River is a song with which I have long identified. The albums Blue and Ladies Of The Canyon came to me through one of my roommates, a mathematician who currently is a tenured professor in the Ivy League and one of the few people I've who I am sure is a genius, during my first year of graduate school. Since that time, I sometimes daydream about the idea that I can just flee... on skates, on a bicycle, in a car... to as the singer puts it, "quit this crazy scene" and "wish I had a river so long, I would teach my feet to fly". I never do this of course, because I'm one of those people who is all about small acts of service to the people I care about. I can't abandon them, but the idea to just run away, even for just a while, when I can be just in my body and not in my head has its pull.
Looking through my music library, I see that I own five different versions of the song. There is Joni's original version on Blue. There is also a version by actress/singer/producer Rita Wilson on her debut album AM/FM that takes Joni's spare piano arrangement and turns into something more lush and airy with piano, strings, guitar, and percussion. Parisian busker turned adult alternative chanteuse Madeleine Peyroux (in a duet with k.d. lang on Peyroux's album Half The Perfect World) emphasizes the somberness the lyric with piano, string bass, guitar, and brushed drums. The Aimee Mann version I first heard on a 2005 Starbucks Christmas compilation CD called "Baby, It's Cold Outside" begins largely with Mitchell's arrangement, this time played on a jangly schoolhouse-type piano, before swelling with electronic keyboards and percussion.
The fifth version is the one leaves the biggest impression with the me, however. Found on a 2007 Starbucks Christmas compilation CD entitled "Stockings By The Fire", Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Corinne Bailey Rae create the strongest and deepest ensemble reading of the song for me (it originally appeared on Hancock's album "River: the joni letters".)
Thanks so much for this thoughtful comment! I love how "River" has been part of your life since grad school, and that tension between wanting to "quit this crazy scene" and staying for the people you care about really resonates. You've given me a wonderful playlist of covers to check out. The Herbie Hancock version you love most, especially as your top pick with Corinne Bailey Rae's vocals and Wayne Shorter on sax, sounds like such a rich, expansive take. Can't wait to hear how they transform it while honoring Joni.
Well OK you asked for it. I'll take a break from working on my jazz singing chops for Big Band “Once I Loved” (Jobim) My wife who is French is out painting. We're recently retired and doing the creative life full time. Here goes… Our friend pianist roped me in she was the only other adult. The teacher was a stern Russian. The gig was at an old folks home in NJ. I was going to do Moon River on chromatic harmonica and La Mer into Beyond the Sea on nylon string. My ambitious return to music performance after recovery from sudden hearing loss in one ear. I rehearsed Moon River w/the Russian on keys went perfectly. During the performance waiting to go on as the finale a hearing aid on one of the few geriatrics made a high pitched sound that triggered my tinnitus, numbness, and tearing up on one side of my face. I felt like I was underwater. I went on, made a few mistakes on Moon River and smiled through it. My left eye was fully teared up and the dudes hearing aid was still emitting the high pitched whine the whole time. Tortured, I forged on trying to read the French lyrics with a horrible non-accent and couldn't get the chords right so I squinted into the sheet music drawing each bar painfully out. Finally got to the Bobby Darin ending and it was over. The parents loved it but it was by far my worst performance ever and I'd lost my hearing again to boot! After the gig our friend’s husband was snickering at my downfall. He was headed to the Stone Pony to see Mike Ness / Social Distortion that night still living the life. I didn't even want to do the glorified boys’ night out as I couldn't hear anyway. It was a dark day in the latter oughts.
A week later commuting from Jersey to NYC I'm going up the escalator at Penn Station to the streets and someone slaps me on the back on the escalator. Pow! I thought I was attacked, as a seasoned NYr it was the only logical assumption. I turned around ready to fight or flight and it was a father who was overly excited to meet me, a fellow commuter. Apparently his ex wife was enamored with me and he was a now a sad dad working as a salesman and thought I was the best thing since cottage cheese as my mom used to say. He kept bothering me whenever he saw me on the train saying how great I was bringing back the bad memory every time and I love compliments!
I eventually got my hearing back but whenever a high pitched sound is too close I get an attack of tinnitus. I can sing and play but never go near a recital for kids and avoid old folks homes like le peste although there are gigs there. I keep foam earplugs handy and wear them at Big Band rehearsals. It was so embarrassing especially bc my wife is French. Now I'm possibly going to do the dual language La Mer / Beyond the Sea with the band and try to right the wrong. I do Sinatra versions of Bossa songs in both English and Portuguese (Joao Gilberto) so it's in the ballpark. Had my first gig with them in Nov and am on the A team such a great honor with 4 more gigs coming up in just the first half of 2026.
Perseverance pays as I’ve been mostly acting, writing, and practicing law and music, but did play, act, sing, and write the music for last summer's SonnetFest 25. I feel like music has become my life's focus again. I retired (took a leave of absence) as the Sonnets required my full attention. Now my time is not divided anymore. And I've not returned to work probably won't unless they cut SS.
Bad gigs are inspiring it gets you motivated to do it right!
My mother used to also say I'm a glutton for punishment or is it gourmond? She was right. Now I have no excuse.
One favor: as we are both Type Tune Tint peeps. I read your 2nd novel and loved it. If you could read my short novel on substack and give me your opinion it would help. It's in separate chapters but fully finished about 100 pp total down from 300. It's about my time in Austin as a Cajun cook, my high school girlfriend, and trying my luck in the music scene when I was 20. SRV was a local. It highlights Austin as a cool destination and music scene. Only if you have time. On a last review before publication on Amazon. Just your honest opinion no editing or help. Lostinaustinbook.substack.com
Well, this story was the greatest thing since cottage cheese! Loved it! Thanks for sharing. I, of course, love all the New Yorkisms like Penn Station mentions. As NYC gal who did the reverse of what most do and moved to Long Island after being raised in the city, I have a fondness for our little shit hole train station. As for your work, I read Chapter 1 (Bravo on getting the entire book on Substack!) and was pulled right in by the raw, stream-of-consciousness feel. The way you captured that mix of heartbreak, boredom, and sudden connection on the road was really evocative. I look forward to reading on.
River is a song with which I have long identified. The albums Blue and Ladies Of The Canyon came to me through one of my roommates, a mathematician who currently is a tenured professor in the Ivy League and one of the few people I've who I am sure is a genius, during my first year of graduate school. Since that time, I sometimes daydream about the idea that I can just flee... on skates, on a bicycle, in a car... to as the singer puts it, "quit this crazy scene" and "wish I had a river so long, I would teach my feet to fly". I never do this of course, because I'm one of those people who is all about small acts of service to the people I care about. I can't abandon them, but the idea to just run away, even for just a while, when I can be just in my body and not in my head has its pull.
Looking through my music library, I see that I own five different versions of the song. There is Joni's original version on Blue. There is also a version by actress/singer/producer Rita Wilson on her debut album AM/FM that takes Joni's spare piano arrangement and turns into something more lush and airy with piano, strings, guitar, and percussion. Parisian busker turned adult alternative chanteuse Madeleine Peyroux (in a duet with k.d. lang on Peyroux's album Half The Perfect World) emphasizes the somberness the lyric with piano, string bass, guitar, and brushed drums. The Aimee Mann version I first heard on a 2005 Starbucks Christmas compilation CD called "Baby, It's Cold Outside" begins largely with Mitchell's arrangement, this time played on a jangly schoolhouse-type piano, before swelling with electronic keyboards and percussion.
The fifth version is the one leaves the biggest impression with the me, however. Found on a 2007 Starbucks Christmas compilation CD entitled "Stockings By The Fire", Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Corinne Bailey Rae create the strongest and deepest ensemble reading of the song for me (it originally appeared on Hancock's album "River: the joni letters".)
You can listen here:
https://youtu.be/O1dsuUzJOBs
That's the version that thoroughly honors Joni Mitchell while exquisitely turning it into a beautifully curated thing all its own, for me at least.
Thanks so much for this thoughtful comment! I love how "River" has been part of your life since grad school, and that tension between wanting to "quit this crazy scene" and staying for the people you care about really resonates. You've given me a wonderful playlist of covers to check out. The Herbie Hancock version you love most, especially as your top pick with Corinne Bailey Rae's vocals and Wayne Shorter on sax, sounds like such a rich, expansive take. Can't wait to hear how they transform it while honoring Joni.
Nice storytelling apropos for the season. I did a kids recital once never again but it makes for a funny story.
Thanks! Yeah, it was awkward and I will now be asking questions whenever asked to participate in things like this. Now I’d love to hear your story!
Well OK you asked for it. I'll take a break from working on my jazz singing chops for Big Band “Once I Loved” (Jobim) My wife who is French is out painting. We're recently retired and doing the creative life full time. Here goes… Our friend pianist roped me in she was the only other adult. The teacher was a stern Russian. The gig was at an old folks home in NJ. I was going to do Moon River on chromatic harmonica and La Mer into Beyond the Sea on nylon string. My ambitious return to music performance after recovery from sudden hearing loss in one ear. I rehearsed Moon River w/the Russian on keys went perfectly. During the performance waiting to go on as the finale a hearing aid on one of the few geriatrics made a high pitched sound that triggered my tinnitus, numbness, and tearing up on one side of my face. I felt like I was underwater. I went on, made a few mistakes on Moon River and smiled through it. My left eye was fully teared up and the dudes hearing aid was still emitting the high pitched whine the whole time. Tortured, I forged on trying to read the French lyrics with a horrible non-accent and couldn't get the chords right so I squinted into the sheet music drawing each bar painfully out. Finally got to the Bobby Darin ending and it was over. The parents loved it but it was by far my worst performance ever and I'd lost my hearing again to boot! After the gig our friend’s husband was snickering at my downfall. He was headed to the Stone Pony to see Mike Ness / Social Distortion that night still living the life. I didn't even want to do the glorified boys’ night out as I couldn't hear anyway. It was a dark day in the latter oughts.
A week later commuting from Jersey to NYC I'm going up the escalator at Penn Station to the streets and someone slaps me on the back on the escalator. Pow! I thought I was attacked, as a seasoned NYr it was the only logical assumption. I turned around ready to fight or flight and it was a father who was overly excited to meet me, a fellow commuter. Apparently his ex wife was enamored with me and he was a now a sad dad working as a salesman and thought I was the best thing since cottage cheese as my mom used to say. He kept bothering me whenever he saw me on the train saying how great I was bringing back the bad memory every time and I love compliments!
I eventually got my hearing back but whenever a high pitched sound is too close I get an attack of tinnitus. I can sing and play but never go near a recital for kids and avoid old folks homes like le peste although there are gigs there. I keep foam earplugs handy and wear them at Big Band rehearsals. It was so embarrassing especially bc my wife is French. Now I'm possibly going to do the dual language La Mer / Beyond the Sea with the band and try to right the wrong. I do Sinatra versions of Bossa songs in both English and Portuguese (Joao Gilberto) so it's in the ballpark. Had my first gig with them in Nov and am on the A team such a great honor with 4 more gigs coming up in just the first half of 2026.
Perseverance pays as I’ve been mostly acting, writing, and practicing law and music, but did play, act, sing, and write the music for last summer's SonnetFest 25. I feel like music has become my life's focus again. I retired (took a leave of absence) as the Sonnets required my full attention. Now my time is not divided anymore. And I've not returned to work probably won't unless they cut SS.
Bad gigs are inspiring it gets you motivated to do it right!
My mother used to also say I'm a glutton for punishment or is it gourmond? She was right. Now I have no excuse.
One favor: as we are both Type Tune Tint peeps. I read your 2nd novel and loved it. If you could read my short novel on substack and give me your opinion it would help. It's in separate chapters but fully finished about 100 pp total down from 300. It's about my time in Austin as a Cajun cook, my high school girlfriend, and trying my luck in the music scene when I was 20. SRV was a local. It highlights Austin as a cool destination and music scene. Only if you have time. On a last review before publication on Amazon. Just your honest opinion no editing or help. Lostinaustinbook.substack.com
Well, this story was the greatest thing since cottage cheese! Loved it! Thanks for sharing. I, of course, love all the New Yorkisms like Penn Station mentions. As NYC gal who did the reverse of what most do and moved to Long Island after being raised in the city, I have a fondness for our little shit hole train station. As for your work, I read Chapter 1 (Bravo on getting the entire book on Substack!) and was pulled right in by the raw, stream-of-consciousness feel. The way you captured that mix of heartbreak, boredom, and sudden connection on the road was really evocative. I look forward to reading on.