Painting with Words and Music :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

No Hejira Here

2002-07-12
One of the many wonderful aspects of this DVD is Ms. Mitchell's storytelling, the most striking of which was how she came up with the title of her album Hejira. She explained that the definition of the word is, "...leaving the dream, no blame." Well, she has not left the dream. I have been listening to her music for 30 years, have all her albums, most on vinyl as well as CD, and I was SO mesmerized by this DVD. While she has lost the high end of her vocal range, she MORE than compensates with her style, her presence, and her incredible talent. My only complaint about the DVD is the sound quality which is spotty at times, otherwise it would be a 5 plus. The dream lives on.

If anyone knows where you can get prints of her paintings, please contact me.

Great music ---good camera work ----disappointing sound! 2002-02-25
Hopefully this DVD can be remixed and reissued! The guitar dominated watery/echoey "mono" sounding surround sound mix(no better in 2 channel stereo), gives no presence to individual instruments. Mr.Blade suffers the most, his contribution being that of a great instrumental mime!

For fans of her later work. 2001-12-02
This is a great concert DVD! Most of the songs performed by Joni are from Hejira and Taming The Tiger, though there are cuts from most of her albums. She also does a few Jazz standards! In between the songs she tells stories of how she came to write the songs. The picture quality is pretty good, and the sound is great, though her guitar is so dominating at times that it is hard to hear her voice. I don't think that there is anything from Blue, For The Roses or Clouds. If you love Joni's later jazz-guitar-pop sound, this would be a good bet!

Classic, esoteric performance of the great one 2001-02-15
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.

Nice Surprise........ 2001-01-09
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.

Please remaster this! 2008-02-12
To the studio that issued this DVD:

The concert is amazing, every bit as good as Shadows and Light, maybe better. Joni's vocals, her guitar playing, and the band are absolutely breathtaking in the quality of their musicianship.

But the sound quality is pathetic, especially in comparison to the music. I know what Greg Leisz and Brian Blade sound like live, and this isn't it.

Is there any way you could remaster this DVD to do it justice?

This isn't just a "random" concert DVD. It's a Joni Mitchell album. It may not have unique songs, but it has unique performances, especially since the band is so good. That makes it every bit as important artistically as Blue, Mingus, or Wild Things Run Fast. Yes, you heard right -- as important as Blue.

Let's consider an analogy. Joni only has about 25 albums. Let's suppose that Picasso only did about 25 paintings. And let's suppose that a painting had been damaged. And let's suppose that you were the *only* person in the world capable of restoring it. You'd fix it, wouldn't you? It would be an important contribution to art and humanity.

If you could remaster this, it would be tremendous. Besides, look at the reviews here. Everybody loves the album, but hates the sound quality. You can do something about it!

Out of the ballpark! 2007-12-03
Joni is a goddess and I venture this: she is #1 - a renaissance woman in the full. Far from disappointment that her voice isn't soprano.....it is in full maturity.
Her beauty and talent shine in this movie - I am so thankful to have come across it and watch/listen to it over and over. I always loved her early music but had no idea she had grown into this luminous creature. Don't miss this...her version of Why Do Fools Fall in Love? worth the price.

Nice, intimate overview of Joni.... 2004-08-10
Not withstanding the sound problems mentioned many times by reviewers,
this was a pretty nice overview of Joni Mitchell's work,
presented as she is now. The voice has lost much of its
original spectacular presence BUT I really like the new deeper
Joni voice. She is still capable of doing great work, just
at a lower register. The new guitar she uses is perfectly suited for
her stylings, still love the way she moves her hand across the frets making little percussive noises along the way, nobody
plays likes this. The Band is such a compliment to her music,
dreamy, lonesome, searching always relevant. Nice pedal steel
and especially the BASS work is terrific. I especially
enjoy the likes of "Comes Love" and how much she enjoys herself
taking on this style. Shes never been afraid to explore her
muse so this show comes off beautiful for the most part, whatever happened to the mixing, the most important part to me
I'll never know, it just should have been more striking considering all the time taken to look so good. This show is
a must for those who've traveled with Joni all these years and just let her be who she's become as she ages and
well for those forever lost to the 1970s and unable to deal with
the artist evolving and changing and getting along its sad. She
smokes big deal, she pays the consequenses of this but getting
back to the show, it has many great moments to recommend.

A must for Joni fans. 2003-09-03
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.

A highly evolved artist 2003-04-22
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. :-)