What does jazz mean to Joni Mitchell? If you've ever wondered how one of music’s most genre-defying artists defines her relationship with jazz, the upcoming box set Joni’s Jazz might just be the answer.
Arriving September 5 via Rhino, Joni’s Jazz is the first themed release in Mitchell’s ongoing Archives series—and it's a sprawling, stunning tribute to the jazz currents running through her body of work. Spanning 61 tracks across 4 CDs or 8 LPs, this collection traces Mitchell’s jazz explorations from her earliest acoustic beginnings to lush orchestral reimaginings and daring fusion collaborations.
Jazz purists might not place “Marcie” from 1968’s Song to a Seagull in the genre, but Mitchell includes it here. Her point? Jazz isn’t just a sound—it's a sensibility, a freedom. Even her folk-era staples like “Blue” and the haunting “Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire” are invited into the conversation.
By the time she reached Court and Spark in 1974, the jazz undertones became more overt. Tracks like “Just Like This Train” and her witty cover of “Twisted” (originally by Annie Ross and Wardell Gray) marked a turning point. From there, Joni dove headfirst into full-blown jazz experimentation with albums like Hejira, Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter, Mingus, and the electrifying live set Shadows and Light.
One of the joys of Joni’s Jazz is hearing the musical alchemy between Mitchell and some of jazz’s biggest legends: Jaco Pastorius, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Charles Mingus himself, and more. These players didn’t just accompany her—they challenged and expanded her sound.
Even Joni’s more pop-leaning albums from her Geffen years (like Wild Things Run Fast and Dog Eat Dog) are re-contextualized here with a jazz lens. Tracks like “Be Cool” and “Moon at the Window” appear as early demos, previously unreleased until now.
Also included are selections from her orchestral Both Sides Now project, featuring lush takes on standards like “At Last,” “You’re My Thrill,” and “Stormy Weather.” And fans of her collaborations will appreciate the presence of Herbie Hancock’s Grammy-winning River: The Joni Letters and Kyle Eastwood’s cover of “Trouble Man,” both featuring Mitchell.
The most recent performance in the collection is a special one—Joni’s live rendition of Gershwin’s “Summertime” at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival, part of the now-legendary “Joni Jam.” It’s a moving bookend that shows she’s still evolving and still surprising us.
The set’s cover art features a 2022 photo of Joni with Hancock and the late, great Wayne Shorter, to whom the release is dedicated. “It was a joy to play with him,” Joni writes. “He will be missed, but he will remain alive for me in this music.”
Joni’s Jazz arrives in both CD and LP formats. The CD edition comes in a book-style case reminiscent of her 2014 box Love Has Many Faces, while the LPs are housed in a slipcase.
This isn’t just a retrospective—it’s a reimagining. Joni’s Jazz invites listeners to experience her catalog through a new prism, one that honors jazz as both a form and a feeling. Whether you're a long-time fan or diving in for the first time, there’s no better way to rediscover Joni Mitchell.
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