It’s the last Monday of March. That means it’s the last Monday of Women’s History Month.
I wanted to post videos from a woman I don’t listen to that often any more, but who I still admire tremendously. Joni Mitchell.
If we’re going to choose a genius from the 1960s (and we can only choose one), I pick her. Her music is so interesting, lyrically, instrumentally, and her voice is so cool. She wasn’t interested in just being a folk singer–a white girl with guitar–she fiddled with jazz, R&B, classical, and non-western beats. She was an explorer throughout her musical career.
First off, here’s a video from 1970. She’s playing her hit “California” from Blue.
Next, the wonderful Mingus tune “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” for which she wrote the lyrics. This track is from the album Mingus, which she recorded with the jazz genius before his death.
This next video’s from Farm Aid 1985. When the ’80s came around, Mitchell started experimenting with electronics. The album Dog Eat Dog was the result. This is the title track, and not quite so electronic, compared to the album version.
To finish up, here’s Mitchell performing at Massey Hall for her seventieth birthday. I’m not sure which song this is. Sadly, it cuts off before the end.
I hope you all have enjoyed this month’s celebration of women in music. It’s been fun putting these posts together. We’ll see what’s up for April. (I won’t be honoring Confederate History Month; no worries there.)
M. Fenn 