At 01:37 AM 3/7/01 -0000, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>Tom Scott and the Los Angeles session musicians who helped her make the
>big change from FTR on to C&S and HOSL seem somewhat underrated to me.
>Especially, compared with the praise heaped on Jaco's contributions.
Hi Philip,
I have Tom Scott to thank for getting me hooked on Joni. I was in the midst
of a personal "jazz period" in the 1970s and was familiar with his work.
When I noticed he was collaborating with Joni Mitchell I took the plunge
and bought her album "Miles of Aisles." I have been captivated ever since.
It was a huge step in her career to recruit these musicians and start
layering more and more tracks...a process that continues to this day. The
albums you mentioned, C&S and HOSL, remain among my all-time favorites.
However, it is my understanding that Scott's contributions to her sound of
that era, while noteworthy, were not entirely born of his own creativity.
While in the studio Joni would often hum or sing the parts she wanted each
instrument to play, in effect making these players no more than "session"
pros who were reciting (playing) the lines given to them. Jaco Pastorius
was given much more free reign (and WHO could even think of holding him
back??). Joni had been looking for a bass player who would be more "out
front" and found the perfect complement in Jaco. Before Jaco, she pleaded
with bass players to take the lead, come to the fore, but found they were
all closely bound to the "root of the chord," which is of course what they
are taught to do...provide the foundation for the music, not straying too
far from the structure. Jaco pushed the envelope...way out front...and made
it work. Joni may have given Pastorius a few images but largely left him to
his own devices.
A discussion about the musicians she has worked with would not be complete
without mentioning Wayne Shorter. While record contracts conspire to keep
Shorter's appearances with her to a minimum, his contributions are
brilliant and just as inventive as Jaco's.
Scott
