As someone who has felt inspired and in awe of Joni Mitchell for the last thirty years, counting Ladies Of The Canyon as one of my most played records, I was extremely excited to see that there was a whole event dedicated to her and her incredible songwriting. Lovingly curated by Lail Arad, ‘The Songs Of Joni Mitchell’ took place at prestigious London venue The Roundhouse last Thursday 18th April, and offered a truly heartwarming ode to the music of one of the world’s most inspirational artists.
The evening begins with a soaring rendition of ‘Woodstock’ by the Roundhouse Vocal Ensemble – a choir formed of people aged between 18 – 25, with a passion for singing (just one of the Roundhouse’s innovative initiatives to get young people involved in the arts). Oozing a colourful charisma and impassioned energy, the collective provide the perfect start to what’s going to be a magical night.
After our charming host Cerys Matthews gives us a little insight – explaining that the song was written by Joni after she had wanted to go to the infamous Woodstock festival, but wasn’t allowed by her manager -, Olivia Chaney takes her place at the pristine grand piano to deliver the title track of Mitchell’s 1971 album Blue. Exuding her rich, crystalline vocals, she adds a distinct sparkling emotion, whilst maintaining the captivating splendour of the original, before being joined on cor anglais and guitar for ‘Amelia’ – the moving tribute to pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart, from 1976 album Hejira.
After some endearing gushing from Chaney and Matthews about the wonder of Joni Mitchell, and how she not only wrote songs about pioneering women, but was one herself – steadfast and confident in her capabilities as a female musician and songwriter, at a time when this was often not encouraged -, Sam Amidon is accompanied by the Roundhouse Vocal Ensemble for ‘Shine’. With lyrics such as “shine on lousy leadership, licensed to kill…”, it seems particularly poignant right now, and reflects Mitchell’s ability to address wider issues through her poetic lyricism. Another song which continues to remain relevant over fifty years on is ‘Big Yellow Taxi’; the first song that curator of the evening Lail Arad ever performed in front of an audience, at the age of eleven, she delivers a stirring rendition of it this evening – slowing it down and adding a unique stark emotion. Joined by friends on fiddle and guitar, Arad ups the tempo for another one from Blue, ‘Carey’, a lilting reflection on Mitchell’s time spent immersed in an alternative lifestyle in Crete. And it’s wonderful to see just how much being able to perform the songs of her favourite artist means to Arad; having organised this whole event in celebration of Joni’s 80th birthday (which happens to coincide with her own milestone of turning 40), she explains to Cerys Matthews that she’s been listening to Joni Mitchell since she was in the womb, her face lighting up when talking about this trailblazing artist who has clearly inspired her so hugely.
Next up, Zimbabwe-born-Lewisham-based, Mercury prize nominated, and all-round innovative artist Eska takes to the stage. Accompanied by howls from the Roundhouse Vocal Ensemble and plenty of rippling percussion, she transforms the 1979 Charles Mingus collaboration ‘The Wolf That Lives In Lindsey’ into a chilling cinematic soundscape, before a gloriously uplifting and unifying performance of 1974’s ‘Free Man In Paris’. Reflecting with Cerys Matthews afterwards, she describes Joni Mitchell as “the gift that keeps on giving”; an artist whose meanings continue to morph, and we can continue to grow with and learn from as time goes on.
Reverting to a more stripped-back sound, 6Music favourite Jesca Hoop delivers a stunningly accurate rendition of Ladies Of The Canyon’s ‘Morning Morgantown’, before a magical ‘Michael From Mountains’, one of Joni’s earliest songs. Another artist clearly in awe of the woman we’re all here to celebrate, Hoop praises Joni’s “guts” and the way in which she always seemed to maintain control of her own life, again at a time when this wasn’t necessarily easy for a young woman to do. Ahead of her own In The Round event tomorrow, esteemed artist Vashti Bunyan sends shivers down the spine with her emotion-strewn delivery of two more from Blue, ‘River’ and – perhaps the most heart-achingly personal of Mitchell’s songs – ‘Little Green’; so moving, in fact, that Bunyan confides in Cerys Matthews that she wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to make it through it.
Whilst clearly a little nervous, Kate Stables (This Is The Kit) embraces the challenge of playing an Appalacian Dulcimer (made by her father!), in true Joni style, to deliver an exquisite ‘A Case Of You’; highlighting the intricacies of Mitchell’s songwriting whilst adding her own distinctive soothing energy and beautifully heartfelt vocals, it triggers a few rogue tears that I’ve been attempting to hold back all evening. Maintaining the blissful vibes, Kate is then joined on stage by Lail and Jesca, treating us to a very special acapella version of ‘Raised On Robbery’, oozing all the exquisite harmonies and rich bluesy goodness you could ever desire. Echoing the consistent sentiment of the evening, when chatting to Cerys Matthews, Stables describes Joni Mitchell as an “excellent badass role model”, explaining how she went against a lot of grains, and really was “punk before punk”. A perfect reflection I feel, as – despite her seemingly timid demeanour – Mitchell never lost sight of what she wanted to achieve, pushing forwards through the obstacles of a sexist music industry, continuing to inspire and motivate marginalised artists to this day.
As we near the end of the evening, esteemed Scottish artist Emeli Sandé takes a seat at the piano to deliver a unique take on Blue’s ‘This Flight Tonight’. Exuding Sandé’s soaring, impassioned vocals, it showcases the graceful splendour that Mitchell was able to create with a stirring majestic power, before launching into ‘Both Sides Now’. And then, during the last of the Cerys reflections of the night, Sandé shares that she only discovered Joni Mitchell when she was 21 and proceeded to fully immerse herself; playing Blue on repeat for seven hours whilst on a train journey up to Scotland, and being instantly captivated by how perfectly the poetry matched the music.
Closing the night as we began, the Roundhouse Vocal Ensemble take centre stage for Ladies Of The Canyon’s final track, ‘The Circle Game’. A truly joyous end to what’s been a moving and magical evening. A perfect celebration of Joni Mitchell – a woman not only inspiring for her innovative songwriting and beautifully distinctive vocals, but for her strength and determination; her understated power and consistent resolve. I could write pages about how special Joni is, but thankfully all the wonderful artists at this incredibly lovely event did that for me through their heartfelt and intricate performances. Thank you to all involved, and especially to Lail Arad putting it all together. Find out more about her and her reasons for curating the event in our recent interview.
Words: Mari Lane / @marimindles
Photos: Paul Dawes / @GRNDglass
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