Joni Mitchell - Painting with Words and Music

Rating:
Summary: Classic, esoteric performance of the great one
Review: Because it hasn't appeared on this page yet, here's the setlist of songs that are featured on this DVD:

Tiger Bones • Big Yellow Taxi • Just Like This Train • Night Ride Home • Crazy Cries Of Love • Harry's House • Black Crow • Amelia • Hejira • Sex Kills • The Magdalene Laundries • Moon At The Window • Face Lift • Why Do Fools Fall In Love? • Trouble Man • Nothing Can Be Done • Song For Sharon • Woodstock • Dreamland

Everything is exquisite here: we've got Joni in rare form, an older and wiser version of the folk singer of the 60's and 70's. The supplemental players are first-rate, including Brian Blade on drums, Larry Klein (aka Joni's ex-husband) on bass, Mark Isham on trumpet, and Mark Leisz on additional guitars. The small, intimate theater is filled with multicolored couches, and the stage is a small circle, sized perfectly for this excellent evening of music. Highly recommended! If you're a fan, this is one not to miss.

Rating:
Summary: A Treat for fans of Folk/Rock, Jazz & R&B
Review: Joni Mitchell and her band of first-class musicians (of course) offer a wonderful, wide-ranging song cycle in Painting With Words & Music, a special concert filmed in a colorful, intimate setting. Some of her old favorites are included (Big Yellow Taxi, complete with a take-off on Janet Jackson's take-off), Black Crow (a stunning jazz-rocker) and Woodstock. But there are other song styles here, handled with equal skill (and exhuberant joy): the Billie Holiday smoker Comes Love (inadvertently titled Nothing Can Be Done in the VHS liner notes) and Marvin Gaye's Trouble Man. The musical delights are complemented by some charming stage patter and one very long, very funny story about Mitchell's long-ago encounter with a wise-cracking but endearing tourist at a remote Canadian lodge. As for the voice: truth be told, it was not in peak form during this performance (this was filmed just one week after the end of the Dylan/Mitchell/Morrison tour, during which she was ill much of the time -- she sounded much better during the 2000 Both Sides Now tour). But you will hear a high note a la the old days here and there, and she certainly gets credit for energetic delivery (especially on the R&B tunes). As for the technical complaints some have registered: unless you're a professional audio engineer or a nerdy techno-phile, you probably won't even notice the problems (if there are any). All things considered, it's a pleasure to view this special recording by the indisputably talented and intriguing Joni Mitchell.

Rating:
Summary: A highly evolved artist
Review: Joni Mitchell is a counterweight to Grace Slick. They both started out singing for what they thought was a revolution. When they found out they were wrong, when the revolution melted down into disco, cocaine and "greed is good," they had to go on somehow. Grace went on by letting the beautiful and wonderful Jefferson Airplane become "Starship," a mindless, schlock-rock money printing machine that fed her and some other people during the 80's. Joni put on her walking sandals, shed a tear for all that was Woodstock, then put the revolution in her pocket and kept going.

This DVD is the culmination of that journey so far, and it showcases her beautiful music, her heart-wrenching lyrics and her skills as a painter. Anyone who loved her in the 60's will be thrilled to see the beautifully mature musician, artist and woman she's become since, and anyone who isn't familiar with her, will be in for a pleasant surprise. You'll be richer by far spending a little money on this DVD.

And Grace, it isn't too late. I'm guessing that Peace and Love are due for a comeback any time now, and I'm pretty sure that we who are trying to make that happen all miss you and wish you were here. :-)

Rating:
Summary: Nice Surprise........
Review: Not being a big Joni Mitchell fan (always admired her though) I was unfamiliar with most of the material on this DVD - but was totally captivated. While being incredibly disappointed with many concert dvd purchases in the past - this one was a nice surprise. Technically there are better concert DVD's out there, but conveying the artists feelings and emotions, while making the listener feel a part of the performance are this DVD's strong points. Fantastic musicians, good but not great audio (Joni's guitar with it's heavy effects was a little too high in the mix, while the drums and bass were too far back). Unlike some others, I liked the sound and texture of her voice - I thought it fit her jazzy-pop-rock songs perfectly. Just fast forward through the overly complimentary intro of j.m., sit back and enjoy being front and center. If you like this DVD check out any of the "Best of Sessions at W54th DVDs" they also do a great job of getting the listener involved.

Rating:
Summary: Joni in a small club fantasy comes true
Review: Released in late Feb in Australia, I grabbed this off the shelfas soon as I saw it. Mitchell is really in her element here - a smallintimate venue ( one of the studios at Warners in LA) decorated with sofas and Mitchell's paintings. The band is just right - not too lush not too sparse. Drums, guitar/pedal steel, bass and trumpet and of course Mitchell herself on that new whizz bang guitar of her's which I think sounds great. She jokes with the audience, dances with one of her singers and tells a great story at the end about Woodstock, knitting and stars. As you would expect, most of the material is post Court and Spark except for Big Yellow taxi for openers and Woodstock in closing. Lots of wonderful stuff from Hejira and fortunately only one from her "I'm angry with the world, so lets write a silly song" repetoire. Throughout the concert (a selection from two consecutive nights) Mitchell's singing is great; 'live' her voice seems fresher than on CD and though the upper register is shot to pieces, what's left is full of character, reveals more light and shade. Plus her phrasing is right on. There are really no dud tracks here and I tend to just put it on as if it were a CD (nice and loud), popping back to the screen every now and then to watch the still beautiful woman do her stuff, though other times I sit down and just indulge in the whole 98 minutes of it. One particularly shining moment is Mitchell's cover of Marvin Gaye's Trouble Man. Its a heartfelt and beautifully sung version that reveals what a great singer Mitchell really is. It sends shivers up my spine everytime I replay. This video is a great introduction to what Mitchell has achieved over the last 20 years. It should send people out to snap up records like Hejira and Hissing of Summer Lawns not to mention more recent stuff. A perfect complement to this video would be Shadows and Light, the double live album that came out in the early eighties and featuring Jaco Pastorius on bass and other luminaries.

Rating:
Summary: A must for Joni fans.
Review: This DVD concert is magical.

It's Joni in 1998, performing in the middle of a circular venue for a small, intimate audience. An interesting aspect you notice right away is that the crowd is sitting comfortably in different types of livingroom furniture, upholstered couches and chairs, situated on different levels throughout. The entrance to the fabricated venue is an art gallery of Joni Mitchell paintings for everyone to see while entering into the performance area, which is surrounded by her artwork as well.

Once standing onstage, our lady of the canyon breaks into a fine solo rendition of 'Big Yellow Taxi'. Some will immediately recognize the echoing, hollow sound in her guitar, as guitarists will notice her playing throughout the concert in what appears to be an alternate tuning, a sweet sound full of magical tones, definitely signature Joni Mitchell, kind o' blue. She charms the audience in a laid back manner throughout the show as well, explaining lyrics and telling tales of her songs.

Following a few solo arrangements, her band takes to the stage as well. Brian Blade, Larry Klein, Mark Isham, and Greg Leisz have no problem convincing the captivated audience that they are the typical jazz professionals she's always been known to be accompanied by. I loved hearing 'Night Ride Home', 'Sex Kills', 'Nothing Can Be Done', 'Woodstock', and 'The Magdalena Laundries', among others.

This DVD is a must for those who love the music of Joni Mitchell.