a folkish bent who spent a good bit of time with Fairport Convention. Someone on this list recently mentioned a stunning song he wrote called "1952 Vincent Black Lightning." His album "Shoot Out the Light," which he made with his wife (now ex) Linda, shows up on a lot of best-album-of-all-time lists. Deb Messling messling@enter.net http://www.enter.net/~messling/ ~there are only three kinds of people: those who can count, and those who can't. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 07:20:09 EDT From: Ginamu@aol.com Subject: Re: Tape Tree # 8 - Back To The Garden In a message dated 7/2/99 12:01:23 AM Eastern Daylight Time, CaTGirl627@aol.com writes: > I just listened to some of these *so called* tribute songs. As I listened to > > some of them...I thought.... MY God, they are just raping that song. It > sounded horrible....let's see > 1. Big Yellow Taxi- Lorraine Scott_ Yikes!! What a cover. I felt I was > listening to one of these light adult radio stations. I completely agree with you about this particular cover. The beautiful, quirky spirtidness of the song was completely lost. It was a bummer to listen to. Cat goes on to say: >4. Blonde in the Bleachers-Squiddly- How HORRIBLE!!! Joni to RAP? >I actully felt frightened listeing to this song! BIG YIKES! What did ya expect from a band called Squiddly?? Sounds like something you should beat with a stick! Take care, Gina NP: Apple Venus, XTC ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 08:02:27 EDT From: MDESTE1@aol.com Subject: Re: Covers of Joni Songs. The best version of Cold Blue Steel I have ever heard is by our very own JMDL list member Howard the Brit. It is fabulous. marcel deste. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 08:37:18 EDT From: IVPAUL42@aol.com Subject: Re: Tape Tree # 8 - Back To The Garden In a message dated 7/2/99 6:06:36 AM Eastern Daylight Time, messling@enter.net writes: << As to background on Richard Thompson, he is a fine songwriter and guitarist of a folksy bent who spent a good bit of time with Fairport Convention. Someone on this list recently mentioned a stunning song he wrote called "1952 Vincent Black Lightning." His album "Shoot Out the Light," which he made with his wife (now ex) Linda, shows up on a lot of best-album-of-all-time lists. >> Would they have been the Thompson Twins? Paul I ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 09:07:57 -0400 (EDT) From: kb420@webtv.net (gr8fuldave) Subject: My mistake, & correction Yesterday, I responded to Kakki and made a blatant error. She posted: >It's becomes a bit contradictory like "we >will say whatever we want, unless you >stop us, and then we will not say whatever >we want and that is how I prefer it to be." To which I replied: >This is exactly correct. Where is the >contradiction? Example: Flag burning is a >legal form of protest. I think it should be >illegal, but because it is legal, I defend it. >If it becomes illegal, then I stop defending >it. It did not take me long to see how wrong this example was, and quite frankly, I'm surprised no-one called me on it. First of all, I do NOT think flag burning should be illegal as a form of protest. And if were made illegal (which it might be soon) I would STILL defend it. In my haste to find an example that would fit I neglected to apply it to myself first or would have seen how stupid it sounded. It was akin to saying I would defend murder if it were made legal! Surely not the point I was trying to make! I hang my head in shame and slap myself silly for that. And I hereby remove example, analogy, and metaphor from my play-book. I'll stick to the facts at hand, which very briefly was: NJC accepted - I defend the rights of all (including myself) to post whatever within the law. Even though I don't like or want it. If ever NJC is forbidden, I stop defending it, or posting it. Finally, If I've accomplished nothing else with my posts of the last week, at best, I've opened a few eyes to how important free speech is, BUT how detrimental it CAN be to a mailing list puportedly devoted to one topic. Now, I hear folks saying isn't THAT contradictory? But I ask you, would you want free speech at the theater? During a seminar or lecture? During church services or ceremonies? People control their urges to speak freely in these settings because they are physically there and would be expelled if they persisted. But on a mailing-list that did not allow off-topic postings you would always have some who would purposely break that rule because of their relative anonymity, hence the moderation solution. Even if no-one agrees with my position, at the very least, I think it's safe to say that it will be some time before genitalia posts appear here again, and for that alone, it was worth my time. Now unless anyone else has something to add to this tiresome thread, here is what you've been waiting for Mark & Phyliss, the LAST WORD. :) gdave - ----------------------------------------------------------------- DaveBase @ www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Stage/2349/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 06:58:36 -0700 (PDT) From: Don Rowe Subject: Re: jm of course