Robin Adler & Dave Blackburn: Press

Hi Dave, thanks again to you, Robin & the gang for a GREAT show Saturday night. For the benefit of the 99% of you who couldn't make it, let me provide a little (OK, a lot) of detail....


Lindsay, her husband Brian, Kakki & myself arrived at Dizzy's and the small place was already filling up fast. Luckily, since it was a small venue, there weren't any bad seats and what the place lacked in decor (bare cinder block walls and such) it made up for in acoustics. I got a chance to meet Dave & Robin before the show, and I do have to say that it was cool to walk in and say that I was on Dave's "VIP list". The venue was about the same size as the place that Kay Ashley used to put on the NYC tribute earlier this year - as Dave said, it was definitely packed and SRO which is always exciting for the performers. I'm sure they could move this show into a concert hall many times this size and be succesful with it.

The show started with Dave & Robin as a duo; Both Sides Now appropriately kicking things off - I mean, you HAVE to do the franchise at some point, plus as Dave announced in his introductory remarks, their intent for this show was to present Joni's music chronologically to show the arc of her body of work and her growth as a composer.

I have to give MAJOR kudos to Robin upfront, not only for the melodic mastering of these songs but for the memorization of all of them; there were NO lyric or cheat sheets anywhere to be seen (Heck, as many times as I've heard BSN I still mess up the words when I sing it in the car). I will also note upfront that another interesting part of the show was the backdrop, a series of photos of Joni and her paintings that changed as the show progressed. This made for a nice visual accompaniment, also adding to the visual (and not planned in any way by Dave I'm sure) was the welding that was going on at the top of the building across the street, throwing a constant shower of orange sparks down all evening - quite like a constant fireworks display.

The duo continued with four songs from Blue (Little Green, Carey, California, and A Case Of You) and the title track from For The Roses. Dave's acoustic playing was clean and precise, and Robin's voice easily navigated them (and California has got some tricky vocal parts to be sure). Dave provided some biographical information between songs that added to the evening as well. And the pressure was certainly on him, what with at least three Joni experts all in a row, to get all his facts right. I brought my BS detector but it never went off, so good job Dave!

Dave & Robin were then joined by Barnaby Finch on keyboards (piano and electric piano) and Paul Carman on a variety of saxes. These two gentlemen have very impressive resumes and talent to match - to say they are virtuosos is not an exaggeration; then again the level of talent across the board Saturday was amazing and if there were any miscues musically, these ears certainly didn't catch them (a couple of between-song feedback issues notwithstanding). Now a quartet, they performed "Down To You" in its full symphonic splendor, Barnaby actually waving the charts in the air to show just how complex this piece of music is, and the interplay of Barnaby and Paul was breathtaking and very emotionally stirring. Robin & Dave continued to be spot on and this number was an early highlight for me (a bit prejudiced though since DTY is probably my 2nd-fave Joni song). Roger Friend then joined in on drums and percussion as did the aforementioned 16-year old (!!) Evan Stumpges on fretless bass, not intimidated in the least by the company he was in. With the addition of the rhythm section, they forged ahead with "Help Me" and although Robin dropped a couple of words (out of the approximately 5 million she had to learn!) she didn't miss a step and it sounded great. I especially got a kick out of watching Roger Friend; obviously into the music and seemingly playing the part of an octopus, busily keeping up with the drum kit while simultaneously throwing in shakers, chimes, and other percussive colors into the mix. The MOA version of Woodstock was also a real crowd-pleaser, allowing everyone to stretch out and solo and really crank it out and rock it up a bit - lots of energy on this one to be sure.

HOSL was up next, and Harry's House/Centerpiece turned into a chance for the musicians to really stretch out, almost all of them doing extensive jazz soloing on the "Centerpiece" section. I also particularly enjoyed Robin's throwing in the "when ya gonna be home Harry?", "Get down from there" and other comments in at the end - it made the sound that much more authentic. Closing out the first set were two from Hejira, the title track and "Coyote", both highlighted by Evan's Jaco-like (he even had the bandana headband) basswork which was superb as well as Paul's "Benny Goodman" coming through the snow & the pinewood trees. The band then took a well-deserved break and we got ready for the second set.

