Joniana

 

Every Boomer and older Gen-Xer knows of Joni Mitchell because her hits were in rotation on AM radio in the 1970s, but it's only until later, much later, that we begin to really know the depth of her artistry.

Her heart-rending performance at Newport last week still has me reeling and wanting to revisit again and again. Sometimes there are other things that happen in the flow of events that intersect or trigger a memory of music you like, such as the recent unveiling of the statue of Amelia Earhart at the Capitol. Amelia is a song I first heard on the Shadows and Light album, but was originally released on the Hejira album. I always go to the Shadows version because the band was so excellent.

A few thoughts while I was reading the (excellent) Reckless Daughter:

• Ironic that Joni wasn’t into mysticism, yet people associate her with it, somewhat the opposite of say Jimmy Page who wasn’t initially associated with it, then was inculcated into his history, even when the music wasn’t intentionally spiritual. (People see what they are told, or tell themselves. They can get "stuck in the story")
• She was not versed in poetry. It wasn’t poetry she was after; it was more like "movies for your mind."
• She thought John Coltrane was overrated or over-imitated, at least partly attributed to the fact that she settled for Michael Brecker, who was inspired by Coltrane, when she (and Jaco Pastorius) really wanted Wayne Shorter. (“I wanted genius and settled for talent") This could be the reason for the now-controversial look Brecker gave Jaco at the end of his solo on Dry Cleaner From Des Moines.)
• On words and music: "Because of my wordiness, I am first responsible to my words, so when I play with the band, I have to be the leader...the words have to be the leader. And if there’s any room for anyone to get in, well, good luck!"
  

While I was reading the book I was referring to the songs on YouTube. Here is my Joniana playlist.