<<"The extraordinary power of Shadows and Light, one of a handful of great
live rock albums, took me by surprise, >>
First, thanks Les for picking the "Today in Joni History" back up. I enjoy
seeing them, and I often go scan the articles after you reference them.
And I remember being surprised by S&L as well! When it came out, I had kind
of dropped Joni, since I never got Mingus due to the critical battering it
took. Plus, at the time I was getting heavily into New Wave/Punk and away
from major-label artists.
But when I heard S&L (the radio played it in its entirety in the wee hours of
a Sunday morning), I was blown away! Couldn't believe she featured the
Persuasions, loved the "electric" take on Woodstock, and Michael Brecker was
awesome. The Mingus tunes came to life...indeed, I think it was the first
time I'd heard them, and it would still be many years before I picked it up.
Anyway, this was a real culmination of some state-of-the-art musicians
playing some of the best songs that have ever been written! I just wish they
had included Jaco's solo! Hearing THAT for the first time was a whole 'nother
experience...
Bob
NP: Croz, alternate take of "Laughing" from Perro tapes
