On the question of how have your paintings changed since September 11th? Joni says, "There were two wars in my life on September 11th. I broke up with my boyfriend. He complained that I repeat myself too much, and I 'do' repeat myself too much. Especially now because I'm writing my book, so I'm writing a lot of my yarns in the oral tradition." She said she took a lot of pictures with a paper camera on September 11th, and she saw a lot of figures in the smoke. She started painting what she called "repetism," doing 5 double images. She said by painting, it helped her to become emotionally detached.
Joni moved on by talking about her involvement with singing with an orchestra. She says when the orchestra starts to swell, it's like "surfing a pipeline," and pushes out a certain kind of performance. She adds that since there are such dramatic intricacies to her songs, you have to be more of an actress to sing them. She just wanted to sing and "sustain one nice mood" which she could obtain by singing the standards, and she was hooked. Denise tried to wrap up the evening by saying there was only 10 minutes left, and would she show us an example of her creative process? Joni then asked the audience if we would like to hear her improvise at the piano, or sing with the practice tapes of the orchestral background of the new CD's she is working on. Of course, everyone yelled, "BOTH!" and she was glad to oblige, although I think Denise was a little concerned of the late time. No one in the audience seemed quick to leave. We were more than content to stay as long as Joni would have us. She moved over to the piano, right where we were sitting, and it was truly a rare treat to witness her at the piano again. She improvised chords, much the way Paprika Plains was written, and we were spell bound. When she finished, she moved over to the stereo that was set up by her chair, and pushed a button. Joni explained that these were demo tapes, made by the orchestra for her to listen to at home. She said she often listens to them while walking around her house. The first strains of The Circle Game came through the speakers. I have to say that, for me, this is one song that I have heard too many times by too many people, and I was a little tired of it. But, when Joni opened her mouth to sing, it was fresh and new, and I listened to the words in a whole new light. She radiates beauty and her mature voice was perfect for this piece. Her whole being lights up when she sings, especially her own material. She "owns it" in a way that I find rare in singers. She has the ability to move through your soul when she sings, and speaks to you in her music as if she wrote the piece solely for you. She followed The Circle Game with Be Cool, a slowed down version of Borderline, taking a moment to explain that she had just received these tapes 6 days prior, as she kept looking to Larry (Klein) to help recognize which song it was, Cherokee Louise, Coyote, For the Roses, and ending with Slouching Towards Bethlehem. It was an incredible joy to watch her in the creative process. The evening came full circle as Mr. Kratzman, her 7th Grade teacher, came upon stage to present her with her World Leader award. We witnessed an intimate moment while Joni reconnected with the person she credits as being such a arge influence in her life, the teacher who gave her an A- instead of an A+ on a piece of poetry that she thought was very good. When asked why another boy received an A+, Mr. Kratzman answered, "because that is the best poem he will ever write."
