I've never met John but he seems like a very nice & good-hearted man. He wanted a copy
of one of the Covers volumes (the one with the early Bette Midler "For Free" on it),
and not only did he reimburse me for my costs, he sent me an autographed photo (the
"hejira" shot) and a book of "Turbulent Indigo" matches.
In his note he explained that they were hoping to get Joni to quit smoking, so they
had these matchbooks with the TI cover printed on them. The book he sent me is missing
some matches, and he told me that they were used by Joni. Needless to say it's one of
the favorite things I have in my modest collection.
As for his performance, I've never seen him but would like to, for sure. I listened to
"Joni's Jazz" last week while making a CD copy for Wild Koba, and John's talent &
professionalism really shine through in this set.
Bob
NP: Tom Waits, "Black Wings"