Hello Jennifer, and welcome to our little mad tea party. A couple of things -- first of all, you mentioned: But I only posess > 2 of her albums > (CD's actually) MOA and Hejira . Well you've gotten a fantastic start. I envy you the journey of discovery ahead of you, as you get to look with fresh wonder at works like "Hissing of Summer Lawns", "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter", "For the Roses". Boy does it take me back ... > I bought Turbulent Indigo and loved the paintings, > but found the music > to be angry and unsettled. This is intentional, and stems from two long-standing conflicts in Joni's life -- one legal and the other medical. She had a terrific battle with David Geffen over legal rights to her own material, the fallout of which nearly silenced her beautiful voice and mind forever. She also suffers from complications caused by a bout with childhood polio -- and this is the genesis of "The Sire of Sorrow". Fortunately her health and outlook have dramatically improved. >Maybe I didn't listen to it enough, but I > almost thought she was a "dry drunk"-a phrase I welcome feedback on this matter. > There's little dispute that demon alcohol has been a thread running through Joni's entire career -- but all indications I've ever seen is that her's is not an addictive personality type when it comes to that sort of thing. As she says, "the best of my mind all goes down on the strings and the page" -- oops! that's from Don Juan's Reckless Daughter -- see, I told you there are treats in store for you! :-) For a clearer picture of Joni's life and career, may I humbly suggest immersing yourself in Wally's wonderful, and thoroughly comprehensive site: www.jonimitchell.com Well, once again, welcome to the party, and I for one, shall look forward to hearing from you. Don Rowe _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 10:05:05 -0400 (EDT) From: Emily Kirk Gray Subject: joni last night! Ive been smiling all morningand all I could write in my journal on the subway is thank you. Im not even sure who to be thanking, but I do feel full of thanksfor SummerStage, for all the artists who shared joy and respect for Jonis music, and of course Joni herself. Although the show itself was an excellent musical celebration, can I replay for you the final half hour of the concert? Joni was sitting in the third rowI sat in the bleachers for the first part and then came down to stand by the stage for the Hejira performance. The standouts were Toshi Reagon, John Kelly and Chaka Khans sizzling version of Hejira but I watched Joni most of all, seeing her smile and laugh and clap for the singers. She looked peaceful and happy. Towards the end of Duncan Sheiks Refuge she walked by us and stood behind the fence near the stage stairs. I was about 6-8 feet away (oh yes, the quintessential fan-speak; but its true!) and just stood overwhelmed as she grooved to Annie Ross and chatted easily with some nearby fans. When she took the stage, it was as a gracious gesture; we could all tell that she had no desire to sing (she laughed off Help Me, saying I dont know the words but I do remember she let go with one amazing full-throated not like we love our freedom) and especially no desire to upstage the previous musicians. So to accept our praise and give us those ten or twenty minutes meant so much to me. She spoke of being honored and how much she loves New York, and then with smiles and flowers and a wave (and her gum left stuck to the mike stand), she left the stage. What a gift for me personally (how good to know there exists this artist who fills me up), but for all of us in the Big Apple, who are facing the dreams malfunction She makes that fight all the more worthwhile - -- Emily joni mitchell never lied! peace 7/1/99 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 10:29:02 -0400 From: "patrick leader" Subject: RE: joni last night! (jc) emily wrote: near the stage stairs. >I was about 6-8 feet away (oh yes, the quintessential fan-speak; but its >true!) and just stood overwhelmed as she grooved to Annie Ross and chatted >easily with some nearby fans. > well, we must have been right next to each other, we were right by the fence at that side of the stage! indeed a special moment in a special night. my top three songs were: chaka khan singing don't interrupt the sorrow joy askew singing coyote erin hamilton singing blue motel room i've sent off a full report to wally which i imagine he'll post to list as well as to the website, but here's the setlist. just amazing. trouble child toshi reagon jungle line carl hancock rux and dean bowman people's parties jane siberry same situation ravi coltrane edith and the kingpin jericho christina wheeler free man in paris rap based on i's a-muggin' pm dawn (and mood swings) don't interrupt the sorrow chaka khan just like this train eric anderson down to you (with part of a case of you and unchained melody in the middle) joe jackson and joy askew god must be a boogieman erin hamilton court and spark duncan sheik hissing of summer lawns chaka khan raised on robbery sheryl marshall shadows and light john kelly intermission hejira in its entirety: coyote