Both Sides of Joni Mitchell feat. Monika Herzig and Alexis Cole
Both Sides of Joni is a reimagined set of the music of Joni Mitchell with arrangements by the pianist Monika Herzig and sung by vocalist Alexis Cole. The Both Sides of Joni project was the product of a period of soul searching during the Covid Summer of 2020.
Vocalist Janiece Jaffe started listening closely to Joni Mitchell’s music & lyrics with her jazz vocalist ears and found truth & wisdom that inspired her and that she wanted to share with the world to inspire others. She studied the words more deeply and got the urge to re-imagine them in jazz arrangements. “I could almost ‘Hear’ them!” Together with friend and collaborator Monika Herzig, they spent many summer days of 2020 in the barn with keyboard and masks working out arrangements and rediscovering Joni’s music. In March 2021, the arrangements were premiered at the Jazz Kitchen in Indianapolis to most enthusiastic response. Many audience members came together for the first time in over a year and the messages of overcoming challenges, endurance, rebellion, love, and regret rang deep.
They decided to record the music with a group of outstanding musicians and with community support from a successful Kickstarter Campaign. Just days after the completion of the Master Recording, Janiece left this world unexpectedly after heart surgery. This album is her legacy and her dream and we are grateful for her musical gift to us to be celebrated throughout 2023 with extensive tours in the US and Europe featuring renowned New York vocalist Alexis Cole.
Since the year 2020, Monika is the host of the radio series and podcast ‘Talking Jazz’. Currently she serves as Professor of Artistic Research and Dean of Music Education at the Jam Music Lab University in Vienna (Austria).
Monika Herzig’s career as a jazz pianist/composer spans three decades and dozens of releases, most recently with her all-star group Sheroes featuring the world’s leading female instrumentalists including Jamie Baum, Reut Regev, Leni Stern, Rosa Avila, Jennifer Vincent with guests Ingrid Jensen, Ada Rovatti, Akua Dixon, Lakecia Benjamin, and more. Her composition Just Another Day in the Office is featured in the recent publication ‘New Standards’: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers (Berklee Press, 2022) compiled under the direction of Terri Lyne Carrington. Monika is also a DownBeat and JazzTimes contributor and served as the editor of Jazz Education in Research and Practice (JAZZ) as well as board member and head of the research committee for the Jazz Education Network (JEN).
- Line-Up:
- Alexis Cole: vocals
- Peter Lehel: saxophone
- Peter Kienle: guitar
- Monika Herzig: piano
- Gina Schwarz: bass
