I will always reflect back on "Shadows & Light" with tremendous fondness for two important reasons: it introduced me for the first time to Joni Mitchell's late 70s jazz-oriented body of work and also prepared me for the true greatness which was soon forthcoming from the team of Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays (who play guitