LP #23 Joni Mitchell – Hejira (1976)

I had a lot of trouble settling on a favorite Joni album, among this one, Ladies of the Canyon, and Court and Spark. I finally settled on Hejira despite the lack of radio hits due to the jazzy feel, most notably the bass work of Jaco Pastorius on a couple of the cuts. It hangs together nicely as a whole, without any weak songs in the bunch.

 

Favorite tracks:

Coyote

Hejira

Song For Sharon

Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Strathmore, 1/30/2015

Really enjoyed the show at Strathmore last Friday night – good seats, which was fortunate because the performance was much more visual than we expected (you have to be able to do more than sing to join this ensemble!). Wondered whether or not they would do anything from Graceland – they didn’t in their first set, but started off after intermission with the first part of “Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes” and later did all of “Homeless”. Other highlights included “Long Walk To Freedom” and “Rain Rain Beautiful Rain”. We decided to arrive early and eat at the Strathmore café; the prime rib was quite good.