From: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2009 #236 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 Thursday, September 3 2009 Volume 2009 : Number 236 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Joni Covers, Volume #116 - on its way [Bob.Muller@Fluor.com] Joni Covers, Volume #116 - See You In September [Bob Muller Subject: Joni Covers, Volume #116 - See You In September Man O Man, here we go into the final third of 2009 - no matter how much I drag my feet, that carousel keeps turning. And the beginning of a new month brings us to another edition of Joni Mitchell Covers, this month I am PLEASED to present Volume #116 for your listening pleasure. As has been the trend (and will likely stay that way), almost all of these are new tracks from 2007 & 2008. If you want to get more info about the artists, or check out their work, you can find in the links to their individual websites in the Joni Undercover section. Thanks to Mark-Leon for his help in bringing this collection to y'all. And here we go! You can download the set from here: http://tinyurl.com/mx2gro And here's what's on it: 1. System 99 - For Free: System 99 is actually Andy Guzie from Portland, Oregon. He adds some additional studio sounds over his fluid and lovely guitar work and calls it System 99. This one has a great flow to it, and it's nice to hear this tribute to the melody of the song when most covers focus on the amazing lyrics. 2. Denise Donatelli - Be Cool: LOVE this one - of course, I love the song and the album it's on too so there you go. This one is quickly becoming a jazz standard in our time, and Denise's version is stellar. Originally from Pennsylvania but now a fixture on the Los Angeles scene, Denise's warm voice and sensuous phrasing are a perfect match for this song. Her jazz combo backing her up ain't bad either; I particularly dig the muted trumpet, but the whole thing has a nice funky swing. 3. Reg Burkin - The Circle Game: This one is definitely NOT new - it comes from 40-year old vinyl, recorded live at the Kings Head Folk Club, Napton on the Hill, Warwickshire. A pretty basic guitar-strumming, singalong minstrel version. Also pretty obscure, for what that's worth. 4. Dan Gibson's Solitudes: An instrumental, this one's off his album titled "California Dreaming" and features waves hitting the beach in the background as well as guitar and piano. A nice Joni cover to fall asleep to! 5. Bela Fleck And The Flecktones - River: You can recognize Bela's banjo right off as it is placed front and center of this instrumental. I would hope that most of you are familiar with Bela Fleck, his innovative genre-bending banjo playing have made him very well-known. This one's basically a banjo-piano duet, with the piano framing the chords while Bela fills in the colors with some creative picking and plucking. 6. Carla Zilbersmith - A Case Of You: A superb, jazzy, soulful version of this gorgeous song. Carla is a multi-talented artist, and also is stricken with ALS and continuing to create in the midst of it. 7. Mockingbird - More Mountains - Big Yellow Taxi: It's always fun to hear a non-Joni song melded with a Joni song, there are quite a few and it adds to the creativity of the piece. This recording blends 2 ecological tunes - I had not heard the first song before, and Mockingbird, an acapella trio from the Pacific Northwest, throws in some fun harmonies and makes this a pretty original take. 8. Angela - Both Sides Now: I guess this is our collection of "one-name femal singers whose name begins with A" volume (see also track 10). Angela is from the Far East and this comes from her 2008 release "Folk Acustico". Pretty predictable and standard. 9. Sixpence None The Richer - River: Hopefully lots of you are familiar with SNTR, like Bela Fleck's, this was a fairly high-profile 2008 holiday release. SNTR are from Texas and since relocated to Nashville - they've got quite a few albums to their credit and their "River" is a lovely one to be sure. 10. Adriana - Woodstock: A native of Scotland, this song comes from her first release, a live album. She describes her music as a mix of Americana & Celtic, and accompanies herself on guitar. She's got a nice voice to be sure. 11. Leoni Jansen - Big Yellow Taxi 12. Leoni Jansen - Both Sides Now: Hailing from The Netherlands, Leoni's latest project is a collection of 60's/70's songs, and of course no collection of that kind would be complete without a couple of Joni songs. While she picks 2 of the most common ones, she does a nice job and the backing has a Celtic flavor which is quite nice. On BYT, she adds some African chanting vocals which give it a really unique spin - you've not heard a BYT like this one before. 13. Lore Constantine - Blue: Again, it's a tribute to Joni's composing expertise that these melodies can be so emotionally powerful even without the words. Lore's solo piano is just lovely and expressive throughout. 14. Rick Noland - That Song About The Midway: I have to admit that it's unusual to hear a male voice wrapped around this one (Dave von Ronk was the first); very nice though. Minnesota's Rick Noland has a clear, easy voice and his guitar work is fine too. 15. Heavenly Harps - Both Sides Now: I guess the Angels playing the harps on this one have definitely looked at clouds from both sides now. All I can see is John Belushi grabbing the Harp and smashing it into pieces. 16. Hikaru Nishida - The Circle Game: This one comes from a video from a Japanese TV broadcast. I just had to include it because Jerry Notaro just can't get enough of these Asian poppy covers of TCG. 17. Keri Noble - River: The last entry in the 2008 holiday albums category for this volume. Like Sixpence, Keri comes from Texas but was raised in the Detroit area and grew up singing in church. Her "River" is emotionally charged, very passionate. She's definitely one to watch. 18. Martin Simpson - A Case Of You: Englishman and guitarist extraordinaire Martin Simpson comes from Scunthorpe in Lincolnshire and has been playing since the mid-sixties and recording since the mid-70's. He's supported Steeleye Span and June Tabor. This is a live recording from 2008, showcasing his nimble fingerpicking style and voice. 19. Linda Eder - Both Sides Now: Last but certainly not least. Also from Minnesota, but since moved to Broadway, Linda's recorded a slew of albums and appeared on many Original Cast Albums to boot. She's got a powerhouse voice, and this recording features a nice contemporary-countryish arrangement and a lovely backing harmony vocal. And there you have it - another CD's worth of Joni-related hits. Hope you like all of it, hope you like some of it, would love to hear what you think about any of it. Meanwhile, I'll keep the hits coming. Bob at Joni Covers Central NP: Jose Gonzalez, "Cello Song" ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2009 #236 ********************************* ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here: mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe