VA - Joni 75: A Joni Mitchell Birthday Celebration (2019)

It’s not always easy to pay a live tribute to an artist, and it’s even harder to make it interesting. On November 7, 2018, an impressive cast of musicians gathered on the stage of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Los Angeles Music Center to celebrate Joni Mitchell’s music, as well as her 75th birthday. Canada-born Mitchell’s influence on contemporary music is so widespread that many artists would have longed to be on that stage. Nevertheless, only a happy few were invited to participate, among them Chaka Khan, Diana Krall, Rufus Wainwright (in a rare treat), James Taylor, Seal, Graham Nash, Kris Kristofferson, Brandi Carlile, Norah Jones, Emmylou Harris, Los Lobos and Glen Hansard. Each of them played with the amazing band that stood on stage, featuring wonderful drummer Brian Blade (who also served as artistic director for the show), Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet, and Greg Leisz on guitar. Renditions of the master’s songs were rather timid but always elegant enough for the concert to be dynamic. These 75 minutes of live music are an effervescent tribute.