joy askew amelia john kelly (with don byron and doug weiselman) furry sings the blues eric anderson strange boy jane siberry (matthew garrison, bass) hejira chaka khan song for sharon pm dawn black crow toshi reagon blue motel room erin hamilton (graham haynes, cornet) refuge of the roads duncan sheik 1st encore twisted woodside (?) jon hendricks and annie ross 2nd encore a very improvisational help me joni and everyone else ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 10:32:27 EDT From: IVPAUL42@aol.com Subject: Re: joni last night! In a message dated 7/2/99 10:07:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time, ekg200@is5.nyu.edu writes: << She spoke of being honored and how much she loves New York, and then with smiles and flowers and a wave (and her gum left stuck to the mike stand), she left the stage. What a gift for me personally >> Her gum? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 02 Jul 1999 08:18:41 -0700 From: Phyliss Ward Subject: Re: jm of course "Jennifer L. Nodine" wrote: > I can't beleive I have found a forum of people who recognize JM as one > of the best songwriters of our time. Welcome Jennifer! > (But I only posess 2 of her albums (CD's actually) MOA and Hejira . You've so much joy ahead! > I bought Turbulent Indigo and loved the paintings, but found the music to > be angry and unsettled. I felt the same way at first but now it is way up there as one of my favorites! Keep giving it a listen. You may find the same. We all have different favorites and least favorites here so not to worry. > My limited exposure to her only has made me feel that she has maybe > grappled with alcohol My opinion is a bit NOT! I do have quite a bit of first hand experience in that area as well as practically a PhD in Joni thanks to this list and the associated web sites. - -- Phyliss pward@lightspeed.net http://www.bodywise.com/consultants/bpward ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 11:54:47 -0400 From: Lisa Molin Subject: Joni's Jazz at the Park **Note** I'm at work writing this, and don't have time to put this together in a well thought out way, but here's a few snippits . . . Well Folks, last night was an awesome celebration of Joni Mitchell's music. Joni's Jazz was a brilliant concert that featured various artists covering Joni's work from Court & Spark to Mingus. Yes, the divine Miss M was in attendance, and she sat two rows away from me! She came on stage at the end of the concert for the encore, but did not sing a solo. Instead, all of the artists were on stage singing "Free Man in Paris" and they coaxed Joni to take over, but she declined and said "I don't remember the words, and anyway this was already done tonight" Then she said "Can I sing an old standard?" The audience roared in approval. But she never did, which was a huge disappointment. Instead all the singers on stage stopped singing Free Man, and the band kept playing and everyone on stage and in the audience waited to see what Joni would do. Joni just improvised to the music - no words, just beautiful sounds emanating from her mouth. I so wanted to hear her voice, and only her voice sing, anything - even if it was "Happy Birthday" it would have blown me away. But she didn't. A big disappointment for a hungry soul. The first half of the concert were selections from Mingus, Court and Spark, and The Hissing of Summer Lawns. And the second of half of the concert "Hejira" was performed in its entirety (just to make all of us JMDL'ers so proud!!). Chaka Kahn was a part of the event and everytime she came on stage she completely brought the house down. She credited Joni as being her "mentor", and it was clear that she loves Joni tremendously, and loves singing Joni's work. Here is a list of the guest artists that performed: Eric Andersen, Dean Bowman, Erin Hamilton (A fine, fine singer who has the perfect vocal ability to do justice to Joni's jazz songs), Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross (they performed Twisted and totally rocked) Joe Jackson, John Kelly, Chaka Khan, P.M. Dawn, Toshi Reagon (another powerhouse singer), Carl Hancock Rux, Duncan Sheik, and Jane Siberry (who didn't know many of the lyrics she performed). When Joni arrived to take her seat at the start of the concert, she received a standing ovation from the audience members. I was in awe of her presence. She was so close, yet so far, as there was no way for me to get to speak to her. Some performers came on stage and voiced their praises to Joni, and one of the rappers said: "Joni Mitchell never lies" as a lyric in one of the songs he performed. How great is that? I have to give special credit to P.M. Dawn who performed "Song For Sharon." He has such a beautiful voice, and I thought his version of the song was completely moving and he reminded me of Seal in the way his voice could be so delicate and emotional. John Kelly did a rendition of Amelia that was cool because the way he performed the song made it seem that he was relating an event from his own personal experience. There's so much more, but no time . . . I'll try to write more later. Bye for now. Lisa ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 