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Joni Mitchell: Shadows and Light

Joni Mitchell: Shadows and Light

List Price: $49.99
Your Price: $44.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: please come back!!
Review: Also agree with all of you! this concert was brilliant!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: sweet,sweet joni!
Review: as the years go flying by i find myself revisiting alot of my favorite artists whom i have remained faithfull to throughout all these long weird years. joni is one of those artists who's song writing skills has shown itself to be superior to almost every other writer today-for those not familiar she is also a highly respected painter who's paintings are getting rave reviews even today and a mitchell orginal comes at a very hefty price tag by the way.
this is a wonder concert dvd with joni and her friends playing alot of her biggest hits at the time. all members of this group played wonderfully with alot of enthusiasm and i was especially intranced by her redition of "shadows and light" and "amelia",although all the songs were terrific. unlike some reviewers i found the clips to be very interestings and were well blended into the songs and if you pay close attention you will pick up their relevance.
a wonderful purchase and very reasonable to obtain a long lasting tribute to one of the great ladies of songs.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Best of her Live Recordings, artsy fartsy video
Review: At a certain point, Mitchell realized that jazz musicians could liberate her music from its past in ways she couldn't do herself or with her usual back up colleagues. This grouping of jazzmen was inspired. Lyle Mays, Jaco Pastorius, Michael Brecker and Pat Metheny set the gold standard for her performances, a standard she's be hard pressed to match thereafter.
This is a terrific listening experience, rewarding from almost every conceivable perspective. The musicians here changed her and she herself responded with challenges to her own abilities. I wish I had caught this tour. Pastorious is possessed, Mays is at his impressionistic best and Metheny is a foil for Mitchell the likes of which she'd never again replicate. Becker brings that East Coast jazz vibe that only he can muster and he is incendiary, smokey, subtle and brilliant.
As other reviews have pointed out, the video is at times too naff for words. Artistic pretensions or literal images absolutely take the whole thing down a notch. But the sound as presented on this DVD is extraordinary, so if the images are that stupid, just listen to it. It is a sublime reward, and perhaps the single strongest vindication of Mitchell's jazz aspirations. Sheer genius.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: joni mitchell - shadows and light
Review: best music video I have ever seen,please re-release

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Some dated video, but it's the MUSIC, man!
Review: Each of the musicians on this concert are capable of headlining any venue. This is an all-star cast that melds together for a most memorable performance. Some of the video production is a little hokie, but, hey, it was 1980. The musical performance is a gem of a time-capsule to be treasured forever.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Music History Captured Live!!!
Review: Finally!!! This 1979 historically significant concert is released in digital format. Joni Mitchell's "Shadows and Light" concert is significant for three reasons: 1) Combining Michael Brecker, Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorious, Lyle Mayes and Don Alias (all first rate solo Jazz stars in their own right) pushes Joni's music through the roof of excellence for pop, Jazz and World Music. The chemsitry is exceptional and the song selections fit right into the pocket of these great musicians improvisational skills. 2) This was the last time that Pat Metheny and Jaco played together. Seeing them jam live is a musical treat. 3) Joni is in top form and pushed to new heights on some of her classic tracks. Her music has never sounded better - and seeing it performed this way is candy for both your ears and eyes.

The hightlights of the concert are numerous. My favorite moments include the exceptional battle between Jaco and Brecker on "Dry Cleaner From Des Moines". They push each other to atmospheric heights as the rest of the band hangs on for dear life. "Goodbeye Pork Pie Hat" will break your heart - with Joni's lyrics telling the story of Lester Young's life to a back drop of bass harmonics and musical sensibility that had to make Charlie Mingus smile from heaven. The band flat out rocks on "In France They Kiss on Main Street" and "Black Crow". It is great to see Pat Metheny play in this format. Whether comping behind the beat or soloing - it is easy to see why he is considered one of the best and most flexible guitarist out there. Brecker is right at home with these guys and Alias is exceptional in keeping all the magic glued together. The star of this performance is Joni. Her poetic writing and excellent voice pulls you into each song and let's you fully take in the music. Jaco was her trusted musical soulmate during the late 70's and his contributions here are significant. His bass is front and center in the mix and his tone is perfect for Joni's textured vocals. This recording is near perfect - leaving you wanting more.

I throughly enjoyed this period of Joni Mitchell's music. One of the most influencial artist in the recording industry, her career has provided us with restlessly innovative music that crosses musical boundraries without hesitation. Here, we get to see and hear her magic performed with one of the tightest group of musicians period. Excellent & Exceptional!!! Don't miss this significant piece of music history. Enjoy!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: DVD not like the VHSvideo?
Review: First of all i am a huge fan of Joni Mitchell, so i was very curious when i bought this DVD. In the '80's i have seen the video. The sound is much better than the VHS. But what i didn't like was the editing of images between.For example you see Joni skating..while the song Hejira is playing. I hate it! I want to see the band playing! Maybe she thought it isn't interesting to see the band..or what? When i buy a 'live'consert DVD i want to see the musicians. Anyway there are enough highlights (Jaco Pastorius!)of the band playing. Personally i like the concert DVD 'Painting with Words' more, but if you like the music of Joni, this is a must have too!,ofcourse;-)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Amazing DVD! Joni, Pat and are you ready Jaco Pastorius!
Review: For those a bit puzzled by this DVD, I should explain that this was one of the first HBO Music Specials, even MTV was in its infancy. That explains the experimental use of video clips from other than the concernt. The show is amazing! However, if you love Joni, imagine her at the Santa Barbara County Bowl with Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, and Michael Brecker building their undiluted and exciting plugged-in jazz settings for Joni's charismatic songs including songs from her Mingus album. Yes, I mean her own music with a killer jazz band which made it even better. You gotta love this show. It's the best live video she ever did. Actually, it was one of the original music concert shows on HBO about the same time as MTV debuted. It starts off with rare footage of Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, James Dean and ending up with the acapella and soulful Persuasions. What a great show! One of my favorite concerts ever -- and I own hundreds of long-form music documetnaries and concert videos. I've had this on a Japanese Laser disc forever and a few years ago bought this on an import DVD. Buy it, Buy it, Buy it -- and thank me later. This is magic!
'fessor Mojo AKA Bill Donoghue

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Please release again on DVD and VHS!
Review: I couldn't agree more with the other reviews: This was a fantastic concert with an absolutely incredible band. The symbiosis of Joni Mitchell, Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Jaco Pastorius, Michael Brecker and Don Alias is very unique and should be available for everybody that loves Jazz. PLEASE release on DVD and VHS!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I need to see this great concert as soon as possible.
Review: I don't understand why this fabulous concert is not available It's probably one of the best concert ever filmed.


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