From: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2012 #36 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk Website:http://www.jonimitchell.com Unsubscribe:mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe onlyJMDL Digest Wednesday, February 15 2012 Volume 2012 : Number 036 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- RIP Dory Previn - vljc [Catherine McKay ] Re: Nathan [Catherine McKay ] RE: JMDL Digest V2012 #212 ["Gary Hanick" ] RE: Nathan [jlamadoo@sbcglobal.net] Melisma [Betsy Blue ] Re: Ithaca Joni Mitchell Tribute, Sat Feb 18 [Bob Muller ] Re: Nathan [Catherine McKay ] Re: Nathan [Betsy Blue ] RE: Nathan ["Robert Sartorius" ] Re: Ithaca Joni Mitchell Tribute, Sat Feb 18 [Michael Paz ] RE: JMDL Digest V2012 #212 ["Gary Hanick" ] Re: RIP Dory Previn - vljc [gerard mclaughlin ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:48:17 -0800 (PST) From: Catherine McKay Subject: RIP Dory Previn - vljc I'm not sure if Azeem is still on this list, but I noticed his posting on Facebook last night that Dory Previn had died. I've always loved her dark, confessional and often very funny songs.B Here's a good bio from the New York Times. There is a Joni mention near the top. - --------------------------------------------------------- http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/15/arts/music/dory-previn-songwriter-is-dead-a t-86.html Dory Previn, Songwriter, Is Dead at 86 By BRUCE WEBER Published: February 14, 2012 Dory Previn, the lyricist for three Oscar-nominated songs who as a composer and performer mined her difficult childhood, bouts of mental illness and a very public divorce to create a potent and influential personal songbook, died on Tuesday at her home in Southfield, Mass. She was 86. Her death was confirmed by her husband, Joby Baker. Ms. Previn rose to prominence as a singer-songwriter with a substantial cult following in the early 1970s and she enriched a period in pop music history that also saw the emergence of Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Laura Nyro. She never became as widely known as they were (though she did record a live double album at Carnegie Hall), partly because her voice was never as big as theirs, but also because her lyrics b frank and dark, even when tinged with humor, and often wincingly confessional b were not the stuff of pop radio. They were, however, clear antecedents of the work of later balladeers like Sinead ObConnor and Suzanne Vega. In bWith My Daddy in the Attic,b Ms. Previn wrote of her complicated relationship with her disturbed father. In bEstherbs First Communion,b she wrote about a girlbs indoctrination into religious ritual and her revulsion at it. In bYada Yada La Scala,b she wrote about women in a mental hospital. In bLemon Haired Ladies,b she wrote about an older woman pining for a younger man: Whatever you give me Ibll take as it comes Discarding self-pity Ibll manage with crumbs. Unusually for a pop singer of the day, Ms. Previnbs background was in neither folk nor rock. Her early success came in Hollywood, writing songs for the movies, generally as a lyricist working with her husband, AndrC) Previn, who later earned fame as a classical composer and conductor. Together they were nominated for two Academy Awards: in 1960 for bFaraway Part of Town,b from bPepe,b and in 1962 for bSecond Chance,b from bTwo for the Seesaw.b But their best-known collaboration was the theme from the 1967 film version of Jacqueline Susannbs drug-soaked show-business novel bValley of the Dollsb (later recorded by Dionne Warwick), which begins: Gotta get off, gonna get Have to get off from this ride Gotta get hold, gonna get Need to get hold of my pride. The halting, almost stammering progression of laments, Ms. Previn later said, came from her own experience of relying on pills. In 1969, working with the composer Fred Karlin, Ms. Previn earned a third Oscar nomination, for bCome Saturday Morningb from bThe Sterile Cuckoo,b which became a hit for the Sandpipers. By then, however, the Previn marriage was in a shambles. Mr. Previn had begun an affair with the actress Mia Farrow, then in her early 20s, whom he later married, and Ms. Previn, who had a history of emotional fragility and mental illness, fell apart. Fearful of traveling in general and of flying in particular, she had a breakdown on an airplane that was waiting to take off, shouted unintelligibly and tore at her clothes, and spent several months in a psychiatric hospital. The episode, as awful as it was, proved to be a turning point in her life and career. Her first album afterward, bOn My Way to Whereb (1970) b the title was a reference to the airplane debacle b included perhaps her most famous song, bBeware of Young Girls,b about Ms. Farrow, and received polarized reviews. On her second, bMythical Kings and Iguanasb (1971), many critics noticed a growing vocal confidence. Her third, bReflections in a Mud Puddle/Taps Tremors and Time Stepsb (1971), included a pained report of and reflection on her fatherbs death, and drew praise from the New York Times music critic Don Heckman. bMs. Previn is no great singer, her guitar playing is only adequate, and her melodies sometimes have an uncomfortable tendency to move in too-familiar directions,b he wrote. bBut her message is stated so brilliantly in her lyrics, and the tales she has to tell are so important, that they make occasional musical inadequacies fade away.b Dorothy Veronica Langan was born in New Jersey b sources differ on the town, Rahway or Woodbridge b on Oct. 22, 1925, and she grew up in Woodbridge. Her father, Michael, was a laborer and a frustrated musician who pushed her toward music and dance. He had also been deranged, Ms. Previn wrote in a 1976 memoir, by his service in World War I. He had been gassed, she wrote, and he was convinced the gassing had made him sterile; therefore she could not be his daughter. For a while he locked himself in the attic. Ms. Previn left home as a teenager and worked in summer stock and in commercials and sang in small clubs, writing new verses to popular songs. Her work came to the attention of Arthur Freed, the producer of MGM movie musicals like bAn American in Parisb and bSinginb in the Rain,b who hired her for MGM, where she met Mr. Previn. They married in 1959. She had been married and divorced previously. In addition to her husband, Mr. Baker, a painter whom she met in the 1970s and married in 1986, she is survived by three stepchildren, Michele Wayland, Fredricka Baker and Scott Zimmerman, and six step-grandchildren. In the 1980s, Ms. Previn and Mr. Previn reconciled as friends, and she came to loathe the fact that she was best known for their breakup. But the pain and grief were the foundation of her art. In the hospital after her breakdown, she was encouraged to write down her feelings, and they emerged as poems. bI was always afraid to write music,b she said in 1970. bI wouldnbt have presumed to with a musician like AndrC) around the house. But I play a little guitar. So I started working them out on the guitar, thinking I could interest some singer in recording them and thatbs how all these songs were born.b This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: Correction: February 14, 2012 An earlier version of this article referred to bOn the Way to Whereb (1970) as Ms. Previnbs first album, but in the 1950s she recorded the album bThe Leprechauns Are Upon Meb under the name Dory Langdon. That version of the article also referred incorrectly to the 1970 albumbs title; it is bOn My Way to Where.b - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- - --------------------------------------------------------------- Here's a selection of her songs on Youtube. Did Jesus have a baby sister:B http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4Ql4p5ikno Stone for Bessie Smith:B http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwl6pUKZRZ8 The Lady with the Braid:B http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE4rExrR19M The Midget's Lament:B http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWC2aD023Vo Angels and Devils the Following day:B http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjDugDPHqTg ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:34:53 -0800 (PST) From: Catherine McKay Subject: Re: Nathan I have definitely met people like Nathan, (in fact, sometimes I AM Nathan), and I agree with you that it is a very good song indeed, for the reasons you've mentioned. It shows up as the last track on side one of the LP, (the "I came to the city" side) and grouchy old stressed-out-by-city Nathan is, in fact, helping Joni out by taking her out of the city, "from confusion to the plane," a plane which undoubtedly will take her out of the "ghostly garden" of the city, to where "the sky goes on forever without meter maids and peace parades." Pirate of Penance, on t'other hand, has always sounded out of place to me. As well, it comes across as a bit precious, like maybe something she wrote in her younger and more naive days, but thinking grandiosely, no doubt with "The Pirates of Penzance" in the back of her mind, since it is a bit of a mini-operetta. >________________________________ > From: Robert Sartorius >To: joni@smoe.org; onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org >Cc: Bob Muller >Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 10:38:46 