On Hallowe'en 2008, Steve Lawson and I saw each other at the weekly Tuttle Club meeting. As we approached each other, Steve dropped a CD on the floor. "Oops, there goes the best album ever made," he said. It was Hejira. I mentioned that I'd never heard it beyond the opening track. (In the days when I was exploring Joni's back catalogue, you couldn't browse the whole lot, you had to bet your limited funds on one album or another, and I chose the one before and the next but one after.) Steve gave me the album on the spot. What a lovely man!
I confess I've not fully absorbed Hejira since then, but, when you listen with Steve's music in mind (1, 2, 3), it absolutely makes sense that he would say Hejira was the best album ever made. Take the attributes in Pandora's "Music Genome Project" and there must about 20 that Steve's stuff shares with Hejira. Here's my completely amateur set of candidates:
- Subtle Buildup/Breakdown
- Intricate Melodic Phrasing
- Cool Jazz Influences
- Mellow Sounds
- Amazing Instrumental Prowess
- Laid Back Shuffle Feel
- …
Hmmm, I better stop. I'm musicologically clueless, and I can feel myself about to make an offensive faux pas, if I haven't already.
You left one thing out: lyrics.
Posted by: Brian | 03 September 2011 at 01:36 AM
Hi Brian,
Well, if you mean things in general that I left out, I'm sure there's more than just lyrics.
However, if you mean things that Hejira shares with Steve's 'stuff', the latter doesn't have any lyrics, so they don't really share that attribute.
Posted by: David | 03 September 2011 at 11:56 AM
I'm a doofus. Sorry about that, I had had some wine and didn't read your post properly.
Taking flight with Amelia now.
Posted by: Brian | 04 September 2011 at 11:37 PM
Brian, I know I have written more daft things on these pages than your minor slip of the keyboard -- it's kind of you to keep paying attention despite all of them. So thank you, and you have nothing to apologise for.
Posted by: David | 05 September 2011 at 12:44 AM