Joni Mitchell - Shadows and Light

Yes, Joni took artistic control of this video while I'd rather just watch the concert the musicianship of Pat, Lyle, Jaco, Michel, and Don is so incredible backing up Joni.

From what I gather, the non-concert videos that replaced footage of the concert during some of the songs or portions thereof were Joni Mitchell's idea and not something forced by some idiot working for the studio. Well, it is her concert and she can do what she wants but I just think that was a plain bad idea to show these videos instead of focusing on the superb concert itself and the extremely high level of musicianship.That said, I was expecting a lot more non-concert video so I was pleasantly surprised that for the majority of the time, the concert was shown. Also - I do have to say I liked the footage of Amelia Earhart. I liked it because it showed a time when our country honored real, true heroes with ticker tape parades and gave them the respect they deserved - it brought people together. These days so much of what we honor is, well.. not really honorable. Okay, that's my soapbox portion and I'm done with it so slam those unhelpful votes on me for it, haha.The product itself is wonderful. The price is right and I really enjoyed the concert. Joni Mitchell is in good form, and her voice is lovely (I don't know if they did any studio dubs on it but she sounds really good). Yes, she does look a bit lazy strumming the guitar as someone pointed out, but she is a musician first and a showman/performer second, unlike so many people today who are all show with no substance. She is all substance. The musicians backing her up are all first rate and I wish I could have seen more of them. At least she allowed them to shine during the concert.Watching and listening to this event made me feel like I was there on that evening in Santa Barbara with them (well, except for when the videos cut in but the music put me in the right mood). If you like this phase in Joni's career, then by all means buy this DVD - it is well worth it.

There is no dislike to my ears and eyes. You hear and see Lyle Mays and Bass master JACO in a POP-like setting, He plays things on this DVD, that bass players can play on the bandstand..Unlike his playing with Weather Report.The stuff that got many Bass players fired from their job.Per Marcus Miller..

I was just a kid out of high school, it was just after Woodstock, i was not counter-culture, and Joni Mitchell was a guest on The Dick Cavett Show. Jefferson Airplane was there, and Jimi Hendrix was supposed to be, but they couldn't rouse him from his hotel room. Joni did Chelsea Morning and The Fiddle and the Drum, from her 2nd album, Clouds. I was captivated by her; she embodied an archetype that resounded with me. I found her album in a downtown record shop in the miscellaneous female bin. I have purchased every record that she has produced since (including her first) and grew with the changes she went through, never wanting her to stay static.Nevertheless, i was late to listen to this concert, Shadows and Light. Really late, about 35 years (and she was almost 40 at the time it was performed). (It really does fly by, you don't think it will when you're a kid because it took forever to gain independence.) I like this much better than Miles of Aisles, for me it just works better. Joni was at her zenith. Players Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Jaco Pastorius, Michael Brecker, Don Alias and The Persuasions were perfection, providing Joni both the jazz and mysticism appropriate for the level into which her work had evolved, ascended.

This is amongst my very favorite concert films. It features Joni doing her thing magnificently while playing with some of the best jazz musicians in the world. She is stunning; the combination is stunning. The combo is superstar quality, the solos sublime. This is one I hope someday gets remastered but great in its present form.

Intelligent, fresh, the self-reinvention of Joni Mitchell going far beyond her (delightful) mother earth days and emerging as an amazing giant in pop jazz. Includes Pat Metheny on guitar and the late, legendary Jaco Pastorius on bass (with a very cool solo). This should be in the collection of any true connoisseur of music.

Although some of Joni's visual interludes are slightly distracting, the artists are -- each and every one -- at the top of their game.Joni Mitchell has captivated me for over 40 years. This luminescent performance is no exception.The solo forays by Jaco and others are energetic and life-giving. The film documents an era when progressive, popular music faced the issues without distressing the audience.I loved this.While the package arrived crushed because of inadequate packing and handling, the disc was unscathed. So I packed it in an extra case.At this deeply sad time in human history, this recorded performance muted my pain, enhanced my ability to listen attentively and brought me great joy.Mitchell is a national treasure, and not without her missteps, has succeeded here. Warmly recommended.

The music here is among the best of anythng I have ever heard and bookmarks one part of my life when I was like the Coyote in the song... Hitch-hiking all over the damn place, footloose and fancy free. It's very nice to look back on, and I've long since lost that time, but in exchange I've had 35 years with the lady I met in those days and six kids. But you can look back to the days on the road; the music is like that. And in the performances, Jaco Pastorius, sadly long since gone, is truly astonishing. Pat Metheny, looking very young indeed, is also at his best. Everyone looks young, impossibly so. The music is a thing of wonder. Joni Mitchell is a genius.But the video is truly dreadful. There are, at the most two cameras; and they don't know what they're doing. The footage that is actually missing is the dreadful thing; Jacos firey solo at the end of "Black Crow" is simply not there; at that moment the camera shots wander about, disinterested, unaware, seeingly carried around by distracted shoppers in a largely empty mall. The rest is scarcely better.Worse is the clumsy and absolutely inept cutting of the live footage with strange and totally out of context footage from a bizarre collection of black and white movies and odd nature material that doesn't even begin to fit in with the mood of the music. THis is infuriating; there is more than enough going on with the incredible performances on stage; it's as though the musicians are simply not appreciated.I have to warn prospective purchasers that the actual music - which is unimpeachable - is probably actually better experienced on the CD; with the DVD recording, there are faint but discernable compression artifacts. But having said that, the mix is somewhat different, and you do get better supporting vocals.If there is surviving footage for this, I would say that this really, REALLY deserves re-authoring and remixing entirely. For the sake of the brilliance of the musicians involved, and those precious moments so long ago, it would certainly be worthwhile.

Enjoyed this. Although NTSC and quality of US TV standard it played on my Sony blu-ray player through my LG TV. Great to see a young Pat Metheny and the distinctive pose of Jaco Pastorius not forgetting Lyle Mays contribution. The only gripe I have is that Joni Mitchell, being the artist she is, covers a fair amount of footage with unnecessary filming when I would rather just see the band play. A great show and all performers give it 110%. Joni, of course, is brilliant.

Oggi Joni Mithell è una signora anziana e acciaccata, Jaco Pastorius, Don Alias e Michael Brecker ci hanno lasciati e solo Pat Metheny e Lyle Mays continuano a suonare. Varrebbe la pena di avere questo video solo per questo, ma in verità c'è molto di più: una cantante chitarrista compositrice eccezionale, accompagnata da una band stellare e tutti in stato di grazia. Il video non è lunghissimo e vi sono molti inserti che non ci azzeccano, si dice perché alcune parti della registrazione riuscirono male. Piccola gemma nel finale, con coro di voci maschili, Why do fouls fall in love, dagli anni 50 ad American Graffiti, e grazie a Joni e ai suoi amici, fino a noi.

Die DVD "Shadows and Light" zeigt ein Open Air Konzert der kanadischen Komponistin und Sängerin Joni Mitchell, das sie 1979 in Santa Barbara, Californien, gab. Das Line Up der Musiker, die Joni begleiten, liest sich in der Rückschau wie ein Who is Who der Jazzrock/Fusion-Szene um die Wende zu den 80er Jahren: Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Don Alias, Michael Brecker - abgerundet durch die "Persuasions", deren Einlage beim Titelsong "Shadows and Light" sowohl als Einstieg in den Konzertfilm als auch gegen Ende des Konzerts zu hören ist. Die Band interpretiert auf exzellente Weise den Stil und die anspruchsvollen Melodien und Rhythmen von Joni Mitchell. Vor allem das Duo Metheny-Pastorius - das schon in jungen Jahren zusammenarbeitete (Bright Size Life, 1976) - wirken kongenial zu Joni's Songs.Neben der hochklassigen Band ist die filmische Umsetzung ein weiteres Highlight dieser DVD. Die Songs, die Joni Mitchell auf der Höhe ihrer Kunst zeigen, werden immer wieder durch eingestreute Filmsequenzen angereichert - von James Dean's Wutausbruch in "Denn sie wissen nicht, was sie tun", Joni als "Black Crow" auf dem Eis (gemeinsam mit Toller Cranston), über den einsamen "Coyote" im Schnee bis hin zu historischen Aufnahmen, die die Flugpionierin und Frauenrechtlerin "Amelia" Earhart zeigen.All das macht diese DVD zu einem Gesamtkunstwerk! Die Songs, die Spielfreude der Band und das verwendete Filmmaterial lassen über die 70er-Jahre-Bild- und Tonqualität hinwegsehen. Deshalb die vollen 5 Punkte.Viel Spaß garantiert für alle Joni-, Pat- und Jaco-Fans!

There's not much to say about this record. One of my favorite live recordings of all time. Some people are going to complain that Jaco is playing all over this. Jaco is definitely playing a lot but this is absolutely priceless stuff from a time before the sideshow caught up with him. Warning - he's also way up there in the mix. Don Alias on drums!! All of that aside, Joni is one of the best songwriters of all time, period. If you want a clinic in lyric writing, buy this record. Or any Joni record I guess.