In the wake of my post post yesterday, on the March 2019 Mojo feature on her, I’ve decided to start posting my album by album critical review of her discography.
I’m only planning to cover up until Mingus. From Wild Things Run Fast onwards, if I’m honest, she never attains the same heights and depths, for me at least. Or perhaps what I really mean is that the music only rarely connects with or moves me from that point on.
From her 1968 debut, Song To A Seagull, through to Hejira, in 1976 – in other words her first eight albums, recorded and released over eight years – her music is totally sublime, as far as I’m concerned. Or, to misquote Johnny Mercer, she’s just too fabulous for words. Still, I won’t let that stop me!
But I’m going to include the two live albums, and her last couple of jazzier studio releases, Don Juan and Mingus as well, giving a total of twelve recordings from what I regard as the ‘golden age’ of Joni.
This post is intended to act as an index to these discographical posts, once they’re all in place.
This post has sat in the drafts folder for aeons (I’m typing this in late Sept’, 2021!). But I’m re-inserting it back into the chronology of posts where it was first intended to be.