After Blue: The Joni Mitchell Project at Birdland
Tierney Sutton Quartet
After Blue: The Joni Mitchell Project
Birdland, NYC, June 24, 2014
Reviewed by Ron Forman for Cabaret Scenes
From the opening number “Blue,” After Blue: The Joni Mitchell Project was not the usual Mitchell tribute. Mitchell’s lyrics, often anthems for the flower children of the sixties and seventies, are not the focus of this show. Instead Tierney Sutton, guitarist Sergio Merlaud, cellist Mark Summer of the Turtle Island Quartet and drummer Mark Ferber are more concerned with treating Mitchell’s music in a different light—often introducing bossa nova beats and classical interludes in the performance. Although Tierney was always seated on a stool, her sound, interesting facial expressions and hand motions made it almost impossible to take your eyes off of her.
The show features many of Mitchell’s most popular songs, including “Woodstock,” “Big Yellow Taxi” and “Court and Spark.” Ironically, Sutton did a masterful job interpreting the lyric of “Don’t Go to Strangers,” the Etta James hit that Mitchell has recorded. Summer’s solo on cello of his composition “Juli-O” was truly remarkable; it almost seemed as if two people were playing. The closing number opened with a Bach melody on cello, which led into Mitchell’s classic “Both Sides Now. The encore a very jazzy “Comes Love,” another number that Mitchell did not compose but did record.
Category: Cabaret Reviews, New York City, New York City Cabaret Reviews
