Celebrating the Music of Joni Mitchell featuring Hattie Whitehead in a Formidable 7-piece Band
Music Spoken Here presents Hejira: Celebrating Joni Mitchell
The Marr’s Bar, Worcester
Thursday 27th June 2024, 8pm doors / 8:30 start
Remember that time when Joni Mitchell pulled together some of the most progressive jazz musicians of the time (Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Jaco Pastorius, Michael Brecker and Don Alias) to tour and record the Shadows & Light album?
Well, as a homage to that delectable project and era of Joni Mitchell’s music that saw the release of The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Hejira, Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter and Mingus, guitarist Pete Oxley pulled together Hejira: Celebrating Joni Mitchell to mark Mitchell’s 80th birthday last year. Initially intended as a one-off, following a hugely successful performance at Oxley’s Spin Jazz Club in Oxford, the band embarked on a tour that is selling out venues across the UK.
Hejira is fronted by the incredible singer / songwriter and guitarist Hattie Whitehead, daughter of renowned saxophonist and Loose Tubes alumni Tim Whitehead. In his review of their performance at London’s Jazz Café for Jazzwise Magazine (May 2024), Peter Jones declared “no two ways about it, Whitehead is one of the greatest singers I have ever heard.”
Reflecting the lineup of Joni’s Shadows & Light band, Oxley has selected exceptional musicians from the UK jazz circuit to form Hejira. Whitehead and Oxley are joined by Ollie Weston (tenor & soprano saxophones), Chris Eldred (keyboards), Dave Jones (bass), Rick Finlay (drums) and Adam Osmianski (percussion). Whereas a traditional tribute band focuses on accurate reproduction of the original, (Whitehead uses Joni’s distinctive open guitar tunings), Hejira enables each of these accomplished musicians to bring their own interpretation to the music.
With an expected full house, event promoter Music Spoken Here recommend you book now with their ‘choose your price’ admission (£15-20) if you don’t want to miss this incredibly popular show.