Travelogue

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Release Date
DescriptionExcerpt

Mitchell recasts classic material in orchestral settings, with arrangements by Vince Mendoza and guest-star turns from Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. The results are revelatory; MOJO says: “Mitchell’s voice these days is as complex and adult as bourbon whiskey.” The Guardian places it among her best albums, saying "her orchestral reworking of her earlier classics soar with ascending strings and bittersweet tenderness. Stand-out tracks are 'Hejira' and 'Amelia'—stirring, soulful retellings of introspection and exploration that wash over you."

Description

With the dazzling aplomb of an idea whose time has come, Travelogue, the long-awaited new Joni Mitchell double CD release on Nonesuch Records, re-imagines twenty-two essential selections from the trove of this legendary artist’s expansive repertoire. Set in gorgeous soundscapes courtesy of a 70-member London-based Orchestra, a twenty-voice choir and a select cast of special musical guests, this resplendent offering features Joni Mitchell in some of the most resonant and revealing performances of her career.

It’s an enterprise that underscores several already well-established facts from an entirely new, and aesthetically audacious, perspective. First and foremost: the songs of Joni Mitchell endure. With material that reaches back to 1970, including such classics as “The Circle Game” and “Woodstock” (from Ladies Of The Canyon) through such mid-90’s milestones as “Sex Kills” and “Borderline” (from Turbulent Indigo), and a full spectrum of artfully chosen tracks in between, Travelogue is a superb tutorial on songwriting that survives and thrives in any number of musical contexts.

Travelogue also proves conclusively that Joni Mitchell has entered into a new and richly nuanced phase of a career already marked by constant creative evolution. This latest metamorphosis began to take shape with 2000’s Both Sides Now, a torch singing homage that also matched a full orchestra to her evocative and richly textured vocals in a tour de force that proved nothing less than a revelation to both her newly-minted and long established fans.

Travelogue conclusively consolidates Joni Mitchell’s reputation as an artist for the ages. One of the most powerful singers and songwriters of the modern era, she has fashioned a body of work which has influenced going on three generations of aspiring musicians and songwriters. Yet, from the abundant evidence of Travelogue, it remains an indisputable fact that there is no more gifted an interpreter of the music of Joni Mitchell than Joni Mitchell.

Aiding in this ambitious recasting of a repertoire highlighting both hidden treasures and certified hits is a phalanx of A-list collaborators beginning with co-producer Larry Klein. Another indispensable collaborator is arranger and conductor Vince Mendoza, whose work on Travelogue elevates his longstanding creative partnership with Joni to a whole new level. The same could well be said for such stalwarts as drummer Brian Blade, keyboardist Herbie Hancock and saxman Wayne Shorter. It’s an impressive creative complement rounded out by the likes of Billy Preston on the mighty Hammond B-3, bassists Larry Klein and Chuck Berghofer; Plas Johnson on tenor sax, Kenny Wheeler, flugelhorn, and percussionist Paulinho DaCosta.

This powerhouse ensemble anchors the magisterial splendor of the orchestra in an inspired selection of some the artist’s most exquisite melodies, creating a richly textured musical tapestry against which her lyrics find lush and lustrous new meaning. Travelogue is, in short, a tour de force by an artist working at the very height of her expressive powers.

One of the great pleasures of Travelogue is, in fact, the way in which it refashions our perceptions of many of the milestones that brought Joni Mitchell to these very heights. The tune stack of the double disc is, in itself, a travelogue of sorts, tracing a musical journey to the sweeping vistas of this present destination. It’s a journey that began nearly three decades ago, with such landmark releases as Song to a Seagull, Ladies Of The Canyon, Blue, For The Roses and Court And Spark. Key tracks from those albums, including the above mentioned “Woodstock” and “The Circle Game,” as well as “The Dawntreader,” “For The Roses,” “Judgment Of The Moon And Stars (Ludwig’s Tune),” “Trouble Child,” “Just Like This Train” and “The Last Time I Saw Richard,” provide a familiar point of departure even as they are recast in Travelogue’s thrilling new musical milieu. From 1976’s pioneering stylistic departure, Hejira, comes the song of the same name and the standout cuts “Amelia” and “Refuge Of The Roads.” Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter (’77) yields “Otis And Marlena” and from the exuberant jazz fusions of 1979’s Mingus, “God Must Be A Boogie Man.” Culled from Joni’s seminal 1982 album Wild Things Run Fast are a quartet of memorable selections, “You Dream Flat Tires,” “Love,” “Be Cool” and “Chinese Café /Unchained Melody,” while more recent material includes “Slouching Toward Bethlehem” (based on a poem by W.B. Yeats) and “Cherokee Louise” from 1991’s Night Ride Home, and three tracks from ‘92’s epochal Turbulent Indigo: “The Sire Of Sorrows” (Job’s Sad Song from The Old Testament), “Sex Kills” and “Borderline.”