Again, moving chronologically through Joni's career, Dave commented that Joni's had come a long way from folksongs, and Robin added that we were a long, long way from Canada, and the band launched into Dreamland, everyone banging on or shaking something, and it was hard to stay in my seat. Dave introduced the Mingus project, and Robin bravely began what was a phenomenal one-two punch: A Chair In The Sky segueing to Dry Cleaner From Des Moines...what a vocal powerhouse, and with all the added solos by the various band members, this section was truly unforgettable. Even Robin had to pat herself on the back for flawlessly navigating the challenging blue notes and intervals of Chair In The Sky - praise that was well-deserved as it really put her and the band through the paces.

Moving out of the jazz era, Dave introduced the 80's era - I was hoping for a bit more than I got, but at least they dipped their toe in the water that most artists fear to tread in and came up with a fine and updated arrangement of Dog Eat Dog, again not the easiest of melodies to sing particularly with the speed/diction combo you need to have to sing it. From Night Ride Home we got the title track and Passion Play, again with some very nice extended soloing. Borderline followed, and it was great to hear that seldom-performed song - again, kudos to Robin for flawlessly having the lyrics embedded in her soul. And I'm not a guitarist but watching Dave play it, it sure looks like this is not an easy song to play. And speaking of Dave, I also have to add (a bit late in the review but better late than never) that he also sang backing vocals on a number of songs and the harmony between him & Robin was awesome, sounded at times just like Joni's multi-tracked harmonies. And that brought the show to a close, except for it was pretty obvious that the SRO crowd was not going to let them get away without a couple more - everyone was on their feet. They introduced Brittney Dorr (not sure of the last name but I will be when she becomes a household word) to join Robin in The Circle Game, and it was touching to have essentially two generations trading off the vocal lines. Brittney is only 14, and is WAY too cute and WAY too talented to be only 14. They closed things down with Big Yellow Taxi, and once again the crowd leapt to their collective feet and clapped and cheered and whoo-hoo'ed for all the hard work that these artists had shared.

Was it worth the 2,281 miles I traveled to hear it?

Oh hell yeah!

And if you're in the area and couldn't catch it, make your reservations now for December 3rd. Thanks to Dave, Robin and all the band and crew that made this night possible. The hours and hours of hard work are appreciated and I hope you'll be able to make the concert available so that those who aren't as 'conveniently close' as I am can also get a taste of your talents and your obvious love of Joni.