12:13:59 -0400 (EDT) From: "Gerald Notaro (LIB)" Subject: Re: Joni's Jazz at the Park Lisa reported it so well, along with everyone else we got to see and meet. It was an incredible evening. My only personal report was that I was able to glide past security 2 1/2 hours before the show because I had ny denim JMDL shirt on and sat right up front to see the rehearsal. That was worth the trip alon. And then we had great seats for the whole evening, right behind Joni all night. She had a great time, cheering and hooting all night long. Can you imagine hearing 2 great hours of her music and then having Danny say ( Hi Danny I was sitting up close on the aisle while you were working) "We'll break now and then return with the entire Hejira album." I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. It was well worth the trip. It was one night in a million for any Joni fan. Kudos to Danny for all his hard work. Now who was doing the recording????? Jerry ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 02 Jul 1999 09:33:36 -0700 From: Susan Chaloner Subject: Re: Joni last night Emily Kirk Gray wrote: > Although the show itself was an excellent musical celebration, can I > replay for you the final half hour of the concert? Replay it again Emily! Very welcome news indeed! Especially the following: > (and her gum left stuck to the mike stand) YES!!! Gum on Joni!!! You know that I've always wanted to stick my gum to the mike stand ;~D Thankyou love! Susan L.A. Honey McBabe-"...When you got no time left and there's a million people on your tail Don't go feeling so all alone I'll give it all to you..."-Ellen McIlwaine ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 13:11:06 -0400 From: "patrick leader" Subject: FW: Joni's Jazz / the official report joni's jazz central park summerstage - july 1, 1999 in his excellent opening speech, producer danny kapilian said the oldest inspiration for this concert was his first time seeing joni, almost exactly twenty years ago in forest hills, queens, on a hot steamy, rainy day much like today, in which the weather obeyed the gods of music, like tonight. it was the shadows and light band. he was aiming for that power with this concert. he said, 'the hair on the back of your neck is going to curl' and he was not exaggerating. this was an amazing, magical evening, for us as well as for joni, who was there, but more on that later. here's the setlist: trouble child toshi reagon jungle line carl hancock rux and dean bowman people's parties jane siberry same situation ravi coltrane edith and the kingpin jericho christina wheeler free man in paris rap based on i's a-muggin' pm dawn (and mood swings) don't interrupt the sorrow chaka khan just like this train eric anderson down to you (with part of a case of you and unchained melody in the middle) joe jackson and joy askew god must be a boogieman erin hamilton court and spark duncan sheik hissing of summer lawns chaka khan raised on robbery sheryl marshall shadows and light john kelly intermission hejira in its entirety: coyote joy askew amelia john kelly (with don byron and doug weiselman) furry sings the blues eric anderson strange boy jane siberry (matthew garrison, bass) hejira chaka khan song for sharon pm dawn black crow toshi reagon blue motel room erin hamilton (graham haynes, cornet) refuge of the roads duncan sheik 1st encore twisted woodside (?) jon hendricks and annie ross 2nd encore a very improvisational help me joni and everyone else - --- the magical aspect began when we saw joni in the backstage area, before the show. she was obviously in a good mood and very excited. as the time approached, the musicians were in a group hug circle and after a minute or so, joni joined them. that had to have felt great, for them. as we finally settled, joni was escorted to her seat, dead center a couple of rows back. standing ovation, of course. this was not a box seat, it was a muddy playfield with folding chairs and bleachers, wind and sprinkles and there she was right in the midst of us. danny kapilian made his excellent opening speech, dedicating the show to bill graham and jaco pastorius. toshi reagon sang trouble child to open, and i can't imagine a stronger beginning. she's a passionate and powerful singer and the onstage musicians delighted in matching her. carl hancock rux and dean bowman's version of jungle line showed off the percussion section. after a sweet take on jericho sung by back-up singer christina wheeler, the next highlight for me was don't interrupt the sorrow, sung by a force of nature named chaka. she spoke a bit first, with obvious love for joni, saying she advises young singers "go buy joni mitchell's hejira. play that. you harmonize with that shit." it was funny and honoring. your reporter was dancing his ass off at the front of the audience during the song, and i could look over and see joni just rocking in her seat. lisa durfee, who sat behind her, said she was bopping along any time there was a beat, all night. joni jumped out of her chair at the end of chaka's song, along with the rest of the audience. a little further along, it was just joy askew with joe jackson at the