"Joni Mitchell's Hejira is the last in an astonishingly long run of top-notch studio albums dating back to her debut. ... But by and large, this release is the most overtly jazz-oriented of her career up to this point -- hip and cool, but never smug or icy. 'Blue Motel Room' in particular is a prototypic slow jazz-club combo number, appropriately smooth, smoky, and languorous. 'Coyote,' 'Black Crow,' and the title track are by contrast energetically restless fast-tempo selections. The rest of the songs here cleverly explore variants on mid- to slow-tempo approaches. None of these cuts are traditionally tuneful in the manner of Mitchell's older folk efforts; the effect here is one of subtle rolls and ridges on a green meadow rather than the outgoing beauty of a flower garden. ... Performances are excellent, with special kudos reserved for Jaco Pastorius' melodic bass playing on 'Refuge of the Roads' and the title cut. This excellent album is a rewarding listen."
allmusic
W - Hejira
Desert island albums #1: Joni Mitchell — Hejira (1976)
YouTube: Coyote (The Band - 1976)
YouTube: Hejira full album
2015 July: Blue (1970), 2015 Novemer: 40 Years On: Joni Mitchell's The Hissing Of Summer Lawns Revisited, 2016 August: On For the Roses (1972), 2016 November: Court and Spark (1974)
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