In the late ‘70s, an unlikely couple came together in the form of jazz legend Charles Mingus and singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. The result was 1979’s Mingus. Here’s a little look into how it got made.

Thanks for listening x

* Allison

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A look at Joni’s first double album and ninth release overall, 1977’s Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter.

Thanks for listening x

* Allison

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Last fall, I traveled back to my hometown of Buffalo for the Thanksgiving holiday and what should I be greeted with? A Joni Mitchell tribute concert by Lauren and the Good Souls.

Led by Lauren Faggiano, this group has it all — horns, harp, mandolin, etc. — and some great versions of Joni classics, deep cuts and fan favorites.

Here’s my conversation with Lauren. You can check out the band’s website here.

Thanks for listening x

* Allison

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A brief look at Joni’s 1976 album Hejira.

For more on this release, check out my interview with Ian Grant of Jokermen fame.

Thanks for listening x

* Allison

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For those of you into Joni Mitchell books, this is a good moment in time. Here’s an interview I did with Henry Alford, author of the new book I Dream of Joni: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell in 53 Snapshots. In involves stories of Prince, potential tours of the Soviet Union and many other incredible anecdotes from Joni’s life.

Thanks for listening x

* Allison

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It really has been an excellent few years for books about Joni Mitchell. I say keep them coming. In this episode, I chat with writer and educator, Paul Lisicky, author of the new book Song So Wild and Blue: A Life With the Music of Joni Mitchell.

Thanks for listening x

* Allison

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You may recognize Ian Grant’s name — he’s co-host of the Jokermen podcast series, which started out being about Bob Dylan and has since evolved into conversations about Lou Reed, Brian Wilson and more.

Ian was kind and brave enough to personally volunteer himself to come on Big Yellow Pod to talk about a Joni Mitchell album he said he’d recently gone down a rabbit hole with, 1976’s Hejira. What I did not know before we hopped on Zoom was that Ian’s familiarity with Joni’s music apart from Hejira is limited. This excited me! Contrary to what some may think when they listen to these guest episodes, no one needs to be an expert on Joni to join. This is a show designed for listeners of all fan levels.

So here, Ian and I discuss Hejira.

Thanks for listening x

* Allison

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A brief overview of Joni Mitchell’s 1975 album ‘The Hissing of Summer Lawns.’

Thanks for listening x

* Allison

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Joan Wasser, aka Joan as Police Woman, is an all around badass, in my opinion. A real force of talent who has played in bands, made solo records, toured the world and done it all with the kind of can-do attitude that doesn’t always come easily.

She’s also a disciple of Joni Mitchell and someone who recognizes the hurdles that seem to have a persistent way of telling women in creative fields: you and your identity as a woman don’t belong here.

You’ll learn more about Joan in this episode, in which we chat about that very thing.

Thanks for listening x

* Allison

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A look at Joni’s 1974 album Court and Spark…

Thanks for listening x

* Allison

Get full access to Big Yellow Podcast at allisonrapp.substack.com/subscribe