Hello shane:
I don't mind sharing some of my thoughts on Joni's appeal to me as a Black
person, but I don't presume to speak to anyone else's experience, as I'm
mindful of the fact that there is no *one* African-American consciousness,
and in this context, generalization is tantamount to dehumanization, in a
way.
There's this phenomenon here in the U.S. known sociologically as the
"norm/other paradigm," I think. The perception that the majority culture is
the standard by which all other ethnicities should be compared. In this
perception, blackness is somehow exotic and unfathomable. This is a fallacy
Joni transcends in my opinion. I love that she was unafraid to write "you
stood out like a ruby in a black man's ear," for instance. It simply
doesn't enter her mind that people could be perceived as different based
purely on the color of their skin. This outlook is palpable in her music.
My view is that Joni's relationship with American Blackness is a two-way
street. I don't know if it has anything to do with the
Canadian/African-American legacy you speak of...perhaps. I'm reminded that
Neil Young was a musical partner to funkster Rick James early in his career.
But with regard to the Underground Railroad running through Canada, well,
any port in a storm, if you'll pardon the mixed metaphor. Also, I can't
help but think of the present Canadian's Prime Minister's recent comments
about being afraid of being boiled in a pot by natives on his upcoming trip
to Africa. It may be that any perceived bond between Canadians and African
Americans is anecdotal.
But, it's a matter of fact that Joni appeals to a wide cross section of
African-American musicians from many genres. Her music has been covered by
Janet Jackson, Cassandra Wilson, Joshua Redman, Prince, and many others.
Jimi Hendrix adored her. To me as a Black listener, Joni has an intangible
quality known in the Black Community as "soul". It's a subtle but
unmistakable attribute, and more often than not it's a musical gift borne of
pain. She's interprets her unique version of the blues justifiably. Black
people identify closely with that I think. It's the essence of gospel
music, too.
you write:
> someone with her talent cannot fail to
> recognize that the distinctively north american music, especially jazz but
> also rock and blues owes its origins and inspiration to the legacy of the
> american black...
You make a good point here, Shane. Joni is unambiguous in her admiration of
myriad Black musics and musicians. To wit: Miles Davis, Mingus, Marvin
Gaye, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Brian Blade, the Persuasions...just to
name a few. She loved to dance to Chuck Berry and Ray Charles in her youth
and she "feels" African percussion. She considers Wayne Shorter and Herbie
Hancock "geniuses."
To her credit, she doesn't hesitate to voice her opinion of Black artists
she's not "down" with...John Coltrane, "hoods from the hood," etc. Joni has
said that she felt she was Black at points in her life, and we all know
about her assuming a Black personae for DJRD. Many of her closest friends
are African American or of African descent...Val, Chaka Khan, Seal...
I could go on and on, but I'll just stop here. This topic is so complex it
gives me a headache to thing of all the interlockings and ramifications of
the issues. Suffice it to say that I've always been enamored of Joni's
innocence and purity of soul. Joni Mitchell never lies. Word.
-Julius
----- Original Message -----
From: "shane mattison" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2001 10:58 AM
Subject: black folk into joni (sjc)
> julius wrote:
>
> <<It says something, although I can't explain exactly what, that so many
of us
> Black folk have been into Joni for so long. I can't think of many other
white
> artists who have that kind of cross-over appeal, with the possible
exception
> of maybe Janis and Laura Nyro...>>
>
> julius, i just want you to know that this gives me joy thinking about it
and i
> would love to hear any more about this topic that you may or may not feel
like
> sharing...
>
> there has always been decipherable some kind of canadian - american black
> bond, from the time of the underground railroad until now...
>
> funny how things filter through...i remember having beers, probably
underage,
> in a downtown philly bar...it was, a black guy told me sitting near, not a
bar
> for whites...i told him i was canadian and didn't know that...and then he
> warmed to me and welcomed me to the establishment because i was canadian
and
> canadian was cool... so there i was an underage blond 17 year old soakin'
up
> the schlitz's with some pretty 'jazzy cats'...needless to say i ended up
> playing piano at a pretty boudoir-looking nitespot called "mae's place"
that
> same evening...every weekend i was welcome to add my stride piano to the
> general atmosphere, the shadier sides of which i was, like a prairie boy
off
> the farm, totally oblivious...
>
> its partly perhaps the lack of a jaded filter also in joni mitchell, a
> transplant on the american scene...and someone with her talent cannot fail
to
> recognize that the distinctively north american music, especially jazz but
> also rock and blues owes its origins and inspiration to the legacy of the
> american black...
>
> charles mingus was a legend in his own time...that he would dedicate his
last
> songs to joni's care was a fabulous display of guts and intuition...
>
> but you and other black members of this list can tell me much more, than
to
> have this greenhorn
> ramble on...
>
> ciao,
> shane
