Joni Mitchell, one of the most influential and greatest songwriters of the 20th century, is turning 75 this November. In celebration of her illustrious career and her milestone birthday, The Music Center In Los Angeles will host two star-studded concerts, dubbed, JONI 75: A Birthday Celebration Live at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, November 6th and 7th, with the latter marking Joni’s actual birthday.
In honor of Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, Graham Nash, Chaka Khan, Glen Hansard, Dianna Krall, Kris Kristofferson, Los Lobos, Seal, and Rufus Wainwright will “perform songs from all stages of her life, across the entire oeuvre of her 19 studio albums.” Drummer Brian Blade, who recorded three studio albums with Mitchell and toured for years with the iconic songwriter, and pianist, composer, arranger and producer Jon Cowherd will serve as the co-musical directors/arrangers for JONI 75. Along with Blade and Cowherd, the house band will feature bassist Christopher Thomas, pedal steel player Greg Leisz, guitarist Marvin Sewell, percussionist Jeff Haynes, trumpet player Ambrose Akinmusire, and woodwinds player Bob Sheppard.
Joni Mitchell is no stranger to The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, having performed at the Los Angeles venue in 1972 and 1974. The Los Angeles Times review headline for the 1972 concert read, “Joni Mitchell In A Giant Living Room” and, in 1974 read, “‘New’ Joni Sparks Dancing In The Aisles.” JONI 75 aims to recreate the magic of these past birthday concerts with help from a slew of artists who have been deeply impacted by the Mitchell’s work.
Following the second concert on November 7th, The Music Center will be hosting an exclusive birthday celebration dinner and fundraiser, The Music Center’s Soirée: JONI 75, benefitting The Music Center’s artistic programming efforts. The Music Center will also honor Joni Mitchell with The Music Center’s Excellence in the Performing Arts Award, acknowledging her pioneering spirit and timeless art and music.
As The Music Center explains, “Funds raised at The Music Center’s Soirée: JONI 75 are vital to allow The Music Center to extend the accessibility of the performing arts to new generations and diverse audiences through nationally recognize education programs that support life-long learning in the arts, world-class dance presentations that inspire and enchant audiences and free and low-cost community programming that reaches across boundaries of age, race, ethnicity, gender and beyond.”
For tickets and more information on the star-studded 75th birthday celebration, head to the event’s website.
[H/T JamBase]