Hejira: celebrating Joni Mitchell

‘Hejira’ is a 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’ (regarded as her ‘jazz period’), Joni then toured briefly with a band formed from the crème de la crème of contemporaneous jazz musicians (Metheny, Mays, Brecker, Pastorius and Alias).

The tour was recorded, producing the outstanding live album, ‘Shadows And Light’; it is from this album that the band Hejira is drawing the body of its repertoire.

Comprising highly experienced jazz 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!

Hattie Whitehead was born and raised in South West London constantly surrounded by music and words. She has been singing since she can remember, taping her first album at the tender age of 3, with her dad on guitar. The daughter of a jazz musician and a poet, she heard a lot of jazz and folk like James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman and this began to shape her taste in music.

Some years later, Hattie completed a music degree at Leeds University, gigging alongside her studies, and soon after finishing she discovered a passion for writing her own songs. A year later, she brought her band together and began performing her new material around London, to a great response.

Hattie’s love for different styles of music is reflected in her writing where there is a clear folk influence, but other genres are distinguishable, notably Indie and Alternative, with occasional jazz inflections in her vocal melodies.

A full-time professional drummer, percussionist and teacher since 1983, Rick’s performance credits include Just East, Liane Carroll, Si Cranstoun, Des O'Connor, Jacqui Dankworth, Sinéad O’Connor and Mari Wilson.

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He secured his first West End show chair at the age of 24, and his subsequent career as West End theatre drummer has included a 22-year run at Blood Brothers as well as Little Shop of Horrors, Chess, Time, and has seen him accompanying stars like Mel C, Natasha Hamilton, Marti Pellow, Cliff Richard, Stephanie Lawrence, David Cassidy and David Soul.

His love of jazz has led to performances with many of the finest UK Jazz soloists including Ian Shaw, Martin Speake, Derek Nash, Gilad Atzmon, Tina May, Ed Jones, Jim Mullen, Julian Stringle, Jonathan Gee, Roger Beaujolais and many others.

Television includes: Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, Parkinson, The Jethro Junction, The Late Show.

An innovative and enthusiastic teacher, Rick has directed workshops in Jazz and Latin-American percussion, as well as the business of music. He has taught at many schools and colleges including Trinity College of Music, Middlesex University.

Rick writes for, plays in and manages jazz/world quartet Just East and their record label Just East of Jazz. Lately he’s been touring with Hejira: Celebrating Joni Mitchell