Grammy Awards 2022: Music legends pay tribute to Joni Mitchell

Music legends honored the Canadian on Friday Joni Mitchellfolk icon behind such classics as “A Case Of You”, at a charity gala prior to the grammys. Artists including Herbie Hancock, Cyndi Lauper, Angelique Kidjo and Stephen Stills, along with this year’s top Grammy nominee Jon Batiste, paid tribute to the 78-year-old Mitchell’s vast oeuvre at the MusiCares gala. “It’s been a good year,” the artist known for her distinctive alto and open-tuned guitar said on the red carpet, wearing a sequined kimono and black beret for the occasion.

The evening marked a rare public appearance for Mitchell, who in 2015 suffered a brain aneurysm that left her temporarily unable to speak and whose aftermath required extensive physical therapy.

But on Friday she was beaming, telling reporters she had artistic “ideas” even as she remains focused on improving her health. Asked by reporters how her health was, she replied “pretty good” and “improved.” The influential artist who inspired so many, from Neil Diamond to Prince, is perhaps best known for her 1971 album “Blue ”, a deep dive into heartbreak.

Last summer, “Blue” reached #1 on iTunes on its 50th anniversary, beating even pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo’s “Sour.” Expressing her own amazement at the milestone, Mitchell explained her album’s enduring popularity. and his recent resurgence: “Maybe people want to dig a little deeper.”

“No one writes lyrics like Joni”

Jazz great Hancock, who in 2007 released a tribute album to Mitchell titled “River: The Joni Letters,” praised his old friend’s artistic “courage.” “She does bare her soul, but she does it in a very poetic way,” Hancock told AFP on the red carpet, hours before performing Mitchell’s song “Hejira” onstage. one of the great composers of the 20th century, taught him “how to listen to lyrics”. “Some people, and I’m one of them, when we listen to music, we listen to the harmonies and musical textures, and the lyrics sound like gibberish,” he continued.

Still, Mitchell’s “poetry” impresses him, Hancock said: “No one writes lyrics like Joni.” “She has given us all the courage to tell the truth,” said Billy Porter, who paid tribute to Mitchell. singing her beloved “Both Sides Now”.”Using our art to grow; use our art to heal,” he noted. “To free other people, she’s powerful in that way.” The star-studded MusiCares gala is an annual tradition of the Recording Academy’s charitable wing that raises money to help musicians in need ahead of the Grammy Awards.

This year’s celebration also featured a moving remote performance of “A Case Of You” by Graham Nash, from the folk group Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, a band Mitchell profoundly influenced and with whom he shared a rich history. working relationship. He had a relationship with David Crosby and also with Nash, and this last break served as inspiration for several of the songs on “Blue”, including the moving “A Case of You”.

In a recorded message, Neil Young sent Mitchell “much love,” while Stephen Stills attended the ceremony in Las Vegas and praised Mitchell as “one of the great artists in this world.” Stills played guitar while Brandi Carlile sang. a bouncy rendition of “Woodstock” on a packed night of performances, which moved many, especially Mitchell. “I could just walk away now and let other people do it,” he joked as he accepted the award. “Everyone was splendid.”