Just got home a bit ago from Kate Bennett's 2nd annual tribute to Joni at Soho in Santa Barbara and fundraiser for music programs in the local schools. It was really fantastic and Kate and Jeff did a superb job. We had our first hard pouring rain here in it seems like years and so it was a challenge getting there and I missed the first hour (which included Yael and Jim Messina!! argh). Probably before tonight Kate was the almost the only one who knew Messina produced Joni's first demo. (Not Crosby!). I met up with Coyote Rick and Yael and Messina had just left their table. He did not perform but told the story of producing the demo and working with her. Many of the top Santa Barbara singer-songwriters performed and, of course, Kate even got Jeff Pevar there, too! The place was absolutely jam-packed but it was good to see such a turn-out on a stormy night.
The songs spanned all of Joni's periods and each were introduced with a reading by Kate. Some standouts for me were Anita Bayley singing "Electricity" and "For the Roses" absolutely beautifully and perfectly note for note like the original, Karen Thurber, who reminded me so much of Marian in her brilliant precision and perfection on "Good Bye Pork Pie Hat," and then OMG Marcella and George Quirin with friends doing a "Centerpiece" that was part Tuck & Patti, part Manhattan Transfer and part early Annie Ross. OMG. I'd noticed George earlier sitting in on dulcimer on "All I Want" and I thought to myself "he's (our) Victor!" When he later played acoustic guitar (try to imagine this for that song) on "Centerpiece" better than Tuck, I again thought "Victor." When I raved to him after the show, he was so humble and said he'd just learned it today, I knew it he was truly our local "Victor"! ;-) He and his wife Marcella have a CD called "Clarity" on sale at Borders. Highly recommend checking them out. The performances tonight were taped and I hope there will be a forthcoming CD. Next year I hope more of the jmdlers can make it. Major kudos to Kate for an outstanding night! Kakki