It’s a repertoire of almost encyclopedic range, yet among the many accomplishments of Travelogue is the way in which it elicits new meaning and fresh connections from this wealth of music. It is not simply the glorious orchestral accompaniment that unites these songs into a single, breathtaking listening experience, but a vocal performance that stands as one of Joni’s most potent and persuasive.

The album was recorded earlier in 2002 at Sir George Martin’s Air Studios in London. Acclaimed filmmakers Allison Anders (Gas, Food, Lodging; Grace of My Heart, for which Joni composed the song “Man From Mars”; Things Behind the Sun) and Alistair Donald (Wingspan) were invited to document these historic sessions and the post-production in Los Angeles. The resulting hour-long documentary, tentatively titled Circle Game: The Making of Joni Mitchell’s Travelogue, offers an intimate look at Joni’s creative process and includes exclusive interview footage with her and some of the other legendary artists participating in the project. It also documents some of the unexpected challenges of making the album such as a studio fire that nearly destroyed the master tapes.

On Travelogue Joni Mitchell and company have redefined the very act of musical interpretation, creating a whole new way to listen to songs that have become part of the fabric of our lives.

ProductionCredits

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by Larry Klein and Joni Mitchell
Musical Direction by Larry Klein
Arranged and Conducted by Vince Mendoza
Recorded at Air Studio, Lyndhurst Hall, London; Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, CA; Record One, Sherman Oaks, CA; Market Street, Venice, CA
Recorded by Geoff Foster and Helik Hadar
Assisted by Jake Jackson, Andy Strange, Jeff Burns, Tom Sweeney and Darrell Thorp
Mixed at Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, CA
Mixed by Allen Sides
Production Coordination: Cindi Peters and Dana Pilson for Worlds End (America) Inc.

Mastered by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, CA

Artwork by Joni Mitchell

Nonesuch Selection Number

79817

Number of Discs in Set
1disc
ns_album_artistid
194
ns_album_id
492
ns_album_releasedate
ns_genre_1
0
ns_genre_2
0
Album Status
Artist Name
Joni Mitchell
MusicianDetails

MUSICIANS
Brian Blade, drums
Chuck Berghofer, acoustic bass
Larry Klein, electric bass
Herbie Hancock, piano
Billy Preston, B-3 organ
Wayne Shorter, soprano saxophone
Plas Johnson, tenor saxophone
Kenny Wheeler, flugelhorn
Paulinho DaCosta, percussion

Orchestra Contractor: Isobel Griffiths
Copyist: Vic Fraser
Orchestra Leader: Gavyn Wright

Violin: Mark Berrow, Dermot Crehan, Ben Cruft, Liz Edwards, David Emanuel, Simon Fischer, Antonia Fuchs, Peter Hansen, Helen Hathorn, Rebecca Hirsch, Jonathan Evans Jones, Patrick Kiernan, Boguslaw Kostecki, Julian Leaper, Douglas Mackie, Rita Manning, Perry Montague-Mason, Jim McLeod, Michael McMenemy, Everton Nelson, Johnathan Rees, Jackie Shave, Katherine Shave, Jonathan Strange, Cathy Thompson, Chris Tombling, Paul Willey, Dave Woodcock, Warren Zielinski
Viola: Rachel Bolt, Catherine Bradshaw, Gustav Clarkson, Philip Dukes, Tim Grant, Garfield Jackson, Zoe Lake, Peter Lale, Bob Smissen, Justin Ward, Bruce White
Cello: David Bucknall, Dave Daniels, Robin Firman, Paul Kegg, Tony Lewis, Helen Liebmann, Martin Loveday, Steven Orton, Anthony Pleeth, Jonathan Tunnell
Bass: David Ayre, Simon Benson, Leon Bosch, Paddy Lannigan, Chris Laurence, Mary Scully
Flute: Andrew Findon, Helen Keen, Anna Noakes
Soprano saxophone: Philip Todd
Oboe: John Anderson, Susan Bohling, Chris Cowie
Cornet: Susan Bohling
Clarinet: Nick Bucknall, David Fuest, Heather Nicholl
Bassoon: Julie Andrews, Gavin McNaughton, Robin O' Neill
Contrabassoon : Richard Skinner
Horn: Richard Bissell, Philip Eastop, John Pigneguy, David Pyatt, Simon Rayner, Mike Thompson, Richard Watkins
Trumpet: Paul Archibald, John Barclay, Stuart Brooks, Andrew Crowley, Simon Gardner, Derek Watkins
C-trumpet: Andrew Crowley
Trombone: Pete Beachill, Peter Davies, Richard Edwards, Roger Harvey, Mike Hext
Bass Trombone: Dave Stewart
Tuba: Owen Slade
Harp: Skaila Kanga, Helen Tunstall, Hugh Webb
Percussion:  Steve Henderson, Bill Lockhart, Frank Ricotti, Chris Baron, Glyn Matthews
Piano: John Lenehan
Lute: Jacob Heringman

Choir Conductor: Jennie O'Grady
Metro Voices Choir: Jonathan Arnold, Lindsay Benson, Jeremy Birchall, John Bowley, Matthew Brooke, Andrew Busher, Michael Dore, Robert Evans, Graham Godfrey, Simon Grant, Donald Greig, Robert Kearley, Gerry O'Beirne, Michael Pearn, Jeremy Rose, John Kingsley Smith, David Porter Thomas

Cover Art
UPC/Price
Label
CD+MP3
UPC
075597981728BUN
Label
MP3
Price
19.00
UPC
075597947236
Label
FLAC
Price
20.00
UPC
075597931631
  • 79817

News & Reviews

  • Sufjan Stevens offers his take on the classic Joni Mitchell tune "Free Man in Paris" on the recent Nonesuch release A Tribute to Joni Mitchell. "No other songwriter of her generation captured voice, tone, and point-of-view quite as precisely," says Stevens in an essay on his Asthmatic Kitty blog. "Some of her best songs embark on the persona of conversation, capturing the voice of the people she observed around her."

  • About This Album

    With the dazzling aplomb of an idea whose time has come, Travelogue, the long-awaited new Joni Mitchell double CD release on Nonesuch Records, re-imagines twenty-two essential selections from the trove of this legendary artist’s expansive repertoire. Set in gorgeous soundscapes courtesy of a 70-member London-based Orchestra, a twenty-voice choir and a select cast of special musical guests, this resplendent offering features Joni Mitchell in some of the most resonant and revealing performances of her career.

    It’s an enterprise that underscores several already well-established facts from an entirely new, and aesthetically audacious, perspective. First and foremost: the songs of Joni Mitchell endure. With material that reaches back to 1970, including such classics as “The Circle Game” and “Woodstock” (from Ladies Of The Canyon) through such mid-90’s milestones as “Sex Kills” and “Borderline” (from Turbulent Indigo), and a full spectrum of artfully chosen tracks in between, Travelogue is a superb tutorial on songwriting that survives and thrives in any number of musical contexts.

    Travelogue also proves conclusively that Joni Mitchell has entered into a new and richly nuanced phase of a career already marked by constant creative evolution. This latest metamorphosis began to take shape with 2000’s Both Sides Now, a torch singing homage that also matched a full orchestra to her evocative and richly textured vocals in a tour de force that proved nothing less than a revelation to both her newly-minted and long established fans.

    Travelogue conclusively consolidates Joni Mitchell’s reputation as an artist for the ages. One of the most powerful singers and songwriters of the modern era, she has fashioned a body of work which has influenced going on three generations of aspiring musicians and songwriters. Yet, from the abundant evidence of Travelogue, it remains an indisputable fact that there is no more gifted an interpreter of the music of Joni Mitchell than Joni Mitchell.

    Aiding in this ambitious recasting of a repertoire highlighting both hidden treasures and certified hits is a phalanx of A-list collaborators beginning with co-producer Larry Klein. Another indispensable collaborator is arranger and conductor Vince Mendoza, whose work on Travelogue elevates his longstanding creative partnership with Joni to a whole new level. The same could well be said for such stalwarts as drummer Brian Blade, keyboardist Herbie Hancock and saxman Wayne Shorter. It’s an impressive creative complement rounded out by the likes of Billy Preston on the mighty Hammond B-3, bassists Larry Klein and Chuck Berghofer; Plas Johnson on tenor sax, Kenny Wheeler, flugelhorn, and percussionist Paulinho DaCosta.

    This powerhouse ensemble anchors the magisterial splendor of the orchestra in an inspired selection of some the artist’s most exquisite melodies, creating a richly textured musical tapestry against which her lyrics find lush and lustrous new meaning. Travelogue is, in short, a tour de force by an artist working at the very height of her expressive powers.

    One of the great pleasures of Travelogue is, in fact, the way in which it refashions our perceptions of many of the milestones that brought Joni Mitchell to these very heights. The tune stack of the double disc is, in itself, a travelogue of sorts, tracing a musical journey to the sweeping vistas of this present destination. It’s a journey that began nearly three decades ago, with such landmark releases as Song to a Seagull, Ladies Of The Canyon, Blue, For The Roses and Court And Spark. Key tracks from those albums, including the above mentioned “Woodstock” and “The Circle Game,” as well as “The Dawntreader,” “For The Roses,” “Judgment Of The Moon And Stars (Ludwig’s Tune),” “Trouble Child,” “Just Like This Train” and “The Last Time I Saw Richard,” provide a familiar point of departure even as they are recast in Travelogue’s thrilling new musical milieu. From 1976’s pioneering stylistic departure, Hejira, comes the song of the same name and the standout cuts “Amelia” and “Refuge Of The Roads.” Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter (’77) yields “Otis And Marlena” and from the exuberant jazz fusions of 1979’s Mingus, “God Must Be A Boogie Man.” Culled from Joni’s seminal 1982 album Wild Things Run Fast are a quartet of memorable selections, “You Dream Flat Tires,” “Love,” “Be Cool” and “Chinese Café /Unchained Melody,” while more recent material includes “Slouching Toward Bethlehem” (based on a poem by W.B. Yeats) and “Cherokee Louise” from 1991’s Night Ride Home, and three tracks from ‘92’s epochal Turbulent Indigo: “The Sire Of Sorrows” (Job’s Sad Song from The Old Testament), “Sex Kills” and “Borderline.”

    It’s a repertoire of almost encyclopedic range, yet among the many accomplishments of Travelogue is the way in which it elicits new meaning and fresh connections from this wealth of music. It is not simply the glorious orchestral accompaniment that unites these songs into a single, breathtaking listening experience, but a vocal performance that stands as one of Joni’s most potent and persuasive.

    The album was recorded earlier in 2002 at Sir George Martin’s Air Studios in London. Acclaimed filmmakers Allison Anders (Gas, Food, Lodging; Grace of My Heart, for which Joni composed the song “Man From Mars”; Things Behind the Sun) and Alistair Donald (Wingspan) were invited to document these historic sessions and the post-production in Los Angeles. The resulting hour-long documentary, tentatively titled Circle Game: The Making of Joni Mitchell’s Travelogue, offers an intimate look at Joni’s creative process and includes exclusive interview footage with her and some of the other legendary artists participating in the project. It also documents some of the unexpected challenges of making the album such as a studio fire that nearly destroyed the master tapes.

    On Travelogue Joni Mitchell and company have redefined the very act of musical interpretation, creating a whole new way to listen to songs that have become part of the fabric of our lives.

    Credits

    MUSICIANS
    Brian Blade, drums
    Chuck Berghofer, acoustic bass
    Larry Klein, electric bass
    Herbie Hancock, piano
    Billy Preston, B-3 organ
    Wayne Shorter, soprano saxophone
    Plas Johnson, tenor saxophone
    Kenny Wheeler, flugelhorn
    Paulinho DaCosta, percussion

    Orchestra Contractor: Isobel Griffiths
    Copyist: Vic Fraser
    Orchestra Leader: Gavyn Wright

    Violin: Mark Berrow, Dermot Crehan, Ben Cruft, Liz Edwards, David Emanuel, Simon Fischer, Antonia Fuchs, Peter Hansen, Helen Hathorn, Rebecca Hirsch, Jonathan Evans Jones, Patrick Kiernan, Boguslaw Kostecki, Julian Leaper, Douglas Mackie, Rita Manning, Perry Montague-Mason, Jim McLeod, Michael McMenemy, Everton Nelson, Johnathan Rees, Jackie Shave, Katherine Shave, Jonathan Strange, Cathy Thompson, Chris Tombling, Paul Willey, Dave Woodcock, Warren Zielinski
    Viola: Rachel Bolt, Catherine Bradshaw, Gustav Clarkson, Philip Dukes, Tim Grant, Garfield Jackson, Zoe Lake, Peter Lale, Bob Smissen, Justin Ward, Bruce White
    Cello: David Bucknall, Dave Daniels, Robin Firman, Paul Kegg, Tony Lewis, Helen Liebmann, Martin Loveday, Steven Orton, Anthony Pleeth, Jonathan Tunnell
    Bass: David Ayre, Simon Benson, Leon Bosch, Paddy Lannigan, Chris Laurence, Mary Scully
    Flute: Andrew Findon, Helen Keen, Anna Noakes
    Soprano saxophone: Philip Todd
    Oboe: John Anderson, Susan Bohling, Chris Cowie
    Cornet: Susan Bohling
    Clarinet: Nick Bucknall, David Fuest, Heather Nicholl
    Bassoon: Julie Andrews, Gavin McNaughton, Robin O' Neill
    Contrabassoon : Richard Skinner
    Horn: Richard Bissell, Philip Eastop, John Pigneguy, David Pyatt, Simon Rayner, Mike Thompson, Richard Watkins
    Trumpet: Paul Archibald, John Barclay, Stuart Brooks, Andrew Crowley, Simon Gardner, Derek Watkins
    C-trumpet: Andrew Crowley
    Trombone: Pete Beachill, Peter Davies, Richard Edwards, Roger Harvey, Mike Hext
    Bass Trombone: Dave Stewart
    Tuba: Owen Slade
    Harp: Skaila Kanga, Helen Tunstall, Hugh Webb
    Percussion:  Steve Henderson, Bill Lockhart, Frank Ricotti, Chris Baron, Glyn Matthews
    Piano: John Lenehan
    Lute: Jacob Heringman

    Choir Conductor: Jennie O'Grady
    Metro Voices Choir: Jonathan Arnold, Lindsay Benson, Jeremy Birchall, John Bowley, Matthew Brooke, Andrew Busher, Michael Dore, Robert Evans, Graham Godfrey, Simon Grant, Donald Greig, Robert Kearley, Gerry O'Beirne, Michael Pearn, Jeremy Rose, John Kingsley Smith, David Porter Thomas

    PRODUCTION CREDITS
    Produced by Larry Klein and Joni Mitchell
    Musical Direction by Larry Klein
    Arranged and Conducted by Vince Mendoza
    Recorded at Air Studio, Lyndhurst Hall, London; Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, CA; Record One, Sherman Oaks, CA; Market Street, Venice, CA
    Recorded by Geoff Foster and Helik Hadar
    Assisted by Jake Jackson, Andy Strange, Jeff Burns, Tom Sweeney and Darrell Thorp
    Mixed at Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, CA
    Mixed by Allen Sides
    Production Coordination: Cindi Peters and Dana Pilson for Worlds End (America) Inc.

    Mastered by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, CA

    Artwork by Joni Mitchell