piano, for down to you. in the break was the first verse of a case of you and even a piano-only verse of unchained melody. then joy sang the last verse of down to you. erin hamilton (carol burnett's daughter and a phenomenal torch singer who i'd love to hear more from) sang god must be a boogieman. chaka came out with hissing of summer lawns. and john kelly (not in joni-costume) closed out the first act with his amazing shadows and light the second act was hejira, from beginning to end. danny kapilian announced the artists for each song at the beginning of the act, in the hope that it would actually flow, somewhat like the album. joy askew took coyote and ran with it, this was one of my single finest moments of the concert. i could feel the crowd going, "who is this woman?". john kelly's beautifully sung amelia was enhanced by don byron on a buzzy bass clarinet trading lines with doug weiselman on soprano clarinet (if i've got the instruments right.) weiselman was an exciting and excellent musician all night. eric anderson's dylan-esque furry sings the blues was just right. jane siberry was a perfect choice to sing strange boy, and she gave an edge-of-your-seat performance that highlighted matthew garrison's complex bass. garrison was also excellent all evening. then chaka with hejira, just electrifying, pm dawn's sweet voice on song for sharon, and toshi reagon tearing down the house on black crow. she even got chaka to come out of the wings and trade vocal licks. another of my highlights was next. when danny had announced erin hamilton for blue motel room, i'd thought a perfect match of song and singer, and it was. her languid singing, perfectly matched by graham haynes on cornet and brian charette (i think) on piano set a spell. duncan sheik closed out on refuge of the roads. as danny introduced john hendricks and annie ross for the encore, joni was being led backstage so we had that 6 inches apart face to face smile moment, but when she got backstage she reversed and came back out into our little corner of the crowd so she could see them, so i spent all of their set choosing whether to watch joni, five feet away on one side dancing and swinging a cigarette, and a couple of legends 15 feet away on stage. hendricks and ross were wonderful. finally they got joni on stage. she spoke briefly, saying what an unusual experience it was having her work come at her like that. "i'll remember this night all my long, long, long life.", she said, giggling. finally, she put her gum on the mike stand and joined the whole band for a song that somewhat resembled help me. and four hours after it started, a magical show ended. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 02 Jul 1999 13:39:10 -0400 From: "Reuben Bell3" Subject: Central Park concert Ok. I am going to start sobbing and screaming if I do not get to hear a tape of this show. Immediately. Pronto. I would do terrible things to get a copy of Chaka Kahn singing "Don't Interrupt The Sorrow" and "The Hissing Of Summer Lawns". Not to mention the rest of the show... Please oh please won't someone help those of us unable to attend?? Reuben ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 13:42:28 -0400 From: "Patricia O'Connor" Subject: Re: jm of course Don wrote: >There's little dispute that demon alcohol has been a >thread running through Joni's entire career -- but all >indications I've ever seen is that her's is not an >addictive personality type when it comes to that sort >of thing. Nicotine, IMO, is that sort of thing. POC ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 11:02:22 -0700 From: Jenaya Dawe Subject: RE: Central Park concert Reuben pleaded: >Ok. I am going to start sobbing and screaming if I do not get to hear a >tape of this show. Immediately. Pronto. I would do terrible things to >get a copy of Chaka Kahn singing "Don't Interrupt The Sorrow" and "The >Hissing Of Summer Lawns". Not to mention the rest of the show... >Please oh please won't someone help those of us unable to attend?? Everyone, thank you soooooo much for your wonderful reports. Patrick, you gave me goosebumps!! Jenaya... feeling a physical craving for this tape... ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 11:35:16 -0700 (PDT) From: Don Rowe Subject: Re: jm of course - --- Patricia O'Connor wrote: > > Don wrote: > > >There's little dispute that demon alcohol has been > a > >thread running through Joni's entire career -- but > all > >indications I've ever seen is that her's is not an > >addictive personality type when it comes to that > sort > >of thing. > > Nicotine, IMO, is that sort of thing. > > POC > Nicotine is an admittedly physically addictive substance. Alcoholism, and to a large extent, abuse of drugs legal and un- ... is now widely considered a disease. A disease from which I do not think Joni suffers. Don Rowe _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 14:39:25 EDT From: RMuRocks@aol.com Subject: Re: jm of course Jennifer introduces herself and says: << I bought Turbulent Indigo and loved the paintings, but found the music to be angry and unsettled. >> Welcome, Jennifer! Keep listening to Joni and the TI tension will make pearls for you! Please share your thoughts on her work as you discover them...we'll tell you if you're right or wrong. (I'm kidding, Jennifer...) :~D Bob in South Carolina Speaking of Pearls, WirlyPearl if you're out there let me know what the scoop for tomorrow is... NP: Don Rowe, "Yes or No or Maybe" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 11:48:31 -0700 (PDT) From: Don Rowe Subject: Re: jm of course (sorry if this is a re-send) Patricia responds to my suggestion ... > There's little dispute that demon alcohol has been >a thread running through Joni's entire career -- but her's is not an addictive personality type when it comes to that sort of thing. With the following ... > Nicotine, IMO, is that sort of thing. Nicotine is an admittedly physically addictive substance. Alcoholism, and to a large extent, abuse of drugs legal and un- ... is now widely considered a disease. A disease from which I do not think Joni suffers. Don Rowe _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 11:53:56 -0700 (PDT) From: Don Rowe Subject: Re: jm of course (sorry if this is a re-send) Patricia responds to my suggestion ... > There's little dispute that demon alcohol has been >a thread running through Joni's entire career -- but her's is not an addictive personality type when it comes to that sort of thing. With the following ... > Nicotine, IMO, is that sort of thing. Nicotine is an admittedly physically addictive substance. Alcoholism, and to a large extent, abuse of drugs legal and un- ... is now widely considered a disease. A disease from which I do not think Joni suffers. Don Rowe _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 15:02:44 EDT From: TerryM2442@aol.com Subject: Re: Central Park concert I'm savoring every post on the concert that's winging it's way throught the wires here, but I have one question. About how many people were in the audience?? Terry ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 12:38:20 -0700 (PDT) From: Brian Gross Subject: Re: Central Park concert - ---Terry wrote: > > I'm savoring every post on the concert that's winging it's way throught the > wires here, but I have one question. About how many people were in the > audience?? I would estimate the crowd at between 500 and 800 Brian === "No paper thin walls No folks above No one else can hear the crazy cries of love" yeah, right _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 12:35:58 -0700 From: "Kakki" Subject: Re: Joni's Jazz / the official report All the reports coming in are so beautiful and I'm completely doting on every detail. What an incredibly fantastic production. Especially wonderful to have been so near her in the audience and to share her joy. Priceless. Kakki ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 12:46:15 -0700 (PDT) From: Brian Gross Subject: Re: joni last night! - ---IVPAUL42@aol.com wrote: > > In a message dated 7/2/99 10:07:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time, > ekg200@is5.nyu.edu writes: > > << > She spoke of being honored and how much she loves New York, and then with > smiles and flowers and a wave (and her gum left stuck to the mike stand), > she left the stage. What a gift for me personally >> > > Her gum? > Yes, her chewing gum. From my seat, 9 rows back and one seat over from SIQUOMB, I had a pretty good line of sight when she was looking left, toward center stage. During the course of her stay in the audience, she has a cup of beer, a can of Coke, innumerable cigarettes, and I was as surprised as anyone to see her chewing gum. I didn't see her blowing any bubbles, though. :-) Brian === "No paper thin walls No folks above No one else can hear the crazy cries of love" yeah, right _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 14:09:52 -0600 From: "Brett Code" Subject: RE: Joni's Jazz / the official report Patrick, This is brilliant! Thank you so much for this report. I'll admit it has stirred envy. I so wish I was there. What an incredible experience. You present it with a passion for which I am grateful and I thank you. I echo the voices of those who would like a tape of this show, but it is clear that no tape will be able to express the magic of those four hours. Four hours! Man, that is wonderful. Brett ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 02 Jul 1999 16:06:52 -0400 From: Valerie Kraemer Subject: Concert last night and new to list Hey folks, I just joined the list today after seeing the Central Park concert last night. I've been a big Joni fan since my father played some of her early music (Both Sides Now) for me when I was not much more than a toddler. My first experience seeing her in concert was sometime in the mid-70s, I think shortly after Miles of Aisles came out. Hejira is my all time favorite album by anyone in any genre. I wore out a couple of vinyl copies before the CD format came out. I was so excited when I first heard about the Central Park concert, especially since Hejira was going to be such a prominent part of it. What a wonderful evening it was!! The only let down for me was Jane Siberry's performance, since I'm also a big fan of hers. Her web site had listed for a while the two