I HEARD IT IN THE WIND LAST NIGHT

A torrential rainy night in Penzance didn't initially seem congruous with Joni Mitchell's sunny (with a few 'clouds that I recall') music of Laurel Canyon but it was testament to Kathryn Pepper's supernatural invoking of the artist's spirit and songs with James Taylor-looking husband, Paul Zervas accompanying her on guitar that you might have well believed you'd slipped back through time to a Saturday night at The Troubadour in Los Angeles in the 1970s.

This performance was more than just an impression or tribute to one of the 20th century's greatest singer-songwriters; it was a pure embodiment of the artist and her emotionally piercing songbook. For those who have never seen, or will never see, the original Joni in concert, this concert was more than compensation.

Structuring the gig around Mitchell's first eight recorded albums, from Song to a Seagull (1968) to Hejira (1976), there was a seamless continuity and progression of the artist's unique and personal musical journey represented in this simple yet effective concept. Hearing "Chelsea Morning," "A Case of You," "Woodstock," "Free Man in Paris," and "Amelia" were obvious highlights. However, songs such as "For the Roses" and "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" also snuck in under the radar, reminding us that there was no weak link in that impressive eight-album run.

There was also a delightful chemistry between the husband-and-wife team, as Pepper provided thoughtful biographical exposition about Joni between songs while Zervas seemed preoccupied with the emotional well-being of the audience, resembling an edgy "trip sitter" character out of Easy Rider, ensuring everyone was having a good experience. I can assure him, we were.

I should also mention how effective the rest of the band members were, including Andrew Brown on bass, Michael Blanchfield on keyboards and backing vocals, and Sam Andrews on percussion, electric guitar, and backing vocals. They added delightful idiosyncratic musical details and inflections of their own, ensuring that their tribute to Mitchell's songs weren't just slavish recreations of the original recordings.

Given that Joni Mitchell has recently enjoyed an unexpected Indian summer in her career—having survived a brain aneurysm in 2015 and miraculously performing at the Newport Jazz Festival in 2022, along with her "Joni Jam" gig in Washington in 2023—I wonder how satisfying it would be for her to see her younger self reincarnated through the spirit and voice of Kathryn Pepper, who carries the torch of her art and keeps the flame burning brightly.

For although we live in an age where great artists can be enjoyed through their back catalogues on CD, vinyl, and streaming, perhaps there's something to be said for a musical lineage being carried on in the same way the great teachings of spiritual deities were in ancient history, similar to the Buddha with his Heart Sutra, whose wisdom was dispersed through oral teachings by his followers. Mitchell herself has spoken about the vital importance of oral tradition in the passing down of spiritual teachings, emphasising how these methods of sharing knowledge can profoundly impact people's lives in a visceral sense.

So too it must be with music.

And so too it was on a rainy night in Penzance, where the audience found themselves warmed by the spirit of Joni, lovingly honoured by Pepper, Zervas, and their band.