Hejira: celebrating Joni Mitchell

About the show

‘Hejira’ is an outstanding 7-piece band set up to celebrate and honour the masterpiece works of Joni Mitchell, mostly from the late ‘70s. Having released the albums ‘The Hissing of Summer Lawns’, ‘Hejira’, ‘Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter ’ and ‘Mingus’, Joni then toured briefly with a band formed from the crème de la crème of contemporaneous musicians (Metheny, Mays, Brecker, Pastorius and Alias). The tour was recorded, producing the much-lauded live album, ‘Shadows And Light’; it is from this album that the band Hejira is drawing the body of its repertoire. Comprising highly experienced, world class musicians, this band is fronted by the brilliant Hattie Whitehead who not only has – in her own way – assimilated the poise, power and beauty of Joni’s vocals, but also plays guitar with Joni’s stylistic mannerisms. Expect an evening of the ‘great’ songs from Mitchell’s back catalogue, such as ‘Amelia’, ‘Help Me’, ‘A Case Of You’, ’Song For Sharon’, ‘Free Man in Paris’ etc.!

Hattie Whitehead ~ vocals & guitar
Ollie Weston ~ tenor & soprano saxophones
Chris Eldred ~ keyboards
Pete Oxley ~ guitar
Dave Jones ~ bass
Rick Finlay ~ drums
Marc Cecil ~ percussion

“Hattie Whitehead’s voice is strikingly like Joni’s – pitch-perfect and pure – though with her own unique vibrato that added a sense of the unfamiliar to tunes…Go and see this music performed live – with all the musicality, intensity and passion it so richly deserves.” ~ UK Jazz News