The story of this project begins with two lifelong obsessions with Joni Mitchell – on the part of keyboard player Aidan Goldstraw and singer Sarah Miller.
Aidan recalls: “During my teenage years, a friend gave me a taped copy of Court and Spark – it was unlike anything I’d heard before in my life.
“Joni’s music was the soundtrack to my time at uni and since that time, I’d often thought about putting together a band which would play these fantastic songs.”
He had to wait a little while – but the catalyst finally came in 2014 when Aidan walked into a jazz gig and heard the voice of Sarah Miller. “The moment I heard that voice, I knew it was the perfect fit.”
The deal was well and truly sealed when, speaking to Sarah after her gig, Aidan discovered that she too was a lifelong Joni obsessive.
Sarah said: “Joni has always been my absolute favourite of all the singer-songwriters of that period. Every song in her catalogue is wonderful, and the biggest challenge of putting this band together is that we have to choose just a few for each show!”
Right from the start, they decided this would not be your usual tribute act.
Aidan added: “Great as the original recordings are, they have a life outside of that. We wanted to honour Joni’s creative spirit by infusing this material with our own musical imagination.”