From: les@jmdl.com (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2003 #102 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: les@jmdl.com Errors-To: les@jmdl.com Precedence: bulk Archives: http://www.smoe.org/lists/onlyjoni Websites: http://www.jmdl.com http://www.jonimitchell.com Unsubscribe: mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe onlyJMDL Digest Tuesday, March 25 2003 Volume 2003 : Number 102 Sign up now for JoniFest 2003! http://www.jonifest.com ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Re: Oh Watchful Ones Amongst the Slaves -SJC [colin ] More quotes from the program [SCJoniGuy@aol.com] Re: Wall to Wall, Part 4 [dsk ] Vanessa Carlton On 'Big Yellow Taxi' [Murphycopy@aol.com] back to the garden [Murphycopy@aol.com] re: 'war' songs [Bruce Kimerer ] re:disco [Bruce Kimerer ] war songs ["Kate Bennett" ] Re: The Younger Generation [Catherine McKay ] joni at carnegie hall february 23rd 1972 [Mags N Brei ] Wall to Wall, Part 7 & last - Whew!! [SCJoniGuy@aol.com] Joni Mitchell Both Sides Then and Now [Moogs ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 09:26:52 +0000 From: colin Subject: Re: Oh Watchful Ones Amongst the Slaves -SJC Ricw1217@aol.com wrote: >In a message dated 3/24/03 9:19:34 PM, smarcaurele@digitalproquo.com writes: > > > > >>Yea too heavy and all I need to find is the strength to save up enough to >>move out of the environs of ground zero so I can die in dignity - it has me >>that concerned >> >> >> >> > >i'd say all you need is to have your med levels checked. sounds like its >time for an itty bitty bit more thorazine... > this is not something to make cruel jokes about...... ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 08:18:57 -0500 From: Jerry Notaro Subject: Re: oscars - now with added jc Wasn't Songs to Aging Children written specifically for Alice's Restaurant? Jerry ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 08:25:48 -0500 From: SCJoniGuy@aol.com Subject: Re: oscars - now with added jc In a message dated 3/25/2003 8:18:57 AM Eastern Standard Time, notaro@bayflash.stpt.usf.edu writes: > Wasn't Songs to Aging Children written specifically for > Alice's Restaurant? Not that I've heard, Jerry...though it was performed in the film (by Tigger Outlaw when Joni declined). What made you think that it was? Bob NP: Joni, "Blue" Carnegie Hall 2/23/72 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 08:46:47 -0500 From: SCJoniGuy@aol.com Subject: Wall to Wall, Part 1 Before I get into my review of Saturday's show, I have to thank my JMDL pals who made it possible for me to experience this once-in-a-lifetime event: Paul, who had never even met me yet opened his home to me and welcomed me so openly & sincerely. Bobsart, who provided transportation and GREAT company at the Met museum and Central Park, where we had hours of enjoyable conversation on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Heather & Patrick, who shared the concert with me, and also were state-of-the-art tour guides at the Met. Rose & Nikki who made the effort to get there and enjoy the concert with me. Debra, who made so many of the arrangements, got a lot of information, and brought water & snacks to keep up our strength during the marathon. Maureen, a great pleasure meeting you and thanks for the water! Jenny, always great seeing you, especially when you bring cute friends! :~) OK, now on to the music - which I was afraid I wasn't going to see due to stalled subways, but luck was with me & I walked in to Symphony Space moments before the program began. As more luck would have it, the day was GORGEOUS and there was a big peace march planned, so there was no line to get in. Sylvia McNair - Chelsea Morning, California: Sylvia is an accomplished opera singer, and obviously a big Joni fan as well as she effortlessly navigated her way through these 2 with perfect pitch & emotion to wonderful piano accompaniment. Laurie Anderson - Both Sides Now: My first tears of the day...Laurie was scheduled for later in the program but was on her way to the peace march, so she came out early and performed BSN in a very moving fashion, singing in a multi-octave style, with lots of passion and accompanying herself on violin. Jason Moran - The Priest: Jason is a jazz pianist, and thus declared that he wasn't going to sing. Played an intense, free-form but focused interpretation of The Priest.Jason Moran/Alicia Hall - Woodstock: He was then joined by vocalist Alicia Hall, and she REALLY brought down the house, and again lots of tears in my case. Very moving, and like so many others she emphasized the pro-peace lyrics in Joni's song and showed those who may not have been aware how relevant Joni's lyrics remain after 35 years. Lucy Kaplansky - Carey, Willy: A big crowd favorite, she played Carey on the guitar, and Willy on the piano. Like she did on the radio, she intro'd Willy by saying that she played it always in private. Both of these were spot-on. Lorinda Lisitza - A theatre performer & singer from Canada, she intro'd her set with praise for Joni as a Canadian, and said that she was going to do a "Canadian" set, that is, Joni songs that referenced Canada. Her first song was an acapella Cherokee Louise, which was beautiful, and an appropriate was to present it. She used the starkness & the silence to emphasize the "punch line" that transforms the song to its darker side. She was then joined by vocalist Karen Mack & pianist/vocalist Michael Holland (who has a WONDERFUL cover of A Case of You recorded) and they launched into a fine version of Song For Sharon, with Michael providing dead-on harmonies. You could tell by watching him that this song was written in his soul. Then they delivered a fun, bouncy version of "Ray's Dad's Cadillac", into which Michael inserted a bit of "Car On A Hill" and Karen inserted a bit of "You Dream Flat Tires". This group was well-rehearsed, and it showed. They were clearly overjoyed to be there. But we had NO idea of what was to come. Part 2 to follow. Bob NP: Joni, "Carey" 2/23/72 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 07:36:43 -0600 From: "mack watson-bush" Subject: Re: The Younger Generation andrew wrote: > Well, you have to admit that what's happening now in > mainstream music is pretty horrendous. I'd take disco > over this generic mumbo-jumbo any day of the week. no kidding. me too. I don' t care what anyone says. Disco was fun, fun, fun. A world all its own and I was a part of it. Some of those tunes were very well done and had great emotions tangled up inside themselves. mack np-gino vanelli-Big Dreamers Never Sleep ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 15:36:28 +0100 From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Emiliano_Pati=F1o?= Subject: re: My favourite peace song KJHSF@aol.com suggested "The night I heard Caruso sing", by Everything but the girl I completely agree with you: the reference is from "Idlewild" album. One of the best songs I've ever heard (curiously Ben is lead vocals on this song) Let Peace, Truth, Love, Beauty & Freedom rules our world! NPIMH: Save the country: Judy Driscoll, Brain Auger & The Trinity Emiliano ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 10:33:28 -0500 From: Bob Shemkovitz Subject: Re: Shadows & Light; Woman Of Heart & Mind Lama wrote: > And now a word about videos that put royalty pennies in Joni's satchel and > subsidize flying the grandchildren into Los Angeles to see "Big Momma": > > The "Shadows and Light" video is available for purchase on ebay from a > reputable guy in Hong Kong and it's a compelling document of Joni's jazz > singing, the important collaboration with Charles Mingus, and some of the > world's finest performances in the singer-songwriter universe. I agree with your review! By the way, Shadows & Light is currently available on DVD from both Amazon.com and Barne&Noble.com. It's pricey, around $45.00, but well worth it for a terrrific concert plus interesting conceptual films interspersed among the songs. I've been keeping an eye on the Amazon and Barnes & Noble sites to see when they'll announce the availability of Woman Of Heart & Mind on DVD. They don't list it yet, but the CBC Life & Times site now has some brief video excerpts from the second part of the show, as well as the first. Don't know if that's been posted yet, but I thought I'd pass it along. Bob from CT ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 10:48:42 -0500 From: SCJoniGuy@aol.com Subject: Wall to Wall, Part 2 Helga Davis - God Must Be A Boogie Man/Beat Of Black Wings/Love: Like I said, we had NO IDEA what we were about to experience. Every once in a while, an artist doesn't just perform or present a song, but rather they inhabit the piece. Helga, a singer from Harlem, & her co-vocalist Marcel Blatchley accompanied by piano & bass started with 'Boogie Man', and then segued into 'Black Wings' during which Helga became Killer Kyle, feeling & emoting every line of the song in an extremely affecting way, recalling the horrors he expereinced. Even she seemed surprised at the intensity of her presentation. The 2 vocalists then traded off lines in 'Love', and tacked on to the song a sung version of The Beatitudes (The first part of Jesus' Sermon On The Mount), and when they got to "Blessed are the peacemakers" they just kept singing it, each time with more feeling and more energy. This entire piece was performed in segue, so there was never any release from the audience or from the performers. By the time the piece was over, I was literally shaking, awash in tears and trying to hold back from sobbing. I looked at Debra and she was in a similar state. We all were on our feet applauding & cheering and finally releasing what Helga had given to us. Like Debra said, Helga herself was so emotionally spent that she needed her bandmates to support her and help her offstage. This is a performance I'll remember my whole life. Stretto - Little Green: College acapella is a very important sub-genre of Joni covers. A number of her songs have been done in this style, and many are appropriated quite well. Raised On Robbery, Big Yellow Taxi, Woodstock to name a couple, have all been done to good effect in acapella. Little Green, however, is a song of very deep emotion, and to present it in doo-wop acapella fashion is just not appropriate. The vocalists were talented, always in synch and on perfect pitch, but they had NO IDEA what they were singing about, and that made this one more of a parody. Garland Jeffreys - Peoples Parties, You Turn Me On Me On I'm A Radio: Well, Garland may not have perfect pitch, but his respect for Joni & his ability to sell a song overcomes all that. With a guitar/bass/accordion backing he had a lot of fun with his 2 songs, particularly 'Radio' when he jumped down off the stage, wandered through the aisles, got the audience to sing along, and created a party atmosphere. Garland also was quoted in the program:"Joni Mitchell has stood at the vanguard of songwriters from the moment she hit the public and has remained there, paving the way for the rest of us to explore the world of music beyond three chords". Love that quote. Jane Ira Bloom - Woman Of Heart & Mind: Jane is a saxophonist, she spoke not a word but went straight to her work. Tell you the truth, it took me a while to figure out what she was playing. Now knowing what it is, I'd love to hear it again. It was NOT a straight cop of the melody, I can tell you that. Morley - This Flight Tonight, River, Chinese Cafe: A young (female) singer-songwriter, Morley had a great band backing her up, including world music legend David Amram on piano and on penny whistle flute. On This Flight Tonight, he played 2 small flutes simultaneously, one harmonizing with the other. An amazing solo. Her 'Chinese Cafe' was outstanding, hitting on all the right emotions and arrangements. She got a standing ovation - well deserved for a terrific performance. But of course in a 12-hour gig, there have to be some low points. The first one was about to come. Bob NP: Joni, "A Case Of You", Paris 6/15/72 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 10:49:15 -0500 From: SCJoniGuy@aol.com Subject: Wall to Wall, Part 2 Helga Davis - God Must Be A Boogie Man/Beat Of Black Wings/Love: Like I said, we had NO IDEA what we were about to experience. Every once in a while, an artist doesn't just perform or present a song, but rather they inhabit the piece. Helga, a singer from Harlem, & her co-vocalist Marcel Blatchley accompanied by piano & bass started with 'Boogie Man', and then segued into 'Black Wings' during which Helga became Killer Kyle, feeling & emoting every line of the song in an extremely affecting way, recalling the horrors he expereinced. Even she seemed surprised at the intensity of her presentation. The 2 vocalists then traded off lines in 'Love', and tacked on to the song a sung version of The Beatitudes (The first part of Jesus' Sermon On The Mount), and when they got to "Blessed are the peacemakers" they just kept singing it, each time with more feeling and more energy. This entire piece was performed in segue, so there was never any release from the audience or from the performers. By the time the piece was over, I was literally shaking, awash in tears and trying to hold back from sobbing. I looked at Debra and she was in a similar state. We all were on our feet applauding & cheering and finally releasing what Helga had given to us. Like Debra said, Helga herself was so emotionally spent that she needed her bandmates to support her and help her offstage. This is a performance I'll remember my whole life. Stretto - Little Green: College acapella is a very important sub-genre of Joni covers. A number of her songs have been done in this style, and many are appropriated quite well. Raised On Robbery, Big Yellow Taxi, Woodstock to name a couple, have all been done to good effect in acapella. Little Green, however, is a song of very deep emotion, and to present it in doo-wop acapella fashion is just not appropriate. The vocalists were talented, always in synch and on perfect pitch, but they had NO IDEA what they were singing about, and that made this one more of a parody. Garland Jeffreys - Peoples Parties, You Turn Me On Me On I'm A Radio: Well, Garland may not have perfect pitch, but his respect for Joni & his ability to sell a song overcomes all that. With a guitar/bass/accordion backing he had a lot of fun with his 2 songs, particularly 'Radio' when he jumped down off the stage, wandered through the aisles, got the audience to sing along, and created a party atmosphere. Garland also was quoted in the program:"Joni Mitchell has stood at the vanguard of songwriters from the moment she hit the public and has remained there, paving the way for the rest of us to explore the world of music beyond three chords". Love that quote. Jane Ira Bloom - Woman Of Heart & Mind: Jane is a saxophonist, she spoke not a word but went straight to her work. Tell you the truth, it took me a while to figure out what she was playing. Now knowing what it is, I'd love to hear it again. It was NOT a straight cop of the melody, I can tell you that. Morley - This Flight Tonight, River, Chinese Cafe: A young (female) singer-songwriter, Morley had a great band backing her up, including world music legend David Amram on piano and on penny whistle flute. On This Flight Tonight, he played 2 small flutes simultaneously, one harmonizing with the other. An amazing solo. Her 'Chinese Cafe' was outstanding, hitting on all the right emotions and arrangements. She got a standing ovation - well deserved for a terrific performance. But of course in a 12-hour gig, there have to be some low points. The first one was about to come. Bob NP: Joni, "A Case Of You", Paris 6/15/72 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 12:36:11 EST From: KJHSF@aol.com Subject: (no subject) In a message dated 3/25/2003 12:05:31 PM Eastern Standard Time, waytoblu@mindspring.com writes: > All I can remember from cutting lawns is coming home covered in dirt, > breathing dirt, and smelling like dirt...and I also felt really bad once > when I accidentally ran over a tiny frog... > > Well, that's certainly the down side. The up sides for me are that I could listen to tunes on my Walkman the entire time, I would think the most amazing things while in an almost meditative state during work, I didn't have to deal with the public, or with people in general, and when the day was done, there was no sense of taking your job home with you. It was work, you did it, and when it was finished, you didn't have to consider it any longer. When I lived in San Francisco, one of the things I missed the most was the smell of freshly cut grass. Ken ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 12:38:00 EST From: KJHSF@aol.com Subject: apology sorry my last post went out untitled and without the NJC. Ken ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 13:14:40 -0500 From: SCJoniGuy@aol.com Subject: Wall to Wall, Part 3 Sorry #2 went out twice, I'll try and do better with this one! Lauren Flanigan - Song To A Seagull/Nathan LaFraneer/Hejira/Furry Sings The Blues/I Had A King: Imagine if you will the above songs done in medley style, sung by a coloratura soprano and accompanied by an organ-grinder accordian, an under-miked sitar, two percussionists who played everything from congas to the didgereedoo. Sound like a mess? Well it was. Lauren gets BIG points for ambition, but this performance was simply awful. There was never any focus, the musicians never seemed to be in synch with each other, or the rhythm or lyrical intent of the song, there was no one driving the melody, Lauren's voice was either sharp or flat...like I told Debra, she aimed VERY high and missed my a mile. The worst part was that SHE laid claim to 2 Hejira songs, so this was the only treatment that they rec'd. Very disappointing. Gail Ann Dorsey - Passion Play, The Wolf That Lives In Lindsay: Gail Ann put things immediately back on track. As has been mentioned, she's Bowie's bassist, but these two songs outshone anything in his repertoire. Passion Play is already in our covers collection, so I knew it would be great. She played electric guitar, which made all the chimes and haunting chords in 'Lindsay' that much more striking. And her voice is crystal clear, and being a bassist her sense of rhythm was immaculate. This was awesome! Ivy Austin - Little Green: A very straightforward reading of the song with piano accompaniment by Lanny Meyers. Christine Lavin - Urge For Going, Marcie: I like Christine, but she came off as a bit unprofessional and under-rehearsed. She was a bit too casual about it all. She honored Dave van Ronk with her performance of 'Urge', even imitating his rough growl with "The warriors of winter, gave a cold, triumphant shout", and she played it in his chordal arrangement. Marcie was a little rough in spots, she had some difficulties negotiating some of the chord changes. Like Garland Jeffreys, she knows how to sell it, but I expected a higher degree of competence from her. Suzzy & Maggie Roche - A Case Of You, For The Roses: I've always loved The Roches sound, those skin-tight harmonies. Suzzy played guitar & sang, Maggie played piano & sang, and they harmonized every word of every song. Pretty amazing considering Joni's tricky harmonic devices. Unlike Lavin, they were consummate professionals and were very well-rehearsed. And as if they weren't enough, they then introduced Jennifer Glass as a younger singer, and spoke of Joni's influence on the generations after theirs. Jennifer sang "Cactus Tree" in what Patrick described as "American Idol style" and this was a good observation, and took nothing away from the performance. Her voice was stunning, as was she from head to toe. I held my notes to the side at this point so as not to drool on them. Bob Holman - Jonicento: This was a poetry-slam kinda thing. I'm not very knowledgeable about this genre, and I could appreciate it, but it seemed a bit long and a bit pretentious to me. A "cento" is a work made up of snippets from other work (like Willy The Shake's post 9-11 composition for those who remember that). So Bob and poets Jackie Sheeler & Vicki Hudspith traded Joni lines with a teen-punk band from NJ called Minasian playing "The Jungle Line". Now I was into the music, especially the drummer playing the Burundi rhythms with his padded sticks. But the 3 poets looked like an SNL sketch. OK, trying to send these in digestible bite-size pieces, so here it goes. Much more to come! Bob NP: Joni, "Let The Wind Carry Me", Troubadour 11/17/72 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 14:12:18 -0500 From: SCJoniGuy@aol.com Subject: Wall to Wall, Part 4 Luciana Souza - Blue, All I Want, Amelia, Jericho: Luciana's set was very pretty and very UN-pretentious. She was accompanied by Adam Rodgers on guitar, and sang while seated and played some percussion by banging the instruments on her thighs. Sounds silly, maybe, but it was very pleasant. David Krakauer - The Fiddle & The Drum: This was performed on solo clarinet. I'm not familiar with David but he's obviously a virtuoso on his instrument, playing this song over a number of octaves. Although this was obviously an instrumental, he started by reading the lyrics and commenting about how contemporary (and sadly so) they were. Theo Bleckmann - Refuge Of The Roads/Sisotowbell Lane/Sunny Sunday/Borderline: Theo is a European vocalist - performance artist who has a DEEP love for Joni. You could just see the joy oozing from him during this performance, which was also very challenging & ambitious and had to be seen to be fully appreciated. Accompanying him were John Hollenbeck on percussion and found objects, and Gary Versace on piano & accordian. Besides just singing, Theo recorded his live vocals on a machine, then played them back and harmonized with them, experimented with the rhythms and textures of his voice and its tones. While this was riveting at times, it went on a bit too long for my taste, and when the percussionist ventured away from traditional instruments and started rubbing coffee cans on guitar strings and such, it took away rather than adding to the sonic textures. But for the most part, this was a very unique and enjoyable presentation. Edie Carey - Night Ride Home: My guess is that Melissa Errico had originally laid claim to NRH, because Edie was going to do 'Come In From The Cold' but did NRH instead when Melissa cancelled. This was a straightforward girl-with-guitar performance, and was very warm & genuine. Edie's originally from NYC but is now based in Atlanta. She was very happy to be a part of W2W. She then introduced Anne Heaton, and they did a jaw-dropping gorgeous take on "Slouching Towards Bethlehem", Edie on guitar, and Anne on electric piano. Perfect harmonies and emotion, and again very moving in its timeliness. Anne Heaton - For Free: Edie split, and Anne gave a solo performance of For Free, which must be a song she's comfortable with as she seemed so relaxed and in control with it, joyfully playing & singing, and smiling. Very nice. Julien Fleischer - Conversation: Julien made the first of his 3 appearances, and he intro'd this song as a special request for someone backstage. It wasn't on the program. Julien's voice is very warm, and it was interesting to hear this song presented as a man singing to a man about being trapped in his male-female relationship. Put a very unique spin on it. His playing reminds me of the way our own Claud so effortlessly strums through it. OK, we're about 2/3 of the way through...thanks to those of you who may be interested enough to read all of this. I'm enjoying reliving it all in my mind! Bob NP: Joni, "This Flight Tonight" Seattle 2/16/72 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 11:12:31 -0800 From: Randy Remote Subject: Re: Wall to Wall, Part 2 SCJoniGuy@aol.com wrote: > By the time the piece was over, I was literally shaking, awash in tears and trying to hold back from sobbing. I looked at Debra and she was in a similar state. We all were on our feet applauding & cheering and finally releasing what Helga had given to us. Like Debra said, Helga herself was so emotionally spent that she needed her bandmates to support her and help her offstage. You mean she used the old James Brown shtick? Just kidding, this sounds amazing. > Garland Jeffreys - Peoples Parties, You Turn Me On Me On I'm A Radio: > Garland also was quoted in the program:"Joni Mitchell has stood at the vanguard of songwriters from the moment she hit the public and has remained there, paving the way for the rest of us to explore the world of music beyond three chords". To which I would add: she has helped the rest of us to explore the world of chords beyond three notes. Thanks for the great reporting, Bob! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 14:34:58 -0500 From: SCJoniGuy@aol.com Subject: More quotes from the program In a message dated 3/25/2003 2:12:31 PM Eastern Standard Time, guitarzan@direcpc.com writes: > To which I would add: she has helped the rest of us to > explore the > world of chords beyond three notes. Touche! There were a couple of other quotes in the program: Greg Osby: "Individualism, progressive, fearless. Period." Carole Pope: "She has her finger on the pulse of the human condition" Fred Hersch: "No other singer/songwriter has so effectively combined great poetry, sophisticated harmony and impeccable musicianship. Her ability to take risks and remain true to her vision place her in a category of her own" Bob Muller: "Joni Mitchell ROCKS MY WORLD!" (not officially in the program) :~) NP: All I Want, 2/16/72 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 15:40:36 -0500 From: dsk Subject: Re: Wall to Wall, Part 4 SCJoniGuy@aol.com wrote: > > OK, we're about 2/3 of the way through...thanks to those of you who may be interested enough to read all of this. I'm enjoying reliving it all in my mind! Me, too, very much so as I read what you've written. Great reporting Bob! You're "2/3 of the way through" comment reminds me of how the announcers throughout the day would give the countdown, as in, for example, "we have 11 hours to go..." Then, after many concerts worth of enjoyable and sometimes overwhelming music, it felt shocking at one point to hear... "4 1/2 hours to go..." The time went amazingly quickly, though. That cliche about when you're having fun must be true! What a great event this was, in so many ways! In addition to the music, I also liked the community feel of it all (hey, let's put on a show!), and the warmth and enthusiasm of the staff and the various announcers and the artists. And the audience was completely into it, too. There wasn't nearly as much moving around and jostling and distractions as I expected, so obviously the place was filled with music lovers. So Symphony Space has hooked me with this event. Now, I'm wondering who next year's Wall to Waller will be... Debra Shea ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 15:58:25 EST From: Murphycopy@aol.com Subject: Vanessa Carlton On 'Big Yellow Taxi' From: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/launch/20030320/en_launch/21271 0 Vanessa Carlton On Remaking Joni Mitchell's 'Big Yellow Taxi' Thu Mar 20, 4:00 AM ETDarren Davis Vanessa Carlton and her labelmates the Counting Crows have a hit on their hands with their collaborative cover of "Big Yellow Taxi," the 1970 classic from Joni Mitchell. When asked what made her decide to participate in the recording of the song, Carlton said that she was really touched by Crows vocalist Adam Duritz's performance on the track. "I mean, I love the song," Carlton said. "It's a great song, and I love Adam's voice. I thought it was great--his voice on that song in particular was...I don't know. It was just very moving to me." Carlton said that, despite her considerable contribution to the revamped song, she doesn't really consider it a duet. "I don't really consider it a duet, but I did do my little humming on there," Carlton said. "I don't know...I can't take too much credit for the song at all." "Big Yellow Taxi" is currently Number 11 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart. - -- Darren Davis and Jason Gelman, New York ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 16:09:41 EST From: Murphycopy@aol.com Subject: back to the garden Here's a link to a New York Post Travel section article entitled "Back to the Garden." (No, it's not about the NE JoniFest!) That Joni is really working her way into the vernacular. http://specialsections.nypost.com/news/nypost/travel/20030325/p47.asp --Bob ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 16:17:18 -0500 From: Bruce Kimerer Subject: re: 'war' songs Vince replied to murph: '>"Riot Going On (Student Demonstration Time)" by the Beach Boys > > > That had to be worst protest song ever - that one really sucks - it is the one piece of real crap on one of my most favorite albums ever." ' Yes, that was an embarrassment. Mike Love trying to hip and relevant. Makes Take Good Care of Your Feet almost seem profound. I'm glad Brian never cared too much about being relevant. Bruce ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 16:31:04 -0500 From: Bruce Kimerer Subject: re:disco mack wrote about disco: "Some of those tunes were very well done and had great emotions tangled up inside themselves." I've always felt that Dan Hartman's Instant Replay/Countdown/This Is It is a real masterpiece of its type. And of course Joni covered one of his songs. What did he die of? Bruce ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 14:39:43 -0800 From: "Kate Bennett" Subject: war songs where have all the flowers gone (just posting them as they pop into my head) ******************************************** Kate Bennett: www.katebennett.com Sponsored by Polysonics/Atlantis Sound Labs Over the Moon- "bringing the melancholy world of twilight to life almost like magic" All Music Guide ******************************************** "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 19:04:56 -0500 (EST) From: Catherine McKay Subject: Re: The Younger Generation --- mack watson-bush wrote: >I don' t care what anyone > says. Disco was fun, fun, > fun. A world all its own and I was a part of it. > Some of those tunes were > very well done and had great emotions tangled up > inside themselves. Disco wasn't about thinking. It was about dancing. Even Joni has said, "Fuck it! Let's go dancing." ===== Catherine Toronto ______________________________________________________________________ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 16:38:54 -0800 (PST) From: Mags N Brei Subject: joni at carnegie hall february 23rd 1972 Blissfully listening to a tape of this concert just now. I am curious as to what people were saying to Joni especially right before she performs Case of You. She was laughing with them and having such a grand time. Any listers that were there? Please step forward and tell us what it was like. Oh Joni sounds so young!!! so happy and effervescent. Wonderful concert, sweet relief from the news today. Mags np: joni, case of you , carnegie hall You open my heart, you do. Yes you do. - JM Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 19:51:40 EST From: Warrenkeith91354@aol.com Subject: joni missing in action on UNC-TV... Well gang...I just received next week's issue of TV Guide and in the " Don't Miss " section for Wednesday is " Joni Mitchell : Woman of Heart and Mind." UNC-TV is the North Carolina PBS network affiliate, and apparently they have chosen not to air the program. It was no where to be found during the entire week's schedule! I promptly went to their sorry-ass website and there was no mention of it there either... well i sent them an email, polite yet to the point, and am anxiously awaiting their reply. I want to say that I can't believe it's not on their schedule, but they have pulled this sort of thing in the past. I can only hope it will be shown at a later date. That remains to be seen... missing joni, Warren Keith p.s. TV Guide had a great picture of Joni next to the shows mention... ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 20:43:18 EST From: RoseMJoy@aol.com Subject: Re: More quotes from the program In a message dated 3/25/03 2:37:15 PM Eastern Standard Time, SCJoniGuy@aol.com writes: > Carole Pope: "She has her finger on the pulse of the human condition" > > I loved that one and wasn't there this magic in the air Bob, or was it just me? The audience was great! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 20:58:25 EST From: SCJoniGuy@aol.com Subject: Re: joni missing in action on UNC-TV... In a message dated 3/25/2003 7:53:07 PM Eastern Standard Time, Warrenkeith91354@aol.com writes: > and apparently they have > chosen not to air the program. So now they have to change their name to UNJC-TV! :~) Warren, you up for a road trip? Come on down and watch it with me...although I better check and see if it'll be broadcast here. Probably pre-empted for hawg-callin'. Bob NP: The Replacements, "I'm Satisfied" ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 22:04:22 EST From: SCJoniGuy@aol.com Subject: Wall to Wall, Part 5 In a message dated 3/25/2003 9:19:29 PM Eastern Standard Time, frasere@intergate.ca writes: > Wonderful job, and thanks for sharing your enthusiasm. > Thanks, Stephen! I know that lots of JMDLer's would have love to have been there but couldn't make it for one reason or another. Hopefully I'm helping to bring it to life. OK, so let's get back to it: Burnt Sugar ~ The Arkestra Chamber - The Jungle Line, A Strange Boy: SO this section featured Violin, Cello, Guitar, Piano, Synthesizer, Bass, Drums, and vocals. One of the vocalists sang right into the mic and the other sang through a voice manipulator of sorts. And each person was directed by Greg Tate, with his back to the audience, who would point to someone and bring them in, out, up, down like a conductor which is I suppose what I was. Some of this was accessible and some was not, but I didn't dislike it. It certainly was not your Mom's Joni Mitchell. I wondered what Joni would have thought of this one. Dana Hanchard - The Wolf That Lives In Lindsay: Can you believe it, we got twice as many 'Lindsays' than we did BYT's! Well, it WAS New York. The program shows Dana singing to guitar accompaniment, but as I recall it she accompanied herself on the keyboard. Whichever, it was fabulous, the combination of her smoky jazzy voice and the haunting 'Lindsay'. Elliott Sharp's Terraplane - Shadows And Light: This was an instrumental, with Ellioot playing an electric steel guitar, and drums & bass. It was good when they stuck to the song, but Mr. Sharp got a little show-offy at times and it dimished the performance. Still, worthwhile as this song is rarely covered. Gregory Douglas & Jeremy Mendocino - Court & Spark, Free Man In Paris: Some of you caught these guys at the Club Passim tribute. Young, very young, with the enthusiasm of youth, and a LOT of enthusiasm for Joni. Gregory sang and played piano, Jeremy played acoustic guitar. Superb vocals, right on the money. I liked these guys a lot. Nora York - Both Sides Now, Sex Kills, The Fiddle & The Drum: Nora introduced this piece as a "Triptych" that she assembled as a soundtrack for a film project about Viet Nam. She said that when she asked a soldier what song evoked Viet Nam for him her answered "Both Sides Now". She had a razor-sharp crackerjack of a band, including Claire Daly on a baritone sax as big as she was, and Allison Miller on Drums. Like Helga Davis' presentation, this was presented as a single piece, with segues from song to song and also she inserted sounds like helicopters and war noise. Sex Kills was INCREDIBLE. This is the way Sex Kills was meant to be, edgy and rocking, not smothered with orchestra. Nora's great, her voice is very soulful and she was a real crowd-pleaser. Melba Joyce - Harlem in Havana: Speaking of crowd pleasers...OMIGOD! Melba is an older NYC jazz singer, and she played with this one and sang it like it was a standard. She had the audience in the palm of her hand, singing to Lanny Meyers accompaniment. It saddened me to think that most of the Joni fans in the audience had probably never heard this song before. I couldn't believe she was only doing this one number, then I saw that she was due back up with The Mingus Big Band - whew! Carole Pope - Down To You, Raised On Robbery: I felt so foolish, because I had heard SO many good things about her, and when I saw that she was doing "Down To You", one of my top 5 Joni songs, I whispered to Heather that this was going to be killer. And I started out right...Rob Prusse, her pianist, was right on with the keyboard beginning, really nice. But then, Carole started singing, and she sucked. It was as if she had never heard the song before and was trying to wing it. Missed many notes, never picked up the rhythm of the song, barely emoted what is one of Joni's most powerful songs lyrically. Very disappointing. 'Robbery' was slightly better, but with just a piano backing up it missed the punch that a full band could have given it. The Four Bags with David Garland - Songs To Aging Children Come, Turbulent Indigo: This guy David Garland must have provided lots of funding for Symphony Space and they promised him he could perform. Wow, he was the el-stinko worst of the day by a mile. Absolutely no sense of anything, pitch, rhythm, you name it. I guarantee you that ANY of us in the audience could have jumped on stage and done better than him. The most embarrassing was when he sang to what he thought was some kind of effect "Turbulent Indigo-wo-wo-wo"...I really felt embarrassed for him. He literally drove Patrick out of the building! The Four Bags - Wild Things Run Fast, Help Me: So David left, and not a moment too soon. The musicians stayed and they fared much better. I'm thinking these guys are either in college (Julliard?) or freshly out, and they were really very capable players on accordian, clarinet, trombone, guitar. They were tight. They had the eclectic sound of They Might Be Giants, especially when they played "Help Me" as a polka, which the audience including me LOVED! Very playful and fun. OK, time to close this one out...we're not close to done yet. Bob NP: Billy Joel, "Say Goodbye To Hollywood" 5/16/77 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 22:32:23 EST From: SCJoniGuy@aol.com Subject: Wall to Wall, Part 6 Fred Hersch - My Old Man, All I Want, River: Some of has have already heard Fred do My Old Man, so we know of his supreme accomplishments and abilites as a jazz pianist. He intro's his set by saying that he was one of the lucky first musicains contacted about the gig, and he immediately jumped at the chance and picked 3 songs from the masterpiece Blue. Fred's love for these compositions really shone through, as he played the familiar melodies, augmented the chords with jazz notes, and played tasteful solos that always complemented and never showboated. I could listen to him all night, he was simply fabulous. The standing O he received made me think that others felt the same way. Greg Osby - Tax Free, Ethiopia: I had no idea what to expect with this one. I didn't know that Greg is a fixture on the jazz scene and is based in St. Louis. He played alto sax, and led his trio (stand-up bass and guitar) in classic jazz treatments of these two never-before covered DED tunes. After playing the basic melodic line, Greg would solo and then Mike Moreno, his guitarist, would solo. Very clean & melodic solos, and they knew when enough was enough and when to turn it back over. Greg proved the musical viability of these oft-neglected melodies. Tamar-Kali - Silky Veils Of Ardor: OK, I admit it...I don't recall much about this one, so it must not have been very memorable. A pity too, because I love 'Veils'. Julien Fleischer - The Last Time I Saw Richard, The Circle Game: Julien's 2nd appearance, back on guitar but this time with Tom Murray on clarinet and Matthew Fries on piano. Both of these were top-notch, the addition of clarinet on 'Richard' was a very welcome color. With 'Circle Game', Julien coaxed the audience to join in on the chorus, reminding us "the more out of tune voices, the better". Again, his naturally warm vocals suited the song and raised it above the cliche it can sometimes be. Sussan Deyhim - Jericho: This one was tough to take. As has been stated, Sussan sang this one in a middle Eastern wail with her chin at a quiver, and it was not comfortable to watch or hear. Not that it was bad, far from it. it's just that it was a style that most of our ears were not accustomed to hearing. Still, I was relieved that she only did the one number. Brandon Ross - Off Night Backstreet: Brandon was Sussan Deyhim's guitarist, and he stayed onstage and was joined by another dreadlocked guy on the bass. This was an effective piece, Brandon played his own arrangement, and seemed to avoid some of the trickier chord progressions in the song. Still, it was very soulful and enjoyable. OK, closing this one for now, because the Mingus Big Band is up next!! Bob NP: Billy Joel, "Josephine" ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 22:36:10 EST From: BRYAN8847@aol.com Subject: Re: JMDL Digest V2003 #193 - Dan Hartman Cause of Death I don't know if anyone else answered this....I didn't find the actual cause of Dan's death on danhartman.com, though I didn't look too thoroughly for it. It does mention that he was HIV-positive, but I remember at the time of his death, HIV/AIDS was not the publicized cause (I seem to remember reading at the time that it was a cerebral hemmorage or something like that). I liked his work; "I Can Dream About You" was a very good one and one of the better "disco" songs. Bryan Not to be morose, but....another musician death that may have slipped under the radar screen unnoticed was that of Nicollete Larson. She was an artist of considerable talent and a protege (and friend) of Neil Young, I believe. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 22:20:04 -0600 From: "mia ortlieb" Subject: re: Dark Cafe Days Amongst Us Hi Rob , Welcome to the List! Any chance Dark Cafe Days might make its way up to Milwaukee? This town is severely Joni-deprived. Mia NP: Joni and James - California _________________________________________________________________ Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 23:23:09 EST From: SCJoniGuy@aol.com Subject: Wall to Wall, Part 7 & last - Whew!! After Brandon's subdued presentation, the emcee (there were several throughout the day, all DJ's from WFUV) announced that there would be a short break while they set up for The Mingus Big Band. It didn't take long, and soon everything was in place. Sue Mingus served as emcee for the 5-song extended set, telling lots of stories about Charles & Joni, and even dishing some dirt on Joni & Don Alias. The 14-piece band swung as they supported the following vocalists: Andy Bey - A Chair In The Sky: Andy's chocolate-velvet voice was a perfect choice for this song. Of course, as with all of these, The Mingus Big Band has played them many times, so there was a strong professionalism present. Dana Hanchard - Sweet Sucker Dance: Dana came back after her lovely turn on 'Lindsay' and did a super job. The band played flawlessly behind her, and each song included some nice solos by saxophonists, trumpets, and behind the rhythm section was a 19-year old who played 'big band' style drume to perfection! Bonus points to Heather who recognized Randy Brecker in the band. Julien Fleischer - Edith And The Kingpin: The only non-Mingus selection, they had the arrangement from their work with Elvis Costello, and for his third appearance Julien was 3-for-3. Reminded me of seeing Jason Marsalis' set at Pazfest. Melba Joyce - The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat: As she did previously with Harlem in Havana, Melba capably sang these two with ease, grace & style, never missing a beat in terms of melody and rhythm. Singing jazz couldn't be as easy as she makes it appear. The band really bumped it up a notch for Mingus' signature tune 'Goodbye Pork Pie Hat'. When they completed, an instantaneous standing ovation resulted. From a purely musical perspective, this was by far the most amazing performance of the day. A polished gem in every sense. I would not have wanted to be the act following that, and luckily for everyone I wasn't! That unenviable chore fell on: Jenifer Jackson - That Song About The Midway, The Gallery: And she wasn't overwhelmed by it in the least. Her performance, accompanied by percussion and guitar, was as pretty as the songs she chose. Don Byron & Music For Six Musicians + 1 - The Priest, Dreamland: Does the title sound pretentious? This was one of the most pretentious performances I've ever seen, and the sad thing is that the players here were really talented. If not for "Lord" Byron lording over them, literally shouting at them onstage, while they were playing, walking around the stage, playing way too many solos on his clarinet, and allowing the excess that ruined these performances. I mean, each song was 15 minutes long! While all the musicians were very capable, they just had no restraint. At least the performance featured a knockout Brazilian vocalist whose denim skirt appeared to be painted on, and she did lots of dancing onstage, so I had a nice visual while waiting for Byron to end, which Thank God he finally did. Martha Wainwright - Roses Blue, Big Yellow Taxi: This was a real juxtaposition, because the young daughter of Loudon Wainwright & Kate McGarrigle was as UN-pretentious as they come. She was not that familiar with Joni and had just started to play her songs. You certainly wouldn't have known as she was very good playing & singing Roses Blue (not one of Joni's easiest melodies) and BYT, which she slowed down a lot because she said she was not familiar with it (!!) She was great, but I would have like to have seen a performer that WAS familiar with Joni, like maybe Bryan Thomas! Marc Anthony Thompson - Don't Interrupt The Sorrow, Hissing Of Summer Lawns: Marc's set was also very quiet...Oren Bloedow backed him on acoustic guitar, and his voice was a good match for these songs. When a baby in the audience started to pitch a hissy fit, instead of singing "wash and balance me", he sang "wash that baby, please" which got a good reaction from the audience. When he sang "a good slave loves the good book", he repeated it a couple of times and then added 'a rebel loves applause". An interesting, provocative, and satisfying set. OK, so now we've sat through practically 12 hours of Joni covers...one act to go, and it was another winner. Ute Lemper - Black Crow, Last Chance Lost, Love: Ute was backed by acoustic guitar, bass and percussion. She made some extreme facial contortions when dhe sang but she sounded great. Black Crow started off very slowly, then she kicked it in and the Crow was flyin! Last Chance Lost was beautifully done, Ute's vocal perhaps even more emotive than Joni's own on TI. I couldn't help but watch the guitarist try to negotiate what looked like some incredibly difficult chord changes. She closed out with a fairly straightforward and very pretty "Love" and when they announced that they were going to close with Joni's clip of her singing "Chelsea Morning", we JMDLer's who have seen it again & again headed out into the New York night for some food, drink and the chance to share our thoughts about the once-in-a-lifetime concert we'd experienced. Again, my thanks to all of you who helped me share this incredible day, it's not one that I'll be forgetting anytime soon! In closing...if you have a chance to hand with JMDLer's, or catch a 12-hour Joni tribute...do it. Peace, Bob NP: Broooce, "Waitin' On A Sunny Day" 12/9/02 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 20:32:31 -0800 (PST) From: Moogs Subject: Joni Mitchell Both Sides Then and Now If you follow this link to eagle vision... they list a DVD for sale... eaglevisionusa.com & click on music documentary Joni Mitchell Both Sides Then and Now. I confess I havent been able to read all of the list mail of late...falling behind a little..(trying to paddle that life boat as hard as I can) ....however...can anyone tell me about this DVD? Is this the one that was supposed to come out last year but didnt? Is this the one that Joni decided she didnt like? Sorry if this is has recently been discussed in light of the CBC Life and Times programme. If in fact, it's not available, I wonder why eagle vision says it is. When I clicked on the link to purchase it (I just wanted to see what would happen), I was transported over to Amazon.com with no DVD of this name in sight. btw, is it true that CD baby and Amazon have joined hands?? Moogs np: Deb Talan, Forgiven from Something Burning...wonderful !!!!! nice solstice prezzie ;-) You open my heart, you do. Yes you do. - JM Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop! ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2003 #102 ********************************* ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here: mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe ------- Siquomb, isn't she? (http://www.siquomb.com/siquomb.cfm)