Joni’s Jazz

Cat No: 0603497818754

Joni Mitchell introduces Joni’s Jazz, a passion project years in the making. This 4CD or 8LP edition feature recordings chosen by Mitchell that reflect jazz’s profound influence on her music, liner notes with rare and previously unseen photos and original artwork by Mitchell. Spanning 61 tracks, Joni’s Jazz includes studio recordings, live performances, rare alternate takes, and material drawn from multiple decades and record labels. Among them are two previously unreleased 1980 demos.

The set features contributions from some of Mitchell’s most important collaborators in jazz, among them Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, Herbie Hancock, and Charles Mingus. Mitchell, who calls Shorter her favorite collaborator, dedicates the collection to him following his passing in 2023. “It was a joy to play with him,” she writes. “He will be missed, but he will remain alive for me in this music.

Covering nearly every era of her recording career, the collection includes selections from Songs To A Seagull, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Hejira, Mingus, Turbulent Indigo, Both Sides Now (a 2001 GRAMMY® Award winner), and more. It also features her guest appearances on projects like Hancock’s GRAMMY® Award-winning album, River: The Joni Letters. Across the collection, the music follows Mitchell’s artistic growth — from the rhythmic layering of “Harry’s House / Centerpiece” to the bold experimentation of “The Jungle Line,” the narrative scale of “Paprika Plains,” and the airy, improvised feel of “A Chair In The Sky.”

It draws from more than five decades of Mitchell’s recordings, going back to 1968 for “Marcie,” from Song To A Seagull. The most recent is her performance of “Summertime,” recorded live at the 2023 Newport Folk Festival. It marked Mitchell’s first full-length concert in over two decades — a powerful return that resonated around the world. As a self-portrait in sound, Joni’s Jazz captures an artist in conversation with jazz over a lifetime — never imitating, always inventing. Last year, in the liner notes for Joni Mitchell Archives – Vol. 4, she joked, “People ask me my favorite of my albums, it’s going to be Joni’s Jazz.” Now it is.

CD Tracklisting

CD One

1. “Blue”

2. “Trouble Man” – Kyle Eastwood feat. Joni Mitchell

3. “Moon At The Window” – Demo 2 *

4. “Be Cool” – Demo 2 *

5. “Harlem In Havana”

6. “Cherokee Louise”

7. “Come In From The Cold”

8. “In France They Kiss On Main Street”

9. “Nothing Can Be Done”

10. “Sex Kills”

11. “Edith And The Kingpin”

12. “Cold Blue Steel And Sweet Fire”

13. “The Jungle Line”

14. “Shades Of Scarlett Conquering”

15. “Yvette In English”

16. “Marcie”

17. “A Bird That Whistles”

CD Two

1. “Love”

2. “Comes Love”

3. “The Man I Love” – Herbie Hancock feat. Joni Mitchell

4. “At Last”

5. “You’re My Thrill”

6. “Sometimes I’m Happy”

7. “Stay In Touch”

8. “The Crazy Cries Of Love”

9. “Face Lift”

10. “Sweet Sucker Dance” – Early Alternate Version

11. “You Dream Flat Tires”

12. “Answer Me, My Love”

13. “Love Puts On A New Face”

14. “Both Sides Now”

CD Three

1. “Harry’s House/Centerpiece”

2. “Sunny Sunday”

3. “Hana”

4. “Last Chance Lost”

5. “Smokin’ (Empty, Try Another)”

6. “Hejira” – Live at The Santa Barbara County Bowl (10/9/79)

7. “Refuge Of The Roads”

8. “Paprika Plains”

9. “Blue Motel Room”

10. “Black Crow”

11. “Off Night Backstreet”

12. “Just Like This Train”

13. “No Apologies”

14. “Not To Blame”

15. “The Magdalene Laundries”

CD Four

1. “The Sire Of Sorrow (Job’s Sad Song)”

2. “God Must Be A Boogie Man”

3. “A Chair In The Sky”

4. “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” – Live at The Santa Barbara County Bowl (10/9/79)

5. “The Tea Leaf Prophecy (Lay Down Your Arms)” – Herbie Hancock feat. Joni Mitchell

6. “Shine”

7. “If I Had A Heart”

8. “Impossible Dreamer”

9. “One Week Last Summer”

10. “Summertime” – Live at Newport Folk Festival (7/22/23)

11. “Stormy Weather”

12. “Two Grey Rooms” – Demo 5

13. “The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines”

14. “Twisted”

15. “If”

* Previously Unreleased

Vinyl Tracklisting

Side One

Blue
Trouble Man – Kyle Eastwood Feat. Joni Mitchell
Moon At The Window - Demo
Be Cool – Demo
Harlem In Havana

Side Two

Cherokee Louise
Come In From The Cold
In France They Kiss On Main Street
Nothing Can Be Done

Side Three

Sex Kills
Edith And The Kingpin
Cold Blue Steel And Sweet Fire
The Jungle Line

Side Four

Shades Of Scarlett Conquering
Yvette In English
Marcie
A Bird That Whistles

Side Five

Love
Comes Love
The Man I Love – Herbie Hancock Feat. Joni Mitchell

Side Six

At Last
You’re My Thrill
Sometimes I’m Happy
Stay In Touch

Side Seven

The Crazy Cries Of Love
Face Lift
Sweet Sucker Dance – Early Alternate Version

Side Eight

You Dream Flat Tires
Answer Me, My Love
Love Puts On A New Face
Both Sides Now

Side Nine

Harry’s House/Centerpiece
Sunny Sunday
Hana
Last Chance Lost
Smokin’ (Empty, Try Another)

Side Ten

Paprika Plains

Side Eleven

Hejira - Live At The Santa Barbara County Bowl, September 9, 1979
Refuge Of The Roads
Blue Motel Room

Side Twelve

Black Crow
Off Night Backstreet
Just Like This Train
No Apologies
Not To Blame
The Magdalene Laundries

Side Thirteen

The Sire Of Sorrow (Job’s Sad Song)
God Must Be A Boogie Man
A Chair In The Sky

Side Fourteen

Goodbye Pork Pie Hat – Live At The Santa Barbara County Bowl, September 9, 1979
The Tea Leaf Prophecy (Lay Down Your Arms) – Herbie Hancock Feat. Joni Mitchell
Shine

Side Fifteen

If I Had A Heart
Impossible Dreamer
One Week Last Summer
Summertime – Live At Newport Folk Festival, July 22, 2023

Side Sixteen

Stormy Weather
Two Grey Rooms – Demo
The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines
Twisted
If