songs that she would be performing. Why couldn't she learn the lyrics? I think I agree with the rest of you about the highlights of the concert. It kept getting better and better as the evening went on. Toshi Reagon, Joy Askew (esp. with Joe Jackson), Chaka Kahn and Erin Hamilton were all great. My friends have been raving about Joy Askew for a while, now I see why. I initially thought that PM Dawn was a strange choice to sing Song for Sharon, since it's so much from a woman's point of view, but it was a gorgeous rendition. I wonder if any sort of CD will grow out of this project, even if it's a studio recording rather than a tape of last night's show. Anyway, it's nice to meet all of you. I was trying to keep a set list, but I lost my pen half way through the first set. I found your Joni mail list while trying to find if there were any place on the internet where I could get a set list. Thanks to those of you who took complete notes. - --Valerie Richardson ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 13:05:37 -0700 From: "Kakki" Subject: Re: jm of course Don wrote regarding TI: > This is intentional, and stems from two long-standing > conflicts in Joni's life -- one legal and the other > medical. She had a terrific battle with David Geffen > over legal rights to her own material, the fallout of > which nearly silenced her beautiful voice and mind > forever. She also suffers from complications caused > by a bout with childhood polio -- and this is the > genesis of "The Sire of Sorrow". Yes, she was coming off a decade of dealing with the whole "Job" package. Besides Geffen and her physical ailments, she cites the legal battles with her housekeeper, the State of California improperly appropriating a chunk of her earnings that she had to fight to stop, a dentist who "butchered" her, plus her marriage to Larry was unraveling. TI (the songs and the paintings) was a brilliant catharsis. > Fortunately her health and outlook have dramatically improved. Hearing about all the happiness in her life now, I can't help contrasting it to her decade from hell and anticipating a future work reflecting the re-found joy. Maybe we will see a "Fabulous Fuschia" album down the road (Just kidding) > There's little dispute that demon alcohol has been a > thread running through Joni's entire career -- but all > indications I've ever seen is that her's is not an > addictive personality type when it comes to that sort > of thing. As she says, "the best of my mind all goes > down on the strings and the page" -- oops! that's > from Don Juan's Reckless Daughter -- see, I told you > there are treats in store for you! :-) As far as her channeling addictive tendencies, I agree - she's addicted to words, painting, and discovering new sounds, in addition to the cigarettes ;-) Kakki ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 02 Jul 1999 16:42:31 -0400 From: Janet Hess Subject: Re: joni last night! Hey, that proves that Joni has been known to sample a beer or two...fine wine has its place, but Joni doesn't rest on ceremony. :) And one of the things I love from this string is the praise for Toshi Reagon. For those who don't know, Toshi's mother is Bernice Johnson Reagon, founder of Sweet Honey in the Rock and the recipient of a MacArthur genius grant. I used to see Toshi regularly here in DC in the early to mid 80s, when she often appeared at g/l events. The first time I saw her perform was in a lunchtime concert in a downtown park, where she rocked herself and a goodly number of us in the audience into another dimension. What a force she is! At 12:46 PM 7/2/1999 -0700, Brian Gross wrote: > >During the course of her stay in the audience, she has a cup of beer, a can of >Coke, innumerable cigarettes, and I was as surprised as anyone to see her >chewing gum. I didn't see her blowing any bubbles, though. :-) > > > ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 14:30:32 -0700 (PDT) From: zapuppy2@webtv.net (Penny) Subject: joni last night Hi all, I've got to tell ya, the accounts from last night's concert have been stunning. Thank you all so much! This is the first major Joni event to have happened since I joined the JMDL in Dec. and I'm beginning to realize more and more this woman must have really found her way deep into my emotional core with her music. As I've read each post about last night, I'm filled with joy as I experience the night vicariously through your words. Almost erie, as I don't feel any jealousy for not being able to be there myself but rather a very heartfelt happiness for what you each of you enjoyed. Is this weird, or are some of the rest of you feeling this same emotion? Long time JMDLers, does it wear off? Smiles Penny Thanks Gina for forwarding the concert posts this morning, but I've since gone to the individual delivery so I'm not so out of touch with everyone! ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 02 Jul 1999 17:42:01 -0500 From: Lori Subject: Joni's training I can't remember if I ever knew, and if I did, I can't remember . . . Did Joni ever take voice lessons? What do we know about any of her musical training? Lori A. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 18:45:02 EDT From: CaTGirl627@aol.com Subject: Re: Covers of Joni Songs. In a message dated 7/2/1999 8:05:44 AM Eastern Daylight Time, MDESTE1@aol.com writes: << The best version of Cold Blue Steel I have ever heard is by our very own JMDL list member Howard the Brit. It is fabulous. marcel deste. >> How do I get to hear that? Cat.... ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 16:11:15 -0700 From: Steve Dulson Subject: Does it wear off? Penny wrote: >Is this weird, or are some of the rest of >you feeling this same emotion? Long time JMDLers, does it wear off? No. ############################################################## Steve Dulson Costa Mesa CA steve@psitech.com "The Tinker's Own" *NEW* website at: http://www.tinkersown.com "Southern California Dulcimer Heritage" http://members.aol.com/scdulcimer/ "The Living Tradition Concert Series" (Website soon!) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 19:35:12 -0400 From: "patrick leader" Subject: RE: Concert last night and new to list hey valerie, welcome! from another new yorker. i am still glowing about last night. The only let down for me was Jane >Siberry's performance, since I'm also a big fan of hers. Her web site >had listed for a while the two songs that she would be performing. Why >couldn't she learn the lyrics? a bunch of us listers hung out after the concert and jane was a major subject of discussion between barbara burst, lisa durfee and i, who are all major jane fans. people's parties was indeed disappointing and brought down the level a bit, but i thought she did a much better job with strange boy, especially feeding off that magnificent bass player. her particular sense of theater in singing is just so right for that song. one thing she and several performers did (and this didn't hurt the energy at all) is sing a line and then say 'can you believe how good that line is?' jane's moment was 'stiff-blue-haired-house-rules' but we agreed that jane is a bit nervous as a performer, more last night than usual. and she does have trouble with lyrics. i wrote a report for www.jonimitchell.com which i also forwarded to this list, and i cleverly described her performance as edge-of-your-seat, not saying whether that meant 'astounding' or 'is she gonna fuck it up' (or both). her own performances have been walking that same line and i think she is creating brilliance by throwing it all out there. i did have a few other disappointed moments in the concert, but nothing that kept it from being an incredibly exciting night. >My friends have been raving about Joy Askew for a while, i've been raving about joy for a long time, since chris kornmann, a jonilistlurker announced a local date way last summer. she gives an amazing show, and if she plays in ny again this summer you must see her. welcome, again! patrick np - a todd rundgren tribute ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 19:58:45 EDT From: RMuRocks@aol.com Subject: Re: Concert last night and new to list Valerie asks: << I wonder if any sort of CD will grow out of this project, even if it's a studio recording rather than a tape of last night's show. >> Welcome to the list Valerie! That would a great 3 or 4 disc set. It would be dreamy if it WAS released commercially... Bob ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 18:06:14 -0700 From: "Mark or Travis" Subject: Re: Joni's Jazz at the Park Jon Hendricks > and Annie Ross (they performed Twisted and totally rocked) Even though they were really performing their own song (Annie Ross penned the lyrics to 'Twisted') this must have been such a thrill for Joni to have them perform in a tribute concert to her. She's been a fan of theirs for a long time. What a wonderful night it must have been! I'm so envious! Thanks guys, for all the great reports! Mark in Seattle ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 21:08:02 EDT From: MGVal@aol.com Subject: Re: joni last night - does it wear off In a message dated 99-07-02 17:39:09 EDT, zapuppy2@webtv.net writes: > Is this weird, or are some of the rest of >you feeling this same emotion? Long time JMDLers, does it wear off? Nope, it don't. You may go through cycles of mucho Joni and petite Joni, but it sure doesn't. Nope, nope and nope. Or as Steve Dulson so eloquently put it: "No." MG ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 18:31:02 -0700 From: "Mark or Travis" Subject: Re: Joni's training > I can't remember if I ever knew, and if I did, I can't remember . . . Did > Joni ever take voice lessons? What do we know about any of her musical > training? > > Lori A. > If memory serves, her only formal 'training' was piano lessons when she was a kid. The teacher would rap her on the knuckles every time she would play anything original, though, and asked her something like 'Why would you want to compose when you can have the classics at your fingertips?' I think this pretty well turned Joni off to any kind of formal training in music. Mark in Seattle ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V1 #102 ****************************** The Song and Album Voting Booths are open! 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