Mitchell, Joni - Hejira CD (Mega Blowout Sale)
SKU
Asylum 603312
This 1976 release is one of Joni’s very greatest of great works. She’s in her full exploratory period here, using jazz influences and crazy tunings and a relatively small number of musicians, all of whom turn in stunning, restrained performances which are perfectly subservient to the needs of the songs. Even Jaco Pastorious, one of the most tragically talented musicians ever, and who never met a performance need that he couldn’t over-play on, is simply perfect on here.
“Joni Mitchell's Hejira is the last in an astonishingly long run of top-notch studio albums dating back to her debut. Some vestiges of her old style remain here... But by and large, this release is the most overtly jazz-oriented of her career up to this point -- hip and cool, but never smug or icy.
Mitchell's verses, many concerned with character portraits, are among the most polished of her career; the most striking of these studies are that of the decrepit Delta crooner of "Furry Sings the Blues" and the ambivalent speaker of "Song to Sharon," who has difficulty choosing between commitment and freedom. Arrangements are sparse, yet surprisingly varied, the most striking of which is the kaleidoscopically pointillistic one used on "Amelia." Performances are excellent, with special kudos reserved for Jaco Pastorius' melodic bass playing on "Refuge of the Roads" and the title cut. This excellent album is a rewarding listen.”-AllMusic
- LabelAsylum
- UPC0075596033121
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