Joni Mitchell
Joni’s Jazz
Rhino
Sep 17, 2025 Web Exclusive
“People ask me my favorite of my albums, it’s going to be Joni’s Jazz,” Joni Mitchell stated in the liner notes for Joni Mitchell Archives – Vol. 4. Rather than comprising a best-of collection, this 4-CD set (also available in an 8-LP format) focuses on jazz-influenced material that spans her entire catalog across multiple record labels. Eschewing a chronological listing, the random order of these 61 tracks comfortably places tracks from 1991’s Night Ride Home with “In France They Kiss on Main Street” from ’75’s The Hissing of Summer Lawns and “Just Like This Train” alongside material from ’98’s Taming the Tiger, and it’s remarkable how naturally the tracks emerge as a cohesive new whole.
Along with studio tracks and live recordings, Joni’s Jazz includes rare alternate takes and two 1980 demos that sound like a natural fit for her late-’70s records. There are also contributions to albums from Herbie Hancock (who collaborated with Mitchell on her ’79 Mingus album) and Kyle Eastwood, the latter being Mitchell’s terrific take on Marvin Gaye’s “Trouble Man.” Clearly a labor of love, the set’s booklet features recollections from Mitchell that underscore her undiminished enthusiasm for jazz’s place in her work while offering some memorable details. “I played the Grand Ole Opry twice. The second time I took a jazz band with me, the L.A. Express. They never had me back.” (www.jonimitchell.com)
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