I listened today to Joni Mitchell's Hejira through my new Bose headphones. What an experience.

After, I started listening to her Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm album, and right from the start, I was completely blown away by Larry Klein's bass sound. Until I listened through these 'phones, I never knew that he played this track picked - or that the sound was just so good. Incredible.

That's all. It's moments like these that make me so glad that my audiologist tells me that my hearing loss is nothing out of the ordinary, eve after decades of drumming.

Now if someone could come up with a real medical cure for tinnitus...but that's another story.

Dude. Joni Mitchell is one my faves (urge for going was week 5). Hejira is one of my desert island classics, although I have not had a chance to chalkmark - is that a good one?

Joni Mitchell in my book, when the dust clears will be remembered as one of the major composers of the late 20th century (along with Frank Zappa ). For me she was the great "anima projection" of my youth, the same way some might see Marlene Dietrich
or Marilyn Monroe as a giant 'star' but at the same time more modern in that she is both personal and accessible.

Multi instrumentalist, painter, poet and brutally honest, really, she has no peer....

One of my many favorite songs "Don't Interrupt The Sorrow" from " The Hissing Of summer Lawns". This song I think foreshadows "Hejira" ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQQA5KtDCOs

I managed to get to one of her concerts, not this one at Wembley but the same tour when she came back home to LA:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPrJNKJcRrs

Check out the up tempo, rocked out version of "Song For Sharon" at 4:27 if you are into
Hejira...

jRj

Oh, yeah. Chalkmark was actually the first Joni album I'd ever heard; this was when it came out in 1988 and it was the third (and second-to-last) album she recorded for Gefffen. It's got its share of moments - not to mention the inimitable drumming of Manu Katche.
It is WELL worth a shot. Actually, what's worth a good listen is the box set that Joni came out with containing all four of her Geffen releases. I hadn't heard the other three before, and there really are some gems in there.
Her Turbulent Indigo is still a total world-rocker for me.

Yeah, JRJ I agree and she retuned her instrument for EVERY song, reaching for the uncommon chord as it were. The book I have about the history of Joni's life mentions how there were these jazz cats who were not easily impressed but when she played for them they were stopping her to look at her hands because her fingerings are nothing like anyone else. Her music also changes time signatures to fit the length of line she wants without regard for popular restrictions in that regard. Back in the day she was first call studio session guitarist bar none. Everyone wanted her but quickly couldn't have her because she was too good a composer and vocalist to be someone else's guitarist.

She got frustrated with all the tunings and changed her rig to include a VG-8 so she could
store all the tunings as presets Here is a link to a short article:

http://jonimitchell.com/Library/view.cfm?id=626

john lennon was also known as one of the grea rhythm guitarists of his time and was highly sought after check out his rhythm guitar work in david bowies song FAME.

"Night Ride Home" is one of my favorites.... Larry Klein is in many ways like Tlev... Master of Space and release.... AND TONE!!!