Joni Mitchell skips a dazzling tribute

by Frank Scheck
Reuters
February 3, 2006

The diversity and durability of Joni Mitchell's music was well demonstrated Wednesday at Carnegie Hall in a tribute concert that was a model of its kind.

Shorn of the bombast and commercialism that mar so many of these events, "The Music of Joni Mitchell" featured a dazzling array of superb artists delivering passionate versions of some of pop's most challenging material.

The evening also served a good cause, raising some $130,000 to benefit the Music for Youth Foundation, an organization dedicated to funding music education programs for underprivileged youth.

Producer Michael Dorf created a fast-paced program that ran like clockwork, delivering some two dozen numbers in 2 1/2 hours. The guest of honor was unfortunately not present. In a note read by Dorf, Mitchell explained that she had to care for a "sick cat."

The eclecticism of Mitchell's music was accentuated by the range of artists on display, from Neil Sedaka and Jimmy Scott to Laurie Anderson and eels.

Unrepentant folkies were rewarded by two highly appropriate surprise guests. Tom Rush, who first covered Mitchell's music on classic albums like "The Circle Game," delivered moving versions of that song and "Urge for Going," while Richie Havens sang a plaintive rendition of the classic "Woodstock."

The evening included both faithful and iconoclastic takes on Mitchell's oeuvre. Examples of the former included Dar Williams' folksy "Rainy Nighthouse," American-Indian singer Joanne Shenandoah's moving "The Dawntreader," Suzanne Vega's hushed "Amelia," Amy Grant's chirpy "Big Yellow Taxi," Shawn Colvin's unadorned "Turbulent Indigo" and show closer Judy Collins reprising her landmark cover of "Both Sides Now."

But there also were plenty of surprises. Sedaka delivered a rollicking "Raised on Robbery," featuring a heavy dose of boogie-woogie piano; eels provided a stark stylishness to "All I Want"; and Pharaoh's Daughter infused the challenging "God Must Be the Boogie Man" with Middle Eastern sounds. The Woods Brothers provided a jazzy take on "Black Crow," while Jesse Malin, formerly of D Generation, delivered "Carey" as a straight-ahead rocker. And the Cowboy Junkies' "River" featured the band's trademark blend of country, blues and rock.

Anderson brought down the house with a spellbinding version of "Both Sides Now" in which her ethereal vocals were complemented by loads of electronic overlay.

Bettye LaVette, joking that she had finally gotten to Carnegie Hall after 45 years of "practice, practice, practice," delivered a gorgeously soulful version of "Last Chance Lost." Destiny's Child singer Michelle Williams tried a similar approach with less success on an overblown "Help Me."

The audience favorite was clearly veteran singer Jimmy Scott, who cheated a bit (not that anyone minded) by performing the standard "At Last," which Mitchell once recorded.