AM >Subject: RE: Nathan > >Bob M replied to Betsy: > >"I get 2/3 of that...I've not heard HER do Midnight Cowboy, just Donal >Leace, >and it's nothing to write home about. Pirate of Penance is also really >terrible and doesn't belong on her first record when she had so many better >songs. She should have canned Nathan La Franeer as well, come to think of >it. > >But Chelsea Morning - I adore that one, those opening chords are just like >throwing open the blinds and letting in the rays of a beautiful new day. It >always makes me feel good." > >I 100% concur with Pirate of Penance. It does not fit the theme of the >album, which otherwise paints realistic portraits of life (in the city, and >by the seashore). Also, the musical style is Palinish to my ears. > >I also agree about Midnight Cowboy, which I have listened to only once (a >deliberate number) and Chelsea Morning (which I have played and sung on my >guitar many times - especially in the morning - as a "pick me up"). > >However, I am afraid that I must demur re Nathan. I love the lyrics of that >song, which fit well on the "I Came To The City" side. (The editor in me has >always changed the word "I'll" in line 4 to "we'll", and dislikes the >duplication of the phrase "shared a common space", but I digress.) Have you >ever met Nathan? I have. And having lived in NYC for a couple of years >during my early 20s, I can relate pretty strongly to the feelings expressed >on all 5 songs of side one. Moreover, Nathan serves as the transition, >taking her out of the city and down to the seaside (by way of the tunnel). > >Here's what tickles me: > >The alliteration (I would not be surprised if it turned out that this was >the song that "inspired" Helplessly Hoping.) Taking the cake were the lines > >With gangs and girly shows >The ghostly garden grows > >But others are not far behind > >crawled the canyons >tunnels tiled and turning >Burglar bells and wishing wells >Meter maids and peace parades > >Tickling phrases > >I hired a coach >Eyebrows furrowed >Grumbled at the grey >Through the tunnels tiled and turning into daylight (I love that line) >Filled it full of silver >Left the fingers counting > >And the whole last verse gets me - especially the way that she pans out near >the end to the endless (and empty) sky from the specific (and crowded) >scenes she leaves. > >He asked me for a dollar more >He cursed me to my face >He hated everyone who paid to ride >And share his common space >I picked my bags up from the curb >And stumbled to the door >Another man reached out his hand >Another hand reached out for more >And I filled it full of silver >And I left the fingers counting >And the sky goes on forever >Without meter maids and peace parades > > >Finally, the litmus test for me - I really have enjoyed playing and singing >this song over the years. It's just not in the same class as Pirate of >Penance. > >True, Joni had some "better songs" that she could have used on her first >record. But that record was a thematic one - and those other songs wouldn't >have fit the art she envisioned. (And I love the way Cactus Tree ties the >two sides together - the man who's been out sailing who takes her to his >schooner, and the lady in the city who thinks she loves them all). > >Bobsart ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:49:47 -0800 From: "Gary Hanick" Subject: RE: JMDL Digest V2012 #212 No, I think Joni's earlier singing voice was not the same. There's a big difference between infusing words with deep feelings; versus the high drama, sometimes over-wrought, belt-it-so-the-people-at-the-top-of-the-bleechers-can-hear-it singing of people like Mariah, even Barbra Streisand. - -----Original Message----- From: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org [mailto:owner-joni-digest@smoe.org] Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 12:39 PM To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2012 #212 JMDL Digest Wednesday, February 15 2012 Volume 2012 : Number 212 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: - -------- Melisma [William Waddell ] - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:37:52 +0000 From: William Waddell Subject: Melisma Is this not what Joni was doing in her earlier work, or am I misunderstanding it completely? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17039208 WtSx - ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2012 #212 ***************************** - ------- To post messages to the list, send tojoni@smoe.org. Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe - ------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:19:00 -0800 (PST) From: jlamadoo@sbcglobal.net Subject: RE: Nathan Wow, this is a great post, Bob. It made my lunch break enjoyable. Thank you. Jim L'Hommedieu > From: "Robert Sartorius" >... that record was a thematic one - and those other > songs wouldn't > have fit the art she envisioned. (And I love the way Cactus > Tree ties the > two sides together - the man who's been out sailing who > takes her to his > schooner, and the lady in the city who thinks she loves them > all). ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:19:23 -0800 From: Betsy Blue Subject: Melisma Melismatic singing isn't the same as belting. Joni did some: The wires in the wall are HUMMING. All romantics meet the SAME fate. He comes for CONVERSATION. Not like you love your FREEDOM. She's very subtle about it, and it's not just about vocal ambition. It often emphasizes a plot point in the song. The ones that give me chills are her pairs of ascending triplets in Coyote's "no compreHENDING" and "dark GLASSES." Its not as easy as it sounds. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:07:48 -0800 (PST) From: Bob Muller Subject: Re: Ithaca Joni Mitchell Tribute, Sat Feb 18 Vibes sent! As Bob Murphy would say, "you'll be swell, you'll be great..." Play it cool, 50/50 fire and ice. Hope I get to hear it. Bob NP: Heartless Bastards, "Marathon" ________________________________ From: Susan Tierney McNamara To: Joni Mitchell Sent: Monday, February 13, 2012 8:17 PM Subject: Ithaca Joni Mitchell Tribute, Sat Feb 18 So I've been slated to do a radio interview on Wednesday for WSKG in Binghamton! I'm nervous!! I think they have streaming capabilities ... not sure if it's live or what but I'll let you all know so you can listen in if you want. WSKG.org. probably mid-day. If any of you are in the area the event is Saturday, Feb 18 at the Community School of Music and Art., State St. Ithaca NY 14850 - 7 - 10 p.m. The format is going to be a little different this year, more of a sing-a-long with performers trading songs on stage. It's going to be so much fun!! :-) Send us some good Joni vibes folks!!! Love, Sue Susan Tierney McNamara email: sem8@cornell.edu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:16:33 -0800 From: Betsy Blue Subject: Re: List of bird species 1. Nightingale (Midnight Cowboy) 2. Crane (Pirate of Penance) 3. Owl (Chelsea Morning) The first is a bit obscure, to be sure. Good job, Bob.I KNEW someone would come up with more. She's a regular Audobon. I probably didn't notice because I don't like those songs. Betsy NP Cherokee Louise (TLog) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:34:53 -0800 (PST) From: Catherine McKay Subject: Re: Nathan I have definitely met people like Nathan, (in fact, sometimes I AM Nathan), and I agree with you that it is a very good song indeed, for the reasons you've mentioned. It shows up as the last track on side one of the LP, (the "I came to the city" side) and grouchy old stressed-out-by-city Nathan is, in fact, helping Joni out by taking her out of the city, "from confusion to the plane," a plane which undoubtedly will take her out of the "ghostly garden" of the city, to where "the sky goes on forever without meter maids and peace parades." Pirate of Penance, on t'other hand, has always sounded out of place to me. As well, it comes across as a bit precious, like maybe something she wrote in her younger and more naive days, but thinking grandiosely, no doubt with "The Pirates of Penzance" in the back of her mind, since it is a bit of a mini-operetta. >________________________________ > From: Robert Sartorius >To: joni@smoe.org; onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org >Cc: Bob Muller >Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 10:38:46 AM >Subject: RE: Nathan > >Bob M replied to Betsy: > >"I get 2/3 of that...I've not heard HER do Midnight Cowboy, just Donal >Leace, >and it's nothing to write home about. Pirate of Penance is also really >terrible and doesn't belong on her first record when she had so many better >songs. She should have canned Nathan La Franeer as well, come to think of >it. > >But Chelsea Morning - I adore that one, those opening chords are just like >throwing open the blinds and letting in the rays of a beautiful new day. It >always makes me feel good." > >I 100% concur with Pirate of Penance. It does not fit the theme of the >album, which otherwise paints realistic portraits of life (in the city, and >by the seashore). Also, the musical style is Palinish to my ears. > >I also agree about Midnight Cowboy, which I have listened to only once (a >deliberate number) and Chelsea Morning (which I have played and sung on my >guitar many times - especially in the morning - as a "pick me up"). > >However, I am afraid that I must demur re Nathan. I love the lyrics of that >song, which fit well on the "I Came To The City" side. (The editor in me has >always changed the word "I'll" in line 4 to "we'll", and dislikes the >duplication of the phrase "shared a common space", but I digress.) Have you >ever met Nathan? I have. And having lived in NYC for a couple of years >during my early 20s, I can relate pretty strongly to the feelings expressed >on all 5 songs of side one. Moreover, Nathan serves as the transition, >taking her out of the city and down to the seaside (by way of the tunnel). > >Here's what tickles me: > >The alliteration (I would not be surprised if it turned out that this was >the song that "inspired" Helplessly Hoping.) Taking the cake were the lines > >With gangs and girly shows >The ghostly garden grows > >But others are not far behind > >crawled the canyons >tunnels tiled and turning >Burglar bells and wishing wells >Meter maids and peace parades > >Tickling phrases > >I hired a coach >Eyebrows furrowed >Grumbled at the grey >Through the tunnels tiled and turning into daylight (I love that line) >Filled it full of silver >Left the fingers counting > >And the whole last verse gets me - especially the way that she pans out near >the end to the endless (and empty) sky from the specific (and crowded) >scenes she leaves. > >He asked me for a dollar more >He cursed me to my face >He hated everyone who paid to ride >And share his common space >I picked my bags up from the curb >And stumbled to the door >Another man reached out his hand >Another hand reached out for more >And I filled it full of silver >And I left the fingers counting >And the sky goes on forever >Without meter maids and peace parades > > >Finally, the litmus test for me - I really have enjoyed playing and singing >this song over the years. It's just not in the same class as Pirate of >Penance. > >True, Joni had some "better songs" that she could have used on her first >record. But that record was a thematic one - and those other songs wouldn't >have fit the art she envisioned. (And I love the way Cactus Tree ties the >two sides together - the man who's been out sailing who takes her to his >schooner, and the lady in the city who thinks she loves them all). > >Bobsart ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:03:59 -0800 From: Betsy Blue Subject: Re: Nathan I'm blaming my negative feelings about Chelsea Morning on Judy Collins. It's so cheerful that it sometimes grates. (Shawn Colvin saved Cactus Tree.) Pirate of Penance has always been a "wtf was she smoking?" song to me. Nathan La Franeer is beautiful and puposefully ugly for all the reasons below. I just want to add that the banshee is an early example of Joni's developing production skills. Later she added to "sound effects" in Car in a Hill, collaged commercials into Reocurring Dream, and created a carnival atmosphere on Harlem in Havana, among many others. Betsy NP Next to Me, Civil Twilight > > > Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:38:46 -0500 > From: "Robert Sartorius" > Subject: RE: Nathan > > Bob M replied to Betsy: > > "I get 2/3 of that...I've not heard HER do Midnight Cowboy, just Donal > Leace, > and it's nothing to write home about. Pirate of Penance is also really > terrible and doesn't belong on her first record when she had so many better > songs. She should have canned Nathan La Franeer as well, come to think of > it. > > But Chelsea Morning - I adore that one, those opening chords are just like > throwing open the blinds and letting in the rays of a beautiful new day. It > always makes me feel good." > > I 100% concur with Pirate of Penance. It does not fit the theme of the > album, which otherwise paints realistic portraits of life (in the city, and > by the seashore). Also, the musical style is Palinish to my ears. > > I also agree about Midnight Cowboy, which I have listened to only once (a > deliberate number) and Chelsea Morning (which I have played and sung on my > guitar many times - especially in the morning - as a "pick me up"). > > However, I am afraid that I must demur re Nathan. I love the lyrics of that > song, which fit well on the "I Came To The City" side. (The editor in me has > always changed the word "I'll" in line 4 to "we'll", and dislikes the > duplication of the phrase "shared a common space", but I digress.) Have you > ever met Nathan? I have. And having lived in NYC for a couple of years > during my early 20s, I can relate pretty strongly to the feelings expressed > on all 5 songs of side one. Moreover, Nathan serves as the transition, > taking her out of the city and down to the seaside (by way of the tunnel). > > Here's what tickles me: > > The alliteration (I would not be surprised if it turned out that this was > the song that "inspired" Helplessly Hoping.) Taking the cake were the lines > > With gangs and girly shows > The ghostly garden grows > > But others are not far behind > > crawled the canyons > tunnels tiled and turning > Burglar bells and wishing wells > Meter maids and peace parades > > Tickling phrases > > I hired a coach > Eyebrows furrowed > Grumbled at the grey > Through the tunnels tiled and turning into daylight (I love that line) > Filled it full of silver > Left the fingers counting > > And the whole last verse gets me - especially the way that she pans out near > the end to the endless (and empty) sky from the specific (and crowded) > scenes she leaves. > > He asked me for a dollar more > He cursed me to my face > He hated everyone who paid to ride > And share his common space > I picked my bags up from the curb > And stumbled to the door > Another man reached out his hand > Another hand reached out for more > And I filled it full of silver > And I left the fingers counting > And the sky goes on forever > Without meter maids and peace parades > > > Finally, the litmus test for me - I really have enjoyed playing and singing > this song over the years. It's just not in the same class as Pirate of > Penance. > > True, Joni had some "better songs" that she could have used on her first > record. But that record was a thematic one - and those other songs wouldn't > have fit the art she envisioned. (And I love the way Cactus Tree ties the > two sides together - the man who's been out sailing who takes her to his > schooner, and the lady in the city who thinks she loves them all). > > Bobsart ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:38:46 -0500 From: "Robert Sartorius" Subject: RE: Nathan Bob M replied to Betsy: "I get 2/3 of that...I've not heard HER do Midnight Cowboy, just Donal Leace, and it's nothing to write home about. Pirate of Penance is also really terrible and doesn't belong on her first record when she had so many better songs. She should have canned Nathan La Franeer as well, come to think of it. But Chelsea Morning - I adore that one, those opening chords are just like throwing open the blinds and letting in the rays of a beautiful new day. It always makes me feel good." I 100% concur with Pirate of Penance. It does not fit the theme of the album, which otherwise paints realistic portraits of life (in the city, and by the seashore). Also, the musical style is Palinish to my ears. I also agree about Midnight Cowboy, which I have listened to only once (a deliberate number) and Chelsea Morning (which I have played and sung on my guitar many times - especially in the morning - as a "pick me up"). However, I am afraid that I must demur re Nathan. I love the lyrics of that song, which fit well on the "I Came To The City" side. (The editor in me has always changed the word "I'll" in line 4 to "we'll", and dislikes the duplication of the phrase "shared a common space", but I digress.) Have you ever met Nathan? I have. And having lived in NYC for a couple of years during my early 20s, I can relate pretty strongly to the feelings expressed on all 5 songs of side one. Moreover, Nathan serves as the transition, taking her out of the city and down to the seaside (by way of the tunnel). Here's what tickles me: The alliteration (I would not be surprised if it turned out that this was the song that "inspired" Helplessly Hoping.) Taking the cake were the lines With gangs and girly shows The ghostly garden grows But others are not far behind crawled the canyons tunnels tiled and turning Burglar bells and wishing wells Meter maids and peace parades Tickling phrases I hired a coach Eyebrows furrowed Grumbled at the grey Through the tunnels tiled and turning into daylight (I love that line) Filled it full of silver Left the fingers counting And the whole last verse gets me - especially the way that she pans out near the end to the endless (and empty) sky from the specific (and crowded) scenes she leaves. He asked me for a dollar more He cursed me to my face He hated everyone who paid to ride And share his common space I picked my bags up from the curb And stumbled to the door Another man reached out his hand Another hand reached out for more And I filled it full of silver And I left the fingers counting And the sky goes on forever Without meter maids and peace parades Finally, the litmus test for me - I really have enjoyed playing and singing this song over the years. It's just not in the same class as Pirate of Penance. True, Joni had some "better songs" that she could have used on her first record. But that record was a thematic one - and those other songs wouldn't have fit the art she envisioned. (And I love the way Cactus Tree ties the two sides together - the man who's been out sailing who takes her to his schooner, and the lady in the city who thinks she loves them all). Bobsart ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:57:03 -0600 From: Michael Paz Subject: Re: Ithaca Joni Mitchell Tribute, Sat Feb 18 You go girl! I have an 11am meeting cst so I hope I get time to tune in. Best of luck! Love Paz Michael Paz michael@thepazgroup.com Tour Manager Preservation Hall Jazz Band http://www.preservationhall.com On Feb 13, 2012, at 7:17 PM, Susan Tierney McNamara wrote: So I've been slated to do a radio interview on Wednesday for WSKG in Binghamton! I'm nervous!! I think they have streaming capabilities ... not sure if it's live or what but I'll let you all know so you can listen in if you want. WSKG.org. probably mid-day. If any of you are in the area the event is Saturday, Feb 18 at the Community School of Music and Art., State St. Ithaca NY 14850 - 7 - 10 p.m. The format is going to be a little different this year, more of a sing-a-long with performers trading songs on stage. It's going to be so much fun!! :-) Send us some good Joni vibes folks!!! Love, Sue Susan Tierney McNamara email: sem8@cornell.edu ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:26:04 -0800 From: Dave Blackburn Subject: Re: JMDL Digest V2012 #198 Well, apart from the lifelong chain smoking... On Feb 15, 2012, at 8:19 AM, Gary Hanick wrote: > She had the wisdom to > realize that her life was more valuable than how many records she sold. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:49:47 -0800 From: "Gary Hanick" Subject: RE: JMDL Digest V2012 #212 No, I think Joni's earlier singing voice was not the same. There's a big difference between infusing words with deep feelings; versus the high drama, sometimes over-wrought, belt-it-so-the-people-at-the-top-of-the-bleechers-can-hear-it singing of people like Mariah, even Barbra Streisand. - -----Original Message----- From: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org [mailto:owner-joni-digest@smoe.org] Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 12:39 PM To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2012 #212 JMDL Digest Wednesday, February 15 2012 Volume 2012 : Number 212 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: - -------- Melisma [William Waddell ] - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:37:52 +0000 From: William Waddell Subject: Melisma Is this not what Joni was doing in her earlier work, or am I misunderstanding it completely? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17039208 WtSx - ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2012 #212 ***************************** - ------- To post messages to the list, send tojoni@smoe.org. Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe - ------- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:23:22 +0000 From: gerard mclaughlin Subject: Re: RIP Dory Previn - vljc I started listening to Dory again almost constantly last year while I was in France. She made me laugh so much ! I've loved her songs since my teens and was touched deeply when I heard tonight on the radio that she had died. Loved I two men equally well Though they were different as heaven and hell One was an artist, one drove a truck One would make love , the other would..... She was truly unique and filled my life with a whole lot of pleasure. Homage to a great soul ! I was driving in my car....! On Wed, Feb 15, 2012 at 4:39 PM, Catherine McKay wrote: > Eighty-six ain't bad. > > She was kind of the odd-woman out during the 70s, as > she was a good ten to 20 years older than others who were writing similar > songs at the time. I read her other autobiography "Midnight Baby" years > ago. > She had a very sad childhood, as I recall, and was abused. > >________________________________ > > From: Anita G > >To: Catherine McKay > >Cc: JoniList ; > anita5448@btinternet.com > >Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 10:01:18 AM > >Subject: Re: RIP Dory Previn - vljc > > > > > >Oh, Catherine, this has made > me very sad. I always loved Dory Previn and 'Mythical Kings and Iguanas' is > one of the only albums I played alongside my Jonis records. > > > >I had no > idea Dory was older than my Mother. Gosh,86! I read her autobiography 'Bog > trotter' many years ago and thought she was a most interesting artist. > Thanks > for sending this > >Anita ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2012 #36 ******************************** ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here:mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe