A Jones for Joni

by Marcia Manna
San Diego Union Tribune
November 6, 2006

Robin Adler and Dave Blackburn's tribute to Mitchell sells out the house

It would be tempting to pay tribute to Joni Mitchell by selecting a single genre  her jazz work perhaps, or the early folk material.

Representing the full range of the Canadian singer-songwriter's talent could be too daunting a task, though many artists have covered her songs, from Cassandra Wilson ("Black Crow") and Janet Jackson ("Big Yellow Taxi") to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young ("Woodstock").

But that didn't stop guitarist Dave Blackburn and vocalist Robin Adler from honoring Mitchell's challenging body of work. They'll perform a concert, complete with a visual backdrop of Mitchell's photographs and artwork, Saturday, three days before Mitchell's 63rd birthday, at Dizzy's in downtown San Diego.

Joining the Fallbrook husband-and-wife team are pianist Barnaby Finch, a touring member of Lee Ritenour's band; drummer Roger Friend; former Frank Zappa saxophonist Paul Carman; and 16-year-old Evan Stumpges on fretless bass.

"We are lifelong fans and have every album she did," said Blackburn from his North County recording studio Beat 'N Track. "We do this chronologically, so you can witness the arc of Joni's career.

"And we've sold out every Joni Mitchell gig we've done. There are a lot of people who remember that music fondly, so people who know her, know what they are going to hear. We also thought she was retired, and that you couldn't hear the real thing anymore."

Mitchell hasn't retired, but many fans will drive a distance to hear her music. Last month, Mitchell spoke of recording her first collection of new songs in nearly a decade with the Ottawa Citizen. That article, and the success of Adler and Blackburn's tribute concerts, are published on www.jonimitchell.com, a comprehensive, fan-driven Web site.

Blackburn logged on to participate in an online discussion, and now folks, Blackburn said, from as far as South Carolina are traveling to the Dizzy's concert.

In many ways, Adler and Blackburn are ideally suited to this project. A guitar and drum teacher, as well as a producer and performer, Blackburn has an educator's exacting standards. He's written all the charts for the set list and dealt with an aspect of Mitchell's composing that contributes to her originality, namely open or alternate tuning.

In laymen's terms, Mitchell tuned her guitar in a way that suited the songs she wrote. Trying to duplicate that effort can be a tough venture.

"It became a trap for her because you either re-tune before every song, or have 20 guitars on stage," Blackburn said. "I've narrowed it down to do the whole show with six guitars."

Evan, the young bassist who will perform, is one of Blackburn's students. He's memorized every line of every song, including the rigorous efforts of Mitchell's one-time bassist, the late Jaco Pastorius.

Adler's expansive vocal range is effectively tapped, as she easily segues from the high soprano notes Mitchell was known for earlier in her career to the rich lower register she developed in maturity.

"All the songs have unique things that I enjoy," said Adler. "She isn't afraid to speak her mind in her lyrics and I love that.

"We put so many hours into this and I feel so fortunate. There's a lot of love for Joni and her music. It's not about us. It's about her and her evolution as an artist."

Marcia Manna covers North County arts and entertainment for the Union-Tribune. In laymen's terms, Mitchell tuned her guitar in a way that suited the songs she wrote. Trying to duplicate that effort can be a tough venture.

"It became a trap for her because you either re-tune before every song, or have 20 guitars on stage," Blackburn said. "I've narrowed it down to do the whole show with six guitars."

Evan, the young bassist who will perform, is one of Blackburn's students. He's memorized every line of every song, including the rigorous efforts of Mitchell's one-time bassist, the late Jaco Pastorius.

Adler's expansive vocal range is effectively tapped, as she easily segues from the high soprano notes Mitchell was known for earlier in her career to the rich lower register she developed in maturity.

"All the songs have unique things that I enjoy," said Adler. "She isn't afraid to speak her mind in her lyrics and I love that.

"We put so many hours into this and I feel so fortunate. There's a lot of love for Joni and her music. It's not about us. It's about her and her evolution as an artist."