From: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2008 #156 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 Sunday, August 31 2008 Volume 2008 : Number 156 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Re: [UKJonifest2008] Jonifest 2008 - a tipsy recollection... [Garret ] RE: Joni Fest 2008 ["patrick leader" ] Mitchell's On the River [Patti Parlette ] Jonifest Report: Best.Fest.Ever Part 1 [Patti Parlette ] Re: [UKJonifest2008] Jonifest 2008 - a tipsy recollection... [missblux@go] Joni downloads on amazon ["Lindsay Moon" ] Re: Jonifest Report: Best.Fest.Ever Part 1 [Michael Paz ] UK Jonifest photos [Garret ] Jonifest 2008, Part final [Bob Muller ] Blue revisitied ["Oddmund Kaarevik" ] Joni Live At The Sydney Opera House [Mark-Leon Thorne ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:07:50 +0100 From: Garret Subject: Re: [UKJonifest2008] Jonifest 2008 - a tipsy recollection... Chris, Another lovely fest report there. The wasps, the terrible, terrible wasps. I have a couple of pics of them, haha. I think a small UK/ROI fest would be great before the year is out. My timetable will get more and more difficult to mess with between now and next May but for the moment I would definitely count myself in. We could go to London?? Any excuse to go there really, lol. Oki, will work on fest pictures. GARRET NP - Big Yellow Taxi, Hunter (Cristina, you're fabulous) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 07:03:19 -0700 (PDT) From: Bob Muller Subject: Jonifest, Part Two What amazes me, and crosses my mind at Jonifest a lot, is that this one Canadian singer-songwriter has brought about the most amazing of gatherings. I'm sure that she has no idea, really. I mean, she knows ABOUT them I'm sure, but she does not know the POWER of them. Anyway, words cannot describe how breath-takingly lovely Holycombe is...a grass labyrinth (but alas no cheese in the centre), a Teepee, a series of rocks that draw the positive and negative energies of the earth to create lay lines, a babbling brook, an orchard, a grass tennis court, and a layout perfect for this gathering. And the hosts could not have been more delighted with us...after all, in their words, they had free admission to an awesome concert every night. I was happy enough to have had access to a cushioned sleep and a hot shower personally... And the food! I couldn't get over that Lucy's boyfriend John came along for this crazy ride and instantly blended right in - an easy task in some ways I guess but not in all ways. I was fortunate to have been put up in The Lodge, which was kitchen central, so everytime I passed through to get something from my room I was treated to the most delicious of scents...sauces, curries, spices, and John laying down yet another layer of pastry to create his sensational bahklava! Breakfasts were a casual and comfortable combination of fresh breads, cereals, fruits, jams, coffee, tea, and as Chris said - fecking hornets. (And despite Delene's problem with my killing living things, I crushed as many of the bastards as I could.) And as always with a Jonifest, what makes the food all the more better is the company and conversation...oh yes, we definitely come for conversation and as I said on more than one ocassion, Jonifests always afford me the best conversations I get anywhere, whether it's Joni talk or NJC politics, people and places. Lunches were typically leftovers from the previous night's supper, which hopefully took some of the pressure off of Lucy, and then of course there were the incredible suppers...Thai, Greek, Italian, and both meaty and vegetarian options (the eggplant parmesan was to die for!), fresh salads and breads, and lots and lots of tasty wines - and not a speck of tofu to be found! There were some nice added treats as well, such as Adriano and Licia's pancakes - I'll leave it to him to share the recipe - needless to say we were all very well taken care of - I don't know how they did it, but Lucy & John (and those who pitched in) did an INCREDIBLE job with the food and drinks. The days were also very open and casual - sometimes there were groups who went hiking, sometimes road trips to surrounding towns, sometimes lingering at Holycombe and indulging in the constant musical magic that happened in every nook & cranny. I enjoyed a short hike with about 10-12 others through the surrounding hills, just soaking in the gorgeous country and the lush greenery and palatial homes in the area. I also took a road trip with Adriano, Licia, Henning & Oddmund to Warwick - I was a bit hesitant at first because I knew it would consume the afternoon and I was afraid I'd miss something, but as it was I made the