Bob

"A Jones For Joni" by Marcia Manna

Robin Adler and Dave Blackburn’s tribute to Mitchell sells out the house It would be tempting to pay tribute to Joni Mitchell by selecting a single genre her jazz work perhaps, or the early folk material.
Representing the full range of the Canadian singer-songwriter’s talent could be too daunting a task, though many artists have covered her songs, from Cassandra Wilson (“Black Crow”) and Janet Jackson (“Big Yellow Taxi”) to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (“Woodstock”).
But that didn’t stop guitarist Dave Blackburn and vocalist Robin Adler from honoring Mitchell’s challenging body of work. They’ll perform a concert, complete with a visual backdrop of Mitchell’s photographs and artwork, Saturday, three days before Mitchell’s 63rd birthday, at Dizzy’s in downtown San Diego.
Joining the Fallbrook husband-and-wife team are pianist Barnaby Finch, a touring member of Lee Ritenour’s band; drummer Roger Friend; former Frank Zappa saxophonist Paul Carman; and 16-year-old Evan Stumpges on fretless bass. “We are lifelong fans and have every album she did,” said Blackburn from his North County recording studio Beat ‘N Track. “We do this chronologically, so you can witness the arc of Joni’s career.
“And we’ve sold out every Joni Mitchell gig we’ve done. There are a lot of people who remember that music fondly, so people who know her, know what they are going to hear. We also thought she was retired, and that you couldn’t hear the real thing anymore.” Mitchell hasn’t retired, but many fans will drive a distance to hear her music. Last month, Mitchell spoke of recording her first collection of new songs in nearly a decade with the Ottawa Citizen. That article, and the success of Adler and Blackburn’s tribute concerts, are published on www.jonimitchell.com, a comprehensive, fan-driven Web site. Blackburn logged on to participate in an online discussion, and now folks, Blackburn said, from as far as South Carolina are traveling to the Dizzy’s concert. In many ways, Adler and Blackburn are ideally suited to this project. A guitar and drum teacher, as well as a producer and performer, Blackburn has an educator’s exacting standards. He’s written all the charts for the set list and dealt with an aspect of Mitchell’s composing that contributes to her originality, namely open or alternate tuning. In laymen’s terms, Mitchell tuned her guitar in a way that suited the songs she wrote.
Trying to duplicate that effort can be a tough venture.
“It became a trap for her because you either re-tune before every song, or have 20 guitars
on stage,” Blackburn said. “I’ve narrowed it down to do the whole show with six guitars.”Robin Adler and Dave Blackburn’s tribute to Mitchell sells out the house
It would be tempting to pay tribute to Joni Mitchell by selecting a single genre her jazz work perhaps, or the early folk material.
Representing the full range of the Canadian singer-songwriter’s talent could be too daunting a task, though many artists have covered her songs, from Cassandra Wilson (“Black Crow”) and Janet Jackson (“Big Yellow Taxi”) to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (“Woodstock”).
But that didn’t stop guitarist Dave Blackburn and vocalist Robin Adler from honoring Mitchell’s challenging body of work. They’ll perform a concert, complete with a visual backdrop of Mitchell’s photographs and artwork, Saturday, three days before Mitchell’s 63rd birthday, at Dizzy’s in downtown San Diego.
Joining the Fallbrook husband-and-wife team are pianist Barnaby Finch, a touring member of Lee Ritenour’s band; drummer Roger Friend; former Frank Zappa saxophonist Paul Carman; and 16-year-old Evan Stumpges on fretless bass. “We are lifelong fans and have every album she did,” said Blackburn from his North County recording studio Beat ‘N Track. “We do this chronologically, so you can witness the arc of Joni’s career.
“And we’ve sold out every Joni Mitchell gig we’ve done. There are a lot of people who remember that music fondly, so people who know her, know what they are going to hear. We also thought she was retired, and that you couldn’t hear the real thing anymore.” Mitchell hasn’t retired, but many fans will drive a distance to hear her music. Last month, Mitchell spoke of recording her first collection of new songs in nearly a decade with the Ottawa Citizen. That article, and the success of Adler and Blackburn’s tribute concerts, are published on www.jonimitchell.com, a comprehensive, fan-driven Web site. Blackburn logged on to participate in an online discussion, and now folks, Blackburn said, from as far as South Carolina are traveling to the Dizzy’s concert. In many ways, Adler and Blackburn are ideally suited to this project. A guitar and drum teacher, as well as a producer and performer, Blackburn has an educator’s exacting standards. He’s written all the charts for the set list and dealt with an aspect of Mitchell’s composing that contributes to her originality, namely open or alternate tuning. In laymen’s terms, Mitchell tuned her guitar in a way that suited the songs she wrote.
Trying to duplicate that effort can be a tough venture. “It became a trap for her because you either re-tune before every song, or have 20 guitars on stage,” Blackburn said. “I’ve narrowed it down to do the whole show with six guitars.” Evan, the young bassist who will perform, is one of Blackburn’s students. He’s memorized every line of every song, including the rigorous efforts of Mitchell’s one-time bassist, the late Jaco Pastorius.
Adler’s expansive vocal range is effectively tapped, as she easily segues from the high soprano notes Mitchell was known for earlier in her career to the rich lower register she developed in maturity.
“All the songs have unique things that I enjoy,” said Adler. “She isn’t afraid to speak her mind in her lyrics and I love that.
“We put so many hours into this and I feel so fortunate. There’s a lot of love for Joni and her music. It’s not about us. It’s about her and her evolution as an artist.” Marcia Manna covers North County arts and entertainment for the Union-Tribune. In laymen’s terms, Mitchell tuned her guitar in a way that suited the songs she wrote. Trying to duplicate that effort can be a tough venture.
“It became a trap for her because you either re-tune before every song, or have 20 guitars on stage,” Blackburn said. “I’ve narrowed it down to do the whole show with six guitars.” Evan, the young bassist who will perform, is one of Blackburn’s students. He’s memorized every line of every song, including the rigorous efforts of Mitchell’s one-time bassist, the late Jaco Pastorius.
Adler’s expansive vocal range is effectively tapped, as she easily segues from the high soprano notes Mitchell was known for earlier in her career to the rich lower register she developed in maturity.
“All the songs have unique things that I enjoy,” said Adler. “She isn’t afraid to speak her mind in her lyrics and I love that.
“We put so many hours into this and I feel so fortunate. There’s a lot of love for Joni and her music. It’s not about us. It’s about her and her evolution as an artist.”

