From: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2007 #30 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org 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 Monday, January 29 2007 Volume 2007 : Number 030 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame gala - the show - very long post [C] Re: CBC documentary 1/28 and Songwriters Hall of fame 1/29 [mags h Subject: The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame gala - the show - very long post Pat and I were in the media room, and not in the concert hall itself. This meant that we were able to see things that people in the audience might not, since the TV cameras could show you scenes from every angle. So, we did get to see Joni's reaction to things. The whole show was really well done and the performers were all amazing. I thought about trying to describe the entire performance and maybe I will cover the non-Joni parts in a separate post. The main inductees were Jean-Pierre Ferland and Joni Mitchell. Jean-Pierre Ferland is very well-known in French Canada and in France as well. Michael Buble sang "How about you?" the lyrics of which was written by Canadian Ralph Freed. This is the one that starts off, "I love New York in June - how about you?" In the final verse, he changed the lyrics to, "I love BC in June..." and then later, "joni Mitchell's looks, they give me a thrill." Jean-Pierre Ferland was inducted along with his songs, "Le petit roi," "T'es mon amour, t'es ma maitresse," "Je reviens chez nous" and "Un peu plus haut, un peu plus loin." When he was giving his thank-you speech, he said that he was delighted to be here and that he had wanted to meet Joni Mitchell for a long time. He was seated next to her in the front row. Ferland said, "Music has no law, no religion, no politics, no solitude. It's just a noise - a wonderful noise - and I'm proud to be part of it." Now it was time to honour Joni Mitchell. Host Andre Craig said, "Joni't songs took us places. Her words challenged us to feel." He said he was proud to induct her songs, "Big Yellow Taxi," "Both Sides Now," "Help me", "You turn me on, I'm a radio" and "Woodstock." The first song was "Help me" performed by Chaka Khan and Herbie Hancock. Joni look absolutely thrilled to see them there. Herbie Hancock's piano was brilliant but I wasn't really impressed by Chaka Khan's singing. She sounded offkey and either didn't know the words or chose deliberately to mumble them. I found hers to be the most disappointing performance in the entire show but fortunately Herbie Hancock's playing more than made up for that. After they were finished, Herbie and Chaka went down off the stage and hugged Joni. Next up was "Big Yellow Taxi" sung by Andrew Craig, but he did it as a singalong, with the orchestra seats singing along on the chorus and the balcony doing the, "Shoo bop bop" part. He even did the falsetto, followed by deeeep voice at the final, "Paved paradise... put up a parking lot" line and Joni laughed. Margaret Atwood then came on stage to do a little speech. She started off saying, "Don't worry. I'm not gonna sing" and then said that she and Joni had a lot in common, "but I'm older and she's blonder." She said they belonged to the lunatic generation - if you were Canadian and said that you were going to do something and be famous, people would say, "You're a lunatic". She said that before there was writing, there was singing and that we are hard-wired for singing. Next, James Taylor came on stage. He said that there were not enough words to explain his admiration and gratitude for Joni. He said that they had first met in Toronto at the Mariposa Festival in 1970 or 71, that Joni is a dear friend and a wellspring of inspiration. He then went on to sing a beautiful rendition of Woodstock and received a standing ovation. Next, Herbie Hancock came on stage to salute Joni. He said it was his pleasure, that she was an artist and friend whose work and ethic he deeply admires. Before he met her, he was a devout jazz musician, spending too much time in his own ivory tower. He said, "In 1978, I got a call from Jaco Pastorius regarding a project of songs with Charlie Mingus. 'Not bad,' I thought." The project opened his mind to what Joni was all about. "It's like having a cup of coffee with an intimate friend. Her music comes from a place that is in or around the sublime." Hancock said that the music industry at the time didn't get that album, but that Joni will never stay in one place for long. "She is unbridled." Following Hancock's speech, there was a brief history of Joni's life and music, similar to and with some sections from the "Woman of Heart and Mind" video. I noticed that, throughout the entire segment, everyone in the media room was still and quiet. Then, host Andrew Craig said, "For taking the mundane and turning it into Chelsea Mornings, we induct Joni Mitchell." Joni then came up on stage to accept her award. She was wearing an outfit I think I've seen before and it is most probably an Issey Miyake design. It was hard to tell the exact colour, but I think it was charcoal grey with a sort of pinstripe, or perhaps very tiny pleats throughout. It was either a long jacket or a sort of over-dress in silk, and under it she was wearing a blouse or under-dress of a purple colour. The outfit had a scarflike thing or sash around the neck, which fell forward a few times and she kept having to toss it back. She was wearing a sort of backpack as well. In her speech, she said, "When I was 18 years old, I met a man who wrote a song... It took me about three years until I wrote one and, as you know, I wrote a lot of them. It's in my stars. There's nothing I can do about it." She said that tonight she had friends with her going back to the fourth grade. "We're building a great heritage in this country. Anyone who receives this award should be - I know they will be - very proud." She then asked, "Have you done the Sons of the Pioneers yet?" and then, "I guess I'll just take my award and run now." The grande finale was opera singer Measha Brueggergosman, described by Andrew Craig as "our own, made-in-Canada, sumptuous chocolate experience", who sang "Both Sides Now." Brueggergosman has an amazing range and can sing both very low and very high. I would compare her to Jessye Norman. It was a brilliant and beautiful way to end the concert. Catherine Toronto - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2007 21:32:53 -0800 (PST) From: mags h Subject: Re: CBC documentary 1/28 and Songwriters Hall of fame 1/29 It was a fantastic show and Im glad that Doug has taped it for those who could not get the connection. I enjoyed hearing Karen O'Brien's narrative voice, as well as hearing, again and again, the same situations about Joan that I've loved hearing about, over a span of more years than I care to admit to ;-)) Something about that woman. What is it? What makes her shine straight into my heart? yea, what he said. discuss. Mags. Jill Haas wrote: Help me I think I'm falling apart. I spent the whole 2 hours of the CBC show trying to get my gol darn !%#$!!#*#%#^^*!! computer to let me listen to the streaming audio. I updated software. I begged and pleaded with the gods of computer goombah and voodoo. Yet, every time I tried to listen, my computer shut down. I was, to say the least, farklemt, and I expect that the same thing will happen tomorrow if I try to hear the Hall o' Fame thing. Anyone have any suggestions? I live in Washington State in the ol' US, so perhaps CBC is exacting it's revenge on us for our political foibles of late? Anyhoo, I remember that Doug, for one, is taping it. I would love to have a copy of both shows, and would be more than happy to supply the medium to copy it on to, if this is legal, or at least only slightly shady. Please let me know if anyone out there would be willing to do this. Jill (looking at my haggard face in the bathroom mirror...) ***** ~all the windows of my heart, i open to this day~ ***** - --------------------------------- No need to miss a message. Get email on-the-go with Yahoo! Mail for Mobile. Get started. ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2007 #30 ******************************** ------- 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)