Joni Mitchell

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GORDON
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Joni Mitchell

Postby GORDON » Sat Apr 28, 2012 9:06 pm

I just wanted to share with you the joy of watching a wonderful documentary on Joni Mitchell.

It has probably been on before but it's the first time we had seen it. What a genius this woman is!

It makes such a change to see something decent on TV.

Is it me or is it in the main pretty uninspiring stuff these days on Jools Holland?

This isn't sour grapes honest!

Love to all.

G.

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Roger
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Re: Joni Mitchell

Postby Roger » Sun Apr 29, 2012 5:52 pm

Gordon,

You're right about TV in general and Jools Holland :(

The only thing we've made a habit of watching recently is the Italian series "Inspector montalbano", which unfortunately has finished now (it was aired on BBC4). Also, "Not Going Out" is back on BBC, but I guess you have to like the humour of Lee Mack to enjoy the show.

As you say Jools Holland isn't too inspiring these days. Also, I don't like his habit of trying to dominate a piece of music, like he did on his radio show when playing on "Diamond Head" with Phil Manzanera :( - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76vZq_8AmbE

Best to you and Hilary,

Roger

Richard McHale
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Re: Joni Mitchell

Postby Richard McHale » Mon Apr 30, 2012 2:38 am

Joni Mitchell is a very special talent indeed. I'd like to have seen the documentary myself. Did you ever see the footage from her Shadows and Light video that accompanied the album of the same name (those many years ago!)? It also featured Pat Metheny and Jaco Pastorius -- how good is that?

My 'find' of the last seven days was discovering with some surprise that our package with Virgin gave us the PBS channel... And that there was a concert by Tommy Emmanuel about to be broadcast!

The performance also featured Frank Vignola, Vinny Raniolo, Pam Rose and Anthony Snape. Reminded me of the wonderful Tommyfest in Harrow (where Gordon also played!)

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Mike Stranks
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Re: Joni Mitchell

Postby Mike Stranks » Mon Apr 30, 2012 9:03 am

Missed the docu on Joni Mitchell... shame as I always like her stuff.

Turning to Jools Holland.... can I give a different perspective?

I watched it last week mainly for the Chieftains... but didn't much care for their 'guest' musicians - esp the vocalist. :wink: However, I was quite taken with the youngster from Canada with the special effects gizmos. Some interesting sounds and textures there. And this is where I stick my neck out...

... I sometimes forget that just because I still feel like I'm in my early 20s - apart from the more frequent aches and pains! - my tastes and attitudes have developed (and to a degree have remained IN my 20s) as I've moved on into my early 60s. I like to think I'm "up with the latest" but much of the music that my children love leaves me distinctly underwhelmed. This was brought home to me last year when I was doing some initial mentoring of a talented 16-year-old singer. Trying to help her find suitable material she proclaimed ignorance of song after song and artist after artist. Even a classic Beatles' song was unknown. :o And this is someone who is very intelligent and does have a wide-ranging taste in current music. Then I realised that I was 45 years older than she was... a generation and a half! Tastes change and my "standards" and "well, of course, everyone knows..." are met with "Who? What?"

I think back to my own teens and 20s and the music I used to watch and listen to. My parents, then in their late 40s and 50s didn't "get" most of it at all.

So... whilst I agree about Jools on TV, I still watch it - just to catch the occasional unknown gem.

Please don't take this the wrong way guys.... I'm just making the point of how subjective this wonderful world of music and sound is. :)
The older I get, the better I used to be

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Re: Joni Mitchell

Postby Richard McHale » Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:58 am

I just remembered: Transatlantic Sessions from BBC Scotland is pretty much always worth a listen. The last one I caught featured Béla Fleck and Alison Krauss. Excellent.

Regarding trans-generational musical tastes/knowlwdge, I think we genuinely become older and wiser. Growing up when I did, I had the music of the 60s and the 70s about me, which influenced me and my taste, while the wider social and historical context influenced the music. There was a general resurgence of interest in folk music; there was a growing awareness (particularly in the UK) of the heritage of blues; jazz was growing ever more adventurous thanks to innovators like Miles. Expansion of technology and media fed into musical development, too, which allowed novel experimentation with sound and easier access to a wider cultural spectrum. Innovation can often only take place when the technology is there to support it. Additionally, certain ages seem to bring a flowering of talent in particular fields of endeavour. It was a very propitious time -- a particularly creative, particularly rich, musical environment.

But, when I was young, I would never have listened to classical music, nor soul, nor bluegrass, nor folk, nor hard bop. I always liked Jeff Beck but I would have disdained his recent recording with Imelda May of rockabilly and Les Paul songs (more fool me: it's great fun). In short, I didn't listen to all of it at once. I became acqauinted with a great deal of it retrospectively, over time, and I think that's true for many people. It may have begun with Ready, Steady, Go and TOTP. Then I watched the Whistle Test on TV and I listened to Alan Freeman's Saturday morning show (album tracks) and John Peel on the radio. And I heard the music my schoolmates liked. From listening solely to pop I took in blues, rock, prog, jazz-rock and became peripherally aware of real jazz and folk, which are now both a great joy to me, as is classical music. It has been -- to coin the deadly modern expression -- a journey. And a very enjoyable one.

I don't think younger people have so good a starting place in one sense: their immediate musical environment is almost entirely commercially -- rather than creatively -- driven. There is a greater access to media but the most visible goods on show are generally of a more limited range and not usually produced with much deliberately creative intent. But, thanks to that same access to media, a little investigation in the less well-trodden pathways will still provide a diverse and interesting and joyful musical landscape. That continues to be true even for even us veteran music lovers: without YouTube I would never have heard Andy McKee, Don Ross and many other fine musicians. To that extent, Jools' programme on TV is one of the few sources of diverse music in the mass media for young people (who, let's face it, aren't likely to listen to Late Junction on the radio), so I won't knock him too much!

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Re: Joni Mitchell

Postby GORDON » Mon Apr 30, 2012 1:36 pm

Thanks for your very interesting response to my posting folks...it does get people talking and interacting.

I agree with much of what has been said.

I forgot about the Transatlatic session....SUBLIME!

Be Well.

G.


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