right call in tagging along - firstly, Adriano, being Italian, employs a somewhat heavy foot on the gas so the trip itself is a bit of a thrill ride. We lit up every "Too Fast" sign along the road to Warwick, and that is even more of an accomplishment as we had 5 bodies in a car that was made for, well, two. Part of our agenda involved finding the right kind of flour for the aforementioned pancakes, so we went in a couple of local shops in Warwick. We toured St. Mary's Church, which had been established around 1100 and was still in use. It was an amazing self-guided tour with lots of interesting history and tombs throughout the church, which personally I found a bit creepy but I certainly appreciated the beauty & history of it. And I think I'm probably the first registered visitor from Greenville, SC! We then stopped at Oken's House to have a cup o' tea, which was very refreshing and after all, no visit to England would be complete without that. We also went in the outside of Warwick Castle, but costs and time didn't allow us to do the entire thing. There was also an outside market, with lots of shops selling everything from DVD's of British TV shows (The Wobbly Wimbles of Walpole Street or some such) to fresh fruits and vegetables. I noticed in a shop window a used game of "Snakes & Ladders" and immediately shouted out the Joni content. (In the USA the game is known as 'Chutes & Ladders' so I had never seen it in Joni's stated incarnation) We took a photo of the game with Oddmund & myself and I said that Patti will have to have a copy of this one - Joni content AND two of her JMDL menfolk! Another outing involved a short walk to Whichford, a beautiful and quaint village (actually, they ALL are) and a visit to The White Lion - after all, besides the requisite cup o' tea in a cafe, a visit to a proper English pub is also in order. Bene, Garret, Mike, Christina, Oddmund & myself made the trip and enjoyed a pint or three, and were joined by Robin & Lieve when they came passing by. A delightful afternoon, and again the stimulating discussion was the highlight. Oh, and about the British Pubs...if you choose to open one you have to know the rules about naming them - simple, really. It's color + animal. There you go. It's like naming your village, just take your last name and add -ford, -ton, -shire or if you're near water add -on-(name of river). I'm currently lobbying to change the name of my own city to Mullerfordshire-On-Reedy. I'll let you know how that comes out. And then of course there are the afternoons that I didn't go anywhere, but rather stayed on the grounds to enjoy beverages (including PIMMS!), jokes, stories, gossip, what have you with fellow festgoers, or music such as the already much-discussed brilliant Beatles session we had with Henning & Dave on guitar, Barry/Cahill on flute and sax, and all of on percussion and vocals. Henning particularly was amazing, his voice taking on Lennon-like or McCartneyesque characteristic, depending on the song. And besides the fact that we sounded damn good if I do say so, it is such joy to just look around and see everyone in a kindred musical spirit. It's moments like this which make the world a small place. But now I'm veering into the musical portion of things - that's probably another post in itself so I'll bring this one to a close and give my fingers and your eyes a break. Bob NP: Greg Laswell, "That It Moves" ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:34 -0400 From: "patrick leader" Subject: RE: Joni Fest 2008 anita, your post deeply touched me, as you did all weekend, so i'm responding here to file my jonifest remembrance. since i'm not really a musician, but find music to be perhaps the most important thing in my life, i got particular pleasure this fest hanging so closely with so many complete musicians, without any sense of separation. one of the strongest binding agents for this fest was dave blackburn. dave had offered to help out if i wanted to do a set. he learned four songs for me, sometimes just from recordings, writing out charts before he left the states, and finding time at holycombe to rehearse with me. he did this for many other people, so that oddmund got to have a blast on 'all i want', and, in just an hour or so, putting together 'jericho' for adriano's direct-to-the-heart vocal. for me, doing 'everything but the girl's' marvelous, sweet sad song 'mirrorball', with les on back-up vocals and robin on perfect percussion, was a dream. then there's the mounds of music dave put together with robin, and with barry and delene (the four of them did a great version of 'dog eat dog'). though dave sounds like a southern california man, he was born and raised in england, and his mother (quite a character) spent an afternoon at holycombe. one of my favorite parts of the fest was a set that robin and dave did for his mother, and any of us who wanted to watch. a very jazz-heavy set. i can't say enough about robin's singing. she's just a phenomenal jazz singer. in the joni vein, the performances i loved the most were 'talk to me', 'chair in a sky', and the brilliant version of 'blue' that she and dave have worked out, in which he's replicated the complete piano part on guitar. other musical highlights (in no order) include: - - anita's set, especially her rocking last song which just built and built. - - chris marshall's first 'tragically hip' song - - though he 'couldn't be arsed' to bring it downstairs, les played 'this must be the place' (the talking heads song, in shawn colvin's arrangement) for me, and it was as great as anything i heard all weekend - - jeff's songs. i can't describe what it is that is so special about his writing, but i can think of any number of huge acts that can't write songs as clear and original and complete as jeff's. i hope you all get to hear them; i deeply hope we all here more. - - queen lulu's sets, especially the sandy denny covers. - - almost any time christina sang, whether unreleased joni with henning, or especially joan baez' 'diamonds and rust' and judy collins' 'someday soon'. the full company 'gift of the magi' was a blast. as has been said, holycombe was just beautiful, so incredibly green. we were also blessed with, i think, amazing weather. we were able to take our morning coffee and cereal outside almost every day. another particular pleasure of this small fest was that almost all of us were able to fit at the same long palace-style dinner table for our evening meal, every night, in a glass roofed, fairy-lit porchlike extension to the building, just off our performance space. i haven't really looked closely at my pictures yet, but i'm hoping many folks got wonderful shots of us at dinner. i have a brilliant shot of john as lieve's explaining to him what it means to have joined the cult! so many other memories. it was truly great to get to hang with garrett, get to know oddmund, bene, christina, lulu and the wonderful john, to bond with barry over '70s white funk (tower of power, sons of champlin, etc.). i know i'm forgetting to mention important moments. i also want to give a huge thanks to les ross, who let me stay with him (and a houseful of guests) for a great weekend in london including much driving around singing along with todd rundgren and a visit to some shithole called wisley gardens. and seeing the site of london 2012! thanks so so much, lesbird. and to mike pritchard and elizabet, who put me up for three glorious days in barcelona, one of the coolest cities in the world. again thanks so very much my friend. finally, back around to anita's beautiful post, i loved all of what she had to say (and i loved reigniting the sense of connection i feel with anita and steph, two of the most special people i've met on this list), but i'm just going to clip: > And then >I go to Joni Fest armed with my questions about the nature and function of >music, and I am graced to be given some answers. >One answer might be that music is about some deeper sharing patrick np - st. germain, land of ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:32:46 +0000 From: Patti Parlette Subject: Mitchell's On the River I just *had* to share this restaurant review. Hey, where's Barangrill? On the river. "Mitchell's serves great summer-shack eats by the river" Do you think this can be real? Check out the picture: http://www.courant.com/features/food/hc-bargainbites0728.artaug28,0,6881602.story It's across from Ferry Park (as soon as that ferry boat docks), and in the waiting line are "corporate suits" (short-sighted businessmen) and "parents with little kids in tow" (kids with jitters in their legs and those wide, wide open stares and the kids got cokes and chocolate bars) "all waiting...". Everybody waiting. You can watch "sea gulls circling a tugboat by the docks." (Seagulls come down and they squawk at me down where the water skiers glide...) "The most expensive thing on the menu is the lobster roll" (lobster pots and sunshine). Yikes. Just a simple restaurant review sends me Joni-orbiting around the sun! (How can I have that JMOCDed point of view? It gets easier and easier to do, when I'm always bound and tied to the wonderful JMDL!) At Mitchell's On the River, you can: Think what you'd like to have For supper Or take a walk A park A bridge A tree A river But I know my needs My sweet tumbleweed I need more quiet times By a river flowing I wish I had a river. I'll have to check this place out. No omelets or stews or fresh salmon frying, so I'll go with the lobster roll. Rolling, rolling, rock and lobster rolling! Love, Patti P., just another silly girl, when Joni love makes a fool of me _________________________________________________________________ Talk to your Yahoo! Friends via Windows Live Messenger. Find out how. http://www.windowslive.com/explore/messenger?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_messenger_yahoo_082008 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:53:44 +0000 From: Patti Parlette Subject: Jonifest Report: Best.Fest.Ever Part 1 One intrepid traveler wrote: "So now I'm at Warwick Parkway and I go inside the station to ask the agent about getting to Whichford, or Warwickshire, or Shipston-On-Stour, assuming that this was like asking someone about going to Chicago, or Atlanta, or even Swindon, but no, he said he couldn't help me with any train tickets and suggested I take a cab." Oh, Bob! Ach du Lieber Musik Meister Muller! Don't you know the Joni rules for traveling traveling traveling? You take the big yellow taxi to the TRAIN! The train! Was that station master too busy shuffling cards to give you the right directions? You've got to be like that black crow. I took a ferry to the highway Then I drove to a pontoon plane I took a plane to a taxi And a taxi to a train I've been traveling so long How'm I ever going to know my home When I see it again I'm like a black crow flying In a blue blue sky (or in this moody sky today, as it were) In search of love and music. But at least you found the love and music after all. And all the pretty people there, and picture postcard charms. Don't apologize (no regrets, Coyote) for the detail-mode. Pick up every shiny thing and toss us out all those golden eggs. I tell you we are very hungry now, for a sweeter fare. Fest reports: the more voices on it the better, and the more full-of-detail voices, the better. xo, pp _________________________________________________________________ Be the filmmaker you always wanted to belearn how to burn a DVD with Windows.. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/108588797/direct/01/ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 18:12:49 +0200 From: "Mike Pritchard" Subject: RE: jonifest Some personal thoughts on fest. I'm not going to do an A-Z of all the people but I would like to single out a few guys (and gals). I agree totally on the overall quality of the music and I was especially happy because the joni music I knew *least *about (and was least interested in) was introduced to me in all its glory by Henning and Cristina, and to a lesser extent by Jeff. I am talking, of course, about the early joni, especially the unpublished joni. Even better than that wonderful discovery was the joni music I am *most*interested in (and wanted joni to do more of) was given a thorough outing by Dave and Robin. I am talking of course, about the 'Mingus' period. I have seen many talented performers at the fests I've attended but I never thought I'd see anyone take the Mingus (and DJRD/Hissing/Hejira) repertoire and make it their own in such an accomplished way. If Dave Blackburn says a song is complicated, it IS complicated, but everything he and Robin did was carried off as if it were merely a three-chord pop song. Absolutely riveting and unforgettable. My only tiny regret was that Robin does not yet know 'Sweet Sucker Dance' and therefore did not do it (nor Wolf/Lindsay), but the pleasure of hearing and seeing Chair in the Sky and Dry Cleaner etc far outweighed that regret. Both couples (H&C; D&R) were marvellous; I just marvelled. Everyone already knew how great Les Ross is, but it's always pin-drop time when he gets up to the mike. Like Houdini, he makes the audience hold their breath but he always gets to the other side of his hi-wire performance. Exquisite, as usual and thanks too for the ride and the company. Jeff, in contrast, was a new treat and what a treat he was. All the other reports about him were true. Non-attendees are in for a treat when the DVDs arrive. And what a modest, lovely man he is too. I look forward to hearing and seeing him in the future but for the moment, e-mail will have to do. Thanks to everyone for the live music we heard and the late night (and afternoon) singalongs where even us professional members of the audience were encouraged to creep out of our foxholes and add a note or two. Thanks too for all the recorded music floating around which was so generously provided by Chris, Garret, Bob, Dave, Jeff, and others. I am extremely happy to have been introduced to the music of the Morelenbaums (thanks DB). My principal personal objectives were to meet old friends, make new friends, eat, drink, sing, talk and make merry to the limit of my ability and energy (I have more of the latter than the former), and like the British Olympic squad I surpassed all expectations, though no gong in recognition of a job well done. Thanks to all the others who made the fest what it was: thanks to the people who I may never see again; it was a pleasure to meet you. To those of you I will see again one day, "hasta la proxima". To Lucy and John (and their merry band of helpers): Magnificent. This fest will stay with me forever. mike in barcelona np  Show of Hands  The Dive (thanks Chris) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:15:37 +0200 From: missblux@googlemail.com Subject: Re: [UKJonifest2008] Jonifest 2008 - a tipsy recollection... On Sat, Aug 30, 2008 at 1:56 AM, Chris Marshall wrote: > > I'm sitting here fairly consumed by the post-fest blues, and even beer > and wine has failed to shift the somewhat f**ked up feeling that has > been following me around since Wednesday. So the post-fest blues are for real it seems. I can report that I don't have them, on the contrary. Maybe it's because I haven't known all of your for so long, maybe I was less involved with the music, I don't know... There was a moment I remember particularly well and which still stays with me. After the Beatles-singing on Saturday when we were all still in the room but the singing was over, there was a point when noone spoke. I guess Henning and Dave were putting away their guitars, Chris was fiddling with the sound system, maybe someone was thinking about getting a cup of tea or going to the loo or whatever, but everyone was quiet. This may be a silly comparison, but if the singing had been the plop! that it makes when you drop a stone in the water the atmosphere in the room was like the circles that you can see in the water afterwards. It felt very good and it hasn't gone away. Plus as I wrote the day I returned home, I found even a few tedious people in my surroundings more fund and easy to talk with, as if the whole experience had straightened something out inside me. Enough...! I hope you'll all get over those blues, otherwise we'll just have to organize another one. We owe it to John and Lucy anyway, we'll get them a royal suite and have food and music sent up every hour...and raindancers... Bene ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:14:15 -0700 From: "Lindsay Moon" Subject: Joni downloads on amazon My 15-year-old neighbor let me know that amazon is offering Joni's Blue and several songs are offered up for sale. Nice feature for her! Then, taunting me, she said, "Did you get her new album released last week?" I said, "No, she didn't release an album last week." "Oh, why? Because she's dead??" The little scamp! Lindsay http://www.amazon.com/MP3-Music-Download/b/ref=sa_menu_dmusic1?ie=UTF8&node= 163856011&pf_rd_p=328655101&pf_rd_s=left-nav-1&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=507846&pf _rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=15420ZMPDJDJVCN4SV9N ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:18:38 -0500 From: Michael Paz Subject: Re: Jonifest Report: Best.Fest.Ever Part 1 LMAO!!! You ought to try driving on the WRONG side of a car and the road. I was scared to death (more for the Brits that had no idea I was coming) than myself or the band. Paz (taking a break from hurricane prep) Michael Paz michael@thepazgroup.com Tour Manager Preservation Hall Jazz Band http://www.preservationhall.com On Aug 29, 2008, at 7:00 PM, Bob Muller wrote: Until the next one, that is... First of all, I humbly bow before my queen - Lucy, this was truly a blessed, incredible event. You had the vision to foresee how perfect a spot Holycombe would be, if only you would have had the vision to have it catered - ha! This was my first time to England, so as is my nature I had a great sense of trepidation about the unknowns, but where there's a fest there's a way! My trip across the pond landed me at Heathrow at 6AM London time - this was somewhat intentional as I wanted to make sure I had enough time to fumble around and get there in plenty of time. And man, that Heathrow is NOT for the squeamish...sometimes you get signs, sometimes you can conceive of the layout, and other times you have to guess, screw up, and get back on the right track. At least they speak the same language as me. Anyway, I had NO idea how I was going to get to Holycombe from Heathrow, and lots of people had sent me coach schedules, train schedules, so that helped to really confuse me but at least left me with the confidence to know that it could be done. Luckily I ended up at a National Express counter and got a coach ticket to Warwick (the second W is silent y'all) Parkway, even though the ticket agent didn't seem to have any idea of where I was going. As fate would have it, I ended up on the right bus and the driver successfully navigated the entire trip on the WRONG side of the freeway - lucky for him all of the Brits have gotten together and mutually agreed to drive on the wrong side of the road, so this sort of works but like France some of the roads are so narrow that there's only ONE side anyway. So now I'm at Warwick Parkway and I go inside the station to ask the agent about getting to Whichford, or Warwickshire, or Shipston-On- Stour, assuming that this was like asking someone about going to Chicago, or Atlanta, or even Swindon, but no, he said he couldn't help me with any train tickets and suggested I take a cab. There were a couple of vehicles outside that LOOKED like cabs, so I just toted my luggage outside and flashed my "I'm a lost American with a walletful of pounds - please take advantage of me" look, and that did the trick - - I knew the driver was legit because like all good NYC cabbies he was wearing a turban. I showed him the address I was heading and like every other person in England, he had NO IDEA where it was, but his Tom Tom would know, and lo & behold it did. I do have to say that I was still having major freakout seeing the cars coming at us on the other side of the road, and even more of a freakout when the driver deposited me at the doorstep of Holycombe and told me how much I owed him...HOLY COW (although I didn't say that because after all he was an Indian with a turban and all). And I thought my son's college education was expensive! But I was relieved to be there, where I needed to be - and it was still only 10AM! At this point I had been travelling for about 24 hours and was a bit pooped to say the least. Since there was nobody else around (Lucy was coming around 2 and the festing was commencing around 5), I strolled around a bit and found a wooden bench that allowed me to take a little nap, except for getting my first taste of English weather in that it was sunny and hot, then windy & chilly, then even a bit rainy for 10 minutes, and then repeat that cycle for 4-5 hours as I waited for other signs of life. After a while, the nice lady who had been housesitting for the family that owns the house came down and told me that the Lodge was open if I wanted to go in and relax in there...D'oh! And long about then (mid-afternoon), Dave Blackburn with his wife Robin and their friends Barry (aka Cahill) and Delene showed up, and then the fest really got started for me. We took a quick road-trip to a nearby town so that I could replenish my wallet with more pounds and they could get some postcards and other such things. By the time we got back, there was Lucy and John, Garret, Patrick, Mike - familiar faces and voices that told me that Jonifest 2008 was underway. More to follow - but not to worry, I won't stay in this detail mode throughout. Bob NP: Death Cab For Cutie, "Coney Island" ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:43:47 -0700 From: "Kate Bennett" Subject: River Rian I agree with you. IMO- River is the kind of song that is born out of a deep melancholy that happens too many during the time of year when the darkness grows. And then, as the song emerges, there is deep healing like the light that is soon to return. I don't view this song as planned but rather brilliantly emoted. A song I have always related to having experienced the holiday disconnect in moving from a place of snowy cold Christmases to the land of sunshiny summer like Christmases. Kate Did Joni write River as a christmas song? I mean, did she really plan "oh, i gotta make a christmas song"? I doubt she did because, imo, the song is not about christmas (but the setting was during christmast time). Rian ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:28:57 +0100 From: Garret Subject: UK Jonifest photos Does this count as JC? If not apologies to anyone who doesn't want to know about this. I have uploaded some seriosly edited (and in some cases cropped) pictures of the UK JOnifest to my flickr account. Chris has been planning to host them over on his site as usual. I'll transfer them over there too, but for the moment here they are: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcdermgl/ Just click on the set at the side and you'll get them all together in one place. GARRET ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:45:16 -0700 (PDT) From: Bob Muller Subject: Jonifest 2008, Part final Much has already been said about the amazing people and music that happened at Holycombe, but it's always interesting how certain things stand out. Musically, any talk of music at this year's fest has to start with Dave - I was fortunate enough to have seen Robin, Dave & band in San Diego doing their Joni show so I was already fully well aware of the prodigious level of talent they possessed, what I didn't know was the versatility and depth of Dave's knowledge. Every night featured a Dave & Robin set, always containing some wow moments, like Borderline, A Chair In The Sky (!), Blue, Dog Eat Dog, Cherokee Louise, a long list actually but these really jumped out at me as I haven't heard them often. And the NJC was just as inspired - so cool to hear some classic SOUL music..."Just My Imagination", "Betcha By Golly Wow", "What's Goin' On"...excellent stuff. Chris was also indispensable working the technical bits, and luckily also got to come up and play some. Chris, hats off to you for your excellent work and support. And yes, you should grab the mike more too - I remember your vocals back at Frenchfest. It has to be said that the space we performed in was very intimate (perhaps you've seen Garret's excellent pics by now) and perfectly suited our group. And it wasn't unusual that people in the 'audience' would chime in with percussion, vocals, etc. It was a very participatory event as opposed to a concert per se. Early unreleased Joni also got a LOT of exposure with Henning & Christina performing a set every night from their SUPERB latest CD (and shame on you if you don't have it), and Jeff turning in some others as well (Melody In Your Name, Jeremy) and hearing Jeff & Christina do Pirate of Penance was WAY cool - and I'm not even particularly fond of the song, but they really brought it to life. Henning's guitar is always spot on and Christina's crystalline voice is beyond pretty, so pure and effortless. Which brings us to Jeff, he of the perpetual smile, a teddybear of a guy with a songwriting skill that is incredible. "The Vow" turned the room into a puddle of sobbing goo, and his song about Superman was equally poignant and touching ("Lois Lane & Lana Lang, my alliterative loves, I dream of you on alternate nights"), and he even performed on dulcimer, setting a Shakespeare sonnet to music and it was spellbinding. Jeff, one of the highlights of fests for me is meeting new folks, especially folks like you that I've known forever. Don't be a stranger and keep writing! Big props also have to go to Barry & Delene - Barry added so much with his woodwind additions (flute/sax) and also pitched in keyboards, guitars, falsetto vocals - and sometimes all within the same song! His catalogue of musical memories is vast, and that allowed for lots of spontaneous jams. They also have a CD out and played several originals from it - one of their songs is called "Different Shades of Brown" and he introduced it by saying that all of us are just different shades of brown, and that no one is truly white, to which we all yelled out "Garret"! A pretty funny moment. Big big thanks also to Laurent, who really got a fever to play once he realized that someone else was responsible for the fest - I enjoyed doing "Love The One You're With" and "Like A Rolling Stone" with Laurent and getting the crowd into it. I guess I'm more of a rocer at heart so it was a lot of fun to turn those in with Laurent as well as "Raised on Robbery" with Dave, Anita & co. I also dug getting to bang on the Djembe drum (I think that's what it was anyway). Other favorite moments - Adriano's heartfelt take on Jericho, and Licia's entire set. Very moving. Oddmund's controlled insanity on Coyote and All I Want. Of course, Anita's "I Think I Understand" is a fest must for me. Patrick turned in a great set - Patrick you should have asked me to toss in some backing vocals on Buckinham/Nick's "Crystal", of course I did anyway from my seat in the crowd. Les Ross - as always, stunning. I sometimes forget how it was the first time I heard his hushed and powerful style, so I got a reminder this year when I watched the newbies react to his set. Lucy's playing and singing is as natural as her storytelling ("It's Joni F*cking Mitchell!!") and I always really dig it as I was never exposed to the whole Fairport Convention/British folk thing. Donna, thanks for your musical moments - I'm glad you found your earring and I'm sorry I wasn't better company on the way back to Heathrow on Monday - the policeman sure got our attention though, didn't he..."It's obvious that you don't know where you're going..." LOL, yes the 4 of us certainly looked like a gang of terrorists didn't we? Speaking of which - grazie grazie to Adriano for carting my worn out self to London on Monday. The reasonable number of attendees this year ensured that everyone had lots of time to hang with everyone. Mike, Lieve, Bene - I enjoyed all our times together. Bene, I'm proud to be "The Rock" - it makes me want to be a little bolder (get it, a little boulder, nyuk nyuk nyuk). Being able to put faces and personalities with posts always puts a nice dimension on things for me. So that's enough outta me - I had an indescribably good time, although I did my best to describe it. Lucy...mwah mwah kisses from me and thanks again for an unforgettable time. The Jonifest magic was in surplus supply this time 'round, and I can't wait to see everyone again. Bob NP: Graham Blvd, "Both Sides Now" ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:57:24 +0200 From: "Oddmund Kaarevik" Subject: Blue revisitied I had the strangest experience tonight that brought me back in this exctatic Joni Fest mood. I was talking with my father on the phone when I coincidentally passed my favorite Jazz store in Oslo. Than just as I was hanging up, I heard Joni's voice over the loudspeaker "We don't need a piece of paper from the city hall..." They played "Blue" I couldn't believe it. I've passed this shop loads of time, and they have never ever played Blue. They played Herbie Hancock's River,but that's Jazz, and the Shop is called Only Jazz, so this was a sweet surpirse. I was drawn into the shop, since I didn't had to run to the bus, as I usually has to, all who have met me now can surely vividly imagine this, and I was just amazed of the beauty of the songs. "Little Green" and the very powerful "Blue" And my memories was all back to the JoniFest Dave and Robin coming out of the Blue, first night, introducing it as "something we have never done before" I think they joked about it, that they were going to do Hejira in spanish or something, and than they just came up with the most beautiful version of Blue I ever heard. It all came back to me, tonight in Oslo. I feel so blessed to have been a part of it all. My eyes become all teary just writing this. Tells me something about on how deep levels music touches. My voice in - Patrick in what Anita said. A deeper sharing And thanks for your wonderful report, very nice to meet you Mr.JoniFest, and so glad Dave Blackburn helped you fulfill your dream, what you yourself did on that stage, was a great inspiration for me doing the same. So thanks a lot ! I f any of you ask very kindly, Mr Bob Muller may help you to get a listen to Sweet 16 vol.4 What a great collection. Yesterday, coming home from work quite wrecked after some busy days at work, and not really had time to absorbe all the memories from this fantastic fest. Listening to this CD was just perfect and Just In Time, and of course I gave "All I want" two listens, trying hard to forget about me . . . Oh, well this is just a deep thank you to all of you to maken it happen and to enrich me with such blessed memories All coming back to me, and as strong as ever, today, passing my favorite jazzshop playing Blue ... Here is a song for you ! Bless and sweet lovin your way ! Oddmund ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2008 09:25:28 +1000 From: Mark-Leon Thorne Subject: Joni Live At The Sydney Opera House Hi folks. As promised, I have packaged a rare Joni recording for your listening pleasure. It's been 25 years since Joni toured Australia. It was her one and only tour here. This is a recording of her Sydney concert at the Sydney Opera House on the 22nd of March, 1983. The recording is from the radio broadcast by Sydney radio station, 2Day FM. There are some voiceovers by DJs and it was recorded from someone's radio but, generally, the recording is quite good. I have designed some artwork for the CD which is in the Disc 1 folder. I hope you enjoy it. You can get disc 1 here https://rcpt.yousendit.com/ 601806323/6747f730b7923bdb4b6a49a4ca62279a and disc 2 here https://rcpt.yousendit.com/ 601860609/11e22402f0eefdde3267dcac8d4a5f57 Mark in Sydney ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:42:52 -0700 (PDT) From: Bob Muller Subject: Re: Blue revisitied Thanks for that, Oddmund (which I found out means "sharp tongue"). I actually have (3) of these left, and I am happy to send them to good homes. All you have to do is make a donation to Les at: http://jonimitchell.com/donate.cfm Bob NP: REM, "Hollow Man" ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2008 #156 ********************************* ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here: mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe