Absolutely in the top tier of 20th century musicians and songwriters. She provided a much needed alternate perspective to many of the strutting rock stars of the era (some of which I also love, no shade on them!), and wrote and performed some of the most emotionally affecting songs I've ever heard.
I sincerely respect her talents as a songwriter and musician. If she had a singing voice like Kat McCord or Karen Dalton, she would probably be in my top-10 in the folk/rock/jazz 'versatility parade' alongside artists like Tim Buckley and Danny O'Keefe. But alas and alack...
Did you read the bio Reckless Daughter? Man did she have a lot to say about a lot of people. Some of it made me laugh--calling Judy Collins "too la--di-dah" for example. Add that to the things she has been saying in interviews for decades-it is a wonder she has a friend left in the music world other than Brandi Carlisle (who strikes me as the ultimate syncophant where Joni is concerned).
I usually just skim the bios to see how much they say about SK. I love Joni, but I love Saskatchewan more.
Joni's mostly fair to the guys in Reckless Daughter, and positively scathing to some of her female peers. Collins was the first to have a hit with a Joni song, and you'd think that would have earned her some lasting credibility with Mitchell, but I guess not. Joni is still on good terms with her ex, Larry Klein. Also Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. I don't think she ever had a falling out with Elliot Roberts or Henry Lewy. I guess she's cool with Nash and Crosby after all this time? No idea, really.
Joni is clearly one of the most essential artists of her generation. Incredibly talented songwriter and musician. She always followed her own path and has left behind a brilliant collection of inspired albums throughout the years. Her unique tunings and her ability to write lyrics that are honest, direct, and relevant has always set her apart for anyone else. The list of gifted musicians who worked alongside her is almost as impressive as her own creative talent. She’s right up there with the best of them, and should remain up there throughout music history. She was truly gifted.
"Elsewhere, Crosby says he recently had dinner with his old friend Joni Mitchell, who suffered a debilitating brain aneurysm in 2015, describing the get-together as “wonderful and distressing.” “It was wonderful to reconnect and say hi, and I love her…She’s the best singer-songwriter of her time,” he notes. “It was distressing to see her in the state that she is in now. She has trouble walking. And she’s having to relearn how to do stuff, physically. I don’t think that she will ever regain the manual dexterity to be able to play guitar or piano.” David Crosby opens up about his sexually "adventuresome" past, discusses Joni Mitchell's health – 97.1fm The Drive – WDRV Chicago
Thanks. I've read some version of this before. Not sure when David and Joni saw each other last, but she seems to be pretty sharp, considering what happened to her. I wouldn't expect her to be able to play music again, but she apparently was just before the aneurysm. She's extremely lucky. I lost a good friend to an aneurysm when he was just 26, many years ago.
Yeah, and I'd be interested in polling jazz lovers vs folk lovers on this. I favor jazz over folk, but I love them both depending on my mood. But I always figured jazz lovers would be her harshest critics over her jazz. I was even though I loved the fuller sound of "Court and Spark" and became a big fan of Tom Scott in the process. But that was a unique, stand alone transitional album ("hissing of summer lawns" also used T Scott band members, but Joni increasingly became dissatisfied with them). T Scott was a a fusion-y or smooth studio musician, not like the more serious jazz artists she used later on. Thats the direction jazz was headed in at the time though, so it seemed natural for her to continue with that sound.
Me as well. She would label me unsophisticated as I did not hear any melody to speak of in her jazz oriented work. She once said, when asked about that-that there was actually more melody not less, than what she composed earlier. I did not hear it, and I listened to Mingus and DJRD multiple times. I really like jazz, admittedly I am a very unskilled listener, but I did not like the way she performed it. I did not get into the way she changed earlier songs on the Shadows & Light live lp to accommodate her jazz explorations. I just finished Archives Vol. 2. That material is prime Joni Mitchell to me. (I am anxiously awaiting Vol. 3).
She's up there with the all-time greats for me, who are in that sphere because they are original and changed something and/or added something that wasn't there before. Her lyrics are certainly poetry. I listen to her up until HEJIRA, then I'm off the train. You also have, as a musician, the increased sophistication of her songs beginning in the early 70's, not to mention the beautiful album artwork, most of which she created herself. Many of the 'greats' don't do it for me, but Joni does - I may not always understand what the song is about, but I enjoy the atmosphere, composition and delivery of most of them.
Ridiculous. Apples and oranges. That's like saying Neil Young's music would be better if his guitar playing sounded more like John Fahey. Joni was a songwriter not a guitar technician. All of her guitar-based compositions came out of alternate tunings, it's one of the things that set her apart from her contemporaries. Her playing was in service to her songs not the other way around.
Joni regularly hosts all kinds of music artists at her "jam sessions", from Chaka Khan to Elton John. Brandi's love for Joni stems from being awakened to her music after initially writing it off. It's more of a zealous convert type of thing for Brandi, as far as I see it. It's funny how "he doesn't have a friend left in the music world" is a charge that is rarely leveled against musicians who are men. Talk about a trope leaning on worn-out, old stereotypes...
Blue and Hejira are the two albums that I like best. In the singer-songwriter genre of music of the 1970s, she's right there with Tom Waits.
I don’t understand how someone can say Joni Mitchell’s guitar sound is limited — she uses like 90 different guitar tunings. Each one pretty different from the next. More accurate to say that nearly every other guitarist is limited by standard tuning. Also her voice changed a lot. I’m not a fan of the first 3 albums because of the whistle register stuff but you get into Court and Spark, Hejira, Hissing of Summer Lawns. Just amazing vocals.
Since we were talking about Joni Mitchell, I only referenced her; did not mean for it to sound like anything beyond that. As a rule I try and refrain from talking about artists beyond their music. I should have followed my own rule.