Robin Adler and Dave Blackburn to perform Joni Mitchell songs
Nathalie Taylor
1/26/2006 5:23:25 PM

In her rich, soulful voice Robin Adler sings “I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now, from up and down, and still somehow…it’s clouds illusions I recall; I really don’t know clouds at all.” The familiar tune is one that Joni Mitchell wrote back in the sixties. Adler is immersing herself in Mitchell’s songs in preparation for an upcoming concert at the Fallbrook Holistic Center on Saturday, February 25 at 7:00 p.m.

Adler’s husband Dave Blackburn will accompany her on “guitars.” No, that isn’t a typo. He will play a variety of different guitars during the concert. “She [Mitchell] has completely rethought the guitar,” he noted. “She writes with fifty different guitar tunings so I will have a battery of guitars to use.”

Joni Mitchell has inspired many a songwriter and vocalist including Robin Adler. The full-bodied voice and poetic lyrics of Mitchell is not something that Robin will truly emulate in her concert, but she will sing the songs with a bit of her own soul to create a unique vocal style. Adler “makes the songs her own,” and because her background is in jazz she is prone to improvise.

Adler and Blackburn are spending a great deal of time in preparation for this concert. They are studying Joni Mitchell’s life, songwriting career and vocal accomplishments. The couple owns all of Mitchell’s albums, which span from the 1960s to her most recent album, which was released in 2000. This interest in Joni Mitchell’s music is not a new passion for either Adler or Blackburn. Blackburn has been a Mitchell fan for thirty years and Adler since the 1980s.

“I admire her more than any songwriter, I can listen to her over and over,” said Adler. “There is so much depth --- and the way she uses metaphors is amazing.”

Fifty-three year old Adler got a late start on her music career. She graduated from Fallbrook High, then took vocal lessons while a student a Mira Costa College. However, it wasn’t until she was thirty-five that she began to sing professionally. She was singing with one of her Joni Mitchell albums when a friend said, “I love your voice – I would like to hear you sing more.” “That just sparked an interest,” said Adler. “Music is my passion now.”

Adler devoted herself to the craft of singing and had some devoted mentors. Peter Sprague was an early mentor and she credits him for launching her career in San Diego.

Dave Blackburn’s interest in music began at an early age when he was growing up in Oxford, England. “I started playing the guitar when I was seven,” he said. “My dad took me to concerts and we went often. I was so fortunate to hear world famous artists appear in a small theatre for four or five pounds.” Twenty-five years ago Blackburn was invited to join a San Diego band and has been in the area ever since. He not only plays guitar, but also teaches private lessons and records in his own studio.

He is most impressed with Mitchell’s gift for creating metaphors. In her song “Hejira” Blackburn noted, “There is a lifetime encapsulated in one phrase – ‘We all come and go unknown/Each so deep and superficial/Between the forceps and the stone.’

Adler and Blackburn anticipate that the concert on February the 25th will be well received. “There may be plenty of Baby Boomers like me who would be interested in revisiting Joni Mitchell,” said Adler, “and even some younger people too. She is an artist that crosses the lines of different musical genres.”

This week's guest...


was the husband/wife duo Dave Blackburn and Robin Adler. Having known them for years and knowing their boundless talents I knew we were in for a treat, but last night was just the best. They have worked up a chronological presentation of the music of Joni Mitchell and gave us a small taste of it. With Robin's beautifully emotive, strong/soft, pitch perfect voice, and Dave's deft fretwork, masterful guitar voicings, and percussion, they brought out the best in what can only be described as the one of the most influential repertoires of the 20th century. From her earliest folkey ballads (Clouds, A Case of You) to her later jazz infused offerings (Hejira, Harry's House, Dry Cleaner From DeMoines) and everything around and in between, Dave and Robin pulled them off with aplomb and brought the house down, and a mighty house it was. Thanks again to The Hot Monkey Love's Rick and Alma Felan, and all you great Monkey Lovers who came out to the show.

We definitely gotta do this again Dave, and Robin! Cheers.

Review of "It's About Time":

**** stars
“fans of classic female jazz singers should definitely give this one a try.”

“When you first hear Robin Adler sing, you think that a new and very beautiful songstress has come to open all the windows, because that is exactly what Robin Adler does.”

“this is an artist who deserves a wider audience--more importantly the audience deserves her too."