If you have never gone to a Jonifest you have missed something. If you have never gone to one you OWE yourself a Jonifest Trip if you are a fan of Joni Mitchell or enjoy the daily trip to the JMDL Cafe and Discussion List. They are all different once they get going. This last one experienced inclement weather which 86'd the party from Ashara's house; but in a testament to the party chops of perhaps the greatest hostess of all time in the universe (Ashara), the actual concert of the musicians that is conducted during the fest still went on without a major hitch because The Big A had the forsight to line up an alternative venue at a local church hall. These first fest concerts started with the musicians playing, sitting on the floor in the den, but have now graduated to stage like venues either in Ashara's backyard or in the case of New Orleans a real night club. On the other hand the front room sing along still happens because it is inevitable. Listers are nothing if not all music sluts; and singing salad makers, crooning shrimp barBQers, and three part harmony table settings are not uncommon. A performance can erupt at any moment and frequently does. You can be sipping a martini in the living room and all of a sudden someone is playing guitar behind you and singing to a crowd. Having said all this I must say that my obtaining the CD's that are made from the music that is taped at the fests is something I love very much to do because having met a number of the listers in New Orleans its like being with them again. Also because the music itself is so unpredictable and often very very good. There's some real tallent in our midst. My personal dream is to actually get all the primo players from around the world who are listmembers to one grand fest. But alas that's still a dream. For instance [nudge nudge] prying the Brits away from the dreary foggy wet climate they need to survive for instance will be no easy task. I dont think any fest has actually had a Brit attend although John Van Tiel, in the tradition of his perhaps (Pre Britain invasion) Viking ancestors always manages to perform his Lief Ericsson imitation and traverses the pond, and he has been to all of them. Bravo John. Anyway, I kept bugging Bob Mueller who has absolutely nothing to do with his time and harrassed him until he finally sent me a set copy which was four CDs and for the last two weeks Ive been listening to it in my car and so I decided to provide a little review of the music that made it to CD from the last years Toppsfield event. First of all, with the exception of only a couple glitches, the sound is really good. Whoever was responsible for the production is to be complimented. Great Job. Rumor has it that it was Chuck E who, when hes not in love, is a real musician with a band. Somehow (said Marcel stomping his foot) Chuck's music itself is scarcely on the set (audience sound of awwwwing). I actually looked forward to hearing the Santana-lounge version of Rainy Night House but I do have that on a prior fest set. In any event what follows is a sort of condensed version of the music on the 4 CD set. I must confess one thing however and that is Im never quite sure whether the song being played is an original composed by the player or whether its a song by a band or artist Im unfamiliar with. I hope in the future that the players do more identifying of their numbers so the attribution makes it to the CDs. I also think its time for a session dedicated to originals only from the indigeneous songwriters. I say this only because I like so much to hear the fresh interpretations of Jonis music by those who love her yet theres alot of interesting originals penned by the listers who play. Bob Mueller MC extraordinaire introduces the first performer. The man is absolutely created by God to be an MC. His voice conjures up images of a guy resplendent in a tuxedo even though I know it was jeans and a hawaiian shirt. He is the only person I know who was literally born unto this earth with a pair of headphones on which caused the delivery room nurse to contact the local news outlet. In any event Bob just makes the tape sound official. He later would grace us with his first ever actual performance. Hey its always really difficult to be the first on at anything like this. Anne Sandstrom: Anne is the closest thing to a real folksinger on the set. She sings about images and places and scenes and her voice reminds me alot of Buffy St.Marie. I think her song about The Undeground is one of the most haunting songs Ive heard in some time. It got the supreme compliment which was three consecutive replays during my morning drive through downtown SF. In fact that song and the urban landscape are made for each other. A real MTV experience. Jenny Goodspeed: Jenny (who Ive never had the pleasure of meeting) pulled a Streisand and announce how nervous she was and then sings like she isnt nervous at all. I especially liked her song The Ocean I believe an original song she wrote. Check it out. John Van Tiel: It isnt every day that you actually get to hear a song whispered in Dutch. Unless of course you have a short wave radio. But heres a guy who not only has the baddest collection of chocolates in the universe and whips them on the attendees just before meal time but can actually perform a song in Dutch language. Of course he IS Dutch which gives him an advantage.While doing a number like this tends to suppress the urge everyone has to sing along it was great to hear it. John whispers his songs extreemly well. He also (I think) composed a song about Tofu that is a must listen. Hillarious. Just a great spoof. Its also a song on which he allegedly tries to get Jimmy Stewart from Fort Myers up on the stage to sing the refrain. Now THAT is a rare happenstance. If you listen carefully there is a rustling sound in the background of this song that is Jimmy deperately trying to leap off the stage but the other listeners are holding him on the stage. Claudia San Soucie: The Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Excellent songwriter as her set demonstrates. Excellent voice and guitar as well. I particularly like two of her originals on the CD, Wild in the Fire and Spell of Memories. She has the song Conversation down cold as with her strumming she creates this natural percussion sound along with the melody that seems to be right out of Jonis Open Tuning University Masters Program. Claudia does a reprise set at Atty Maes on disk 4 as well so you get to hear her twice. Bob Mueller: This guys enthusiasm has not been witnessed in any medium since Linda Lovelace got her chance in feature films. He may not be Luciano Pavrotti but in the case of Bob he would still be on his feet singing long after the Pav was slouched in the corner exhausted. And that is a very beautiful thing. Now I expected Bob to take a shot at something real like Both Sides Now or Circle Game but noooooooo. he goes for one of the most difficult Joni songs ever in Furry Sings the Blues. Talk about balls. AND he pulls it off even though the VG-8 (ahem) didnt provide the right key for him to sing in. Theres a faint sound of people in the background off the stage going "Isnt it button 335bx as opposed to the inverted 427zw that's Bob's octave?" . And does he then do a normal song for his second number. Nah. He does another toughie in Amelia. Tip o' the Kakki martini on your performance Bob. Leslie Mixon: Leslie is like the Founding Mother of the orginal Joni website JM.com and was a personal close friend of its founder Wally Breese so she always brings that spirit with her. She has a very very good voice and does some great Laura Nyro style singing. Her hubby Steve is a wonderful mandolin and multiple instrument player. I love at least two of the songs Leslie did in her set. Nyro's 'Sweet Blindness' and Judgement of the Moon and Stars. I also liked the Mixon duo version of Girl From the North Country with Steves mandolinistics providing some great accompanyment. Victor Johnson: Victor is a one of a kind personality. It is not uncommon to see Victor confidently play melodies on a Kazackstanian Uzbak even though hes never seen one before. He is the only listmember who could TRY to do Paprika Plains all by himself. Post event listmembers comments on JMDL frequently say things like "It was interesting being seranaded by Victor while we toasted our english mufffins in Asharas kitchen as the sun came up". His original songs are on the eclectic side but he has an excellent voice and in fact I know of no one who comes close to his Neil Young imitations except Neil himself who wishes he had Victors voice instead of that sandpaper whine God gave him. Did a super backing on piano for Leslie Mixon on Judgement of the Moon and Stars as well. Big time hats off to your keyboards Victor. He led the group in a really fun version of Angel from Montgomery with Steve Mixon doing some great mandolin. Theres also some great harmonies going on which sound like Claudia and Leslie. Ashara Stansfield: While she only performs one song on the CD I must say that her rendition of Fields of Gold really touches my soul and I cant explain why. Theres something about songs that come from the vocal chords while others come from deep in the soul itself and on that song she really does it. She will probably think her voice is rusty but when you can sing from the soul as Ashara does it really doesnt matter. Michael Paz. Hot off his stunning victory in the Stephen Segal look alike competition with a radio voice that makes Barry White take notice, and one of the most accomplished musicians and studio technicians on the entire list, founding sage emeritus of the JMDL VG-8 Society, and a general all around cool guy. Michael is an excellent keyboard played as well as guitar and VG-8. Paz fearlessly jumps on songs where other list members fear to tread. Fortunately he discovered the VG-8 so he can do all this with one finger. He provides some cool Pazzed-up piano versions of Coyote and Man from Mars in his first set. Wally Kairez: I call him Wally the Wonder. Wally K is the modern art version of Joni covers. He is to music what Gaudi is to architecture. As if hearing a song in Dutch wasnt enough Wally does one in Latin that had all the rare species of birds in the neighborhood looking furtively for the mate that was calling them from this church hall. Talk about avant garde; Wally's simply off the charts. He truly got me with his version of Coyote and I mean that. He invents things Van Morrison-like as he goes along and i cant explain how it works but it does. I just loved it. At first listen when you may be expecting something conventional his style can take you totally aback but even though my personal taste is definitely silky harmonies and strong melodies after a few listens it really grew on me. He takes Coyote to places where its never been taken before. Slow and with real imagination, on an instrument hes never played before (the VG-8) and actually ends it with the a stanza from the American Star Spangled Banner. Woah. Prior to Wally doing this song I had no idea that the Coyote in the song could be bisexual but in Wallys version he is as "he leaves his woman and screams "Walllyyyyy". Top that. He follows that with an out of the envelope improv jazz bass version of Dry Cleaners from DesMoines of which Im not sure how much of the original song survived but who cares because he adds his own touches both vocally and lyrically and its amazing to me. Wally goes deep into the wilderness but he always emerges alive if not totally victorious. Wally is the pure spirit of fearlessness. Ya gotta love it. Isnt that what Joni is really about in her career, risk. Disc 4 is the now annual Listmembers concert at Atty Maes. Every yerar after the Ashara phase the entire group migrates to this local watering hole and they take over the place. Victor does the version of Angel From Montgomery I mentioned before. Claudia does another set including a reprise of Conversation. Paz makes another appearance including a song he does that I love, Jonis "Love Puts on a new face", (which after my kidding about his Stephen Segal looks he probably wants to do exactly that, or tear mine off). Before that he does Just Like This Train. These two songs are so exquisitely done with the playing so fine and the VG-8 (for all my jokes about it) is used so well by Michael it really reminded me again of what a good musician he is and what a treat it is to hear the songs played exactly how Joni plays them. Then he leads the group in a neet version of Pure Prairie Leagues, Aime, which if nothing else demonstrates Bob Muellers nickname "Iron Man'" . As they say in commercials theres all this and much much more. Someday Im going to put together a CD of the very best from all the Jonifests that i have. I always have one in my car CD. Theres nothing quite like them.
