The Songs of Joni Mitchell by Suzanne Savage

Black Gate Presents

Suzanne Savage

An Taibhdhearc
8pm Thursday, August 22nd
Tickets: €22

Doors at 7:30pm

The Songs of Joni Mitchell by Suzanne Savage

A crowd favourite during our pre-pandemic JAZZgate series, we are delighted to welcome back Suzanne Savage to share with us the songs of Joni Mitchell, accompanied by musicians Johnny Taylor (piano), Rod Patterson (double bass) & Aengus Hackett (guitar).

Suzanne’s warm, crystalline voice spins the thread through the quartet’s arrangements of classic Joni’s songs, carefully chosen from era-defining albums such as ‘Clouds’(1969), ‘Blue’(1971), and ‘Hejira’(1976) to name but a few.
Come celebrate one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century with some of our finest musicians!

A prolific session vocalist, jazz musician, and contemporary classical soloist.

Suzanne is recipient of this year’s Irish Arts Council Music Bursary for her songwriting.
In September, she will revisit her role as soloist with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in the 3Arena for “The Words and Music of Leonard Cohen,” after sold-out Bord Gais concerts in 2022 and 2020.

Suzanne also appeared on TG4 in March 2022 performing her solo music on season 1 of the 12 part music series “Cumasc: Séisiúin Sa Black Gate,” curated by our very own Peadar King.

reviews:

'One ofIreland's hidden music heroes'

Lisa Flavelle, BBC

'cool singer-songwriter... sublime violin playing... earning a respectable place near the modern soul of Jill Scott or Angie Stone. '

Stuart Bailie, BBC N.Ireland

'Probably one of the best voices out of N.Ireland in the past thirty years'

Jackie Flavelle, downtown radio

Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell CC (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Drawing from folk, pop, rock, and jazz, Mitchell's songs often reflect social and environmental ideals as well as her feelings about romance, confusion, disillusionment, and joy. She has received many accolades, including nine Grammy Awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Rolling Stone called her "one of the greatest songwriters ever", and AllMusic has stated, "When the dust settles, Joni Mitchell may stand as the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century".

Some of her original songs ("Urge for Going", "Chelsea Morning", "Both Sides, Now", "The Circle Game") were covered by other folk singers, allowing her to sign with Reprise Records and record her debut album, Song to a Seagull, in 1968. Settling in Southern California, Mitchell, with popular songs like "Big Yellow Taxi" and "Woodstock", helped define an era and a generation. Her 1971 album Blue is often cited as one of the best albums of all time; it was rated the 30th best album ever made in Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".
1974's 'Court and Spark', which featured the radio hits "Help Me" and "Free Man in Paris" and became her best-selling album.

In the late 1970s, Mitchell began working closely with noted jazz musicians, among them Jaco Pastorius, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, as well as Charles Mingus, who asked her to collaborate on his final recordings. She later turned again toward pop, embraced electronic music, and engaged in political protest. In 2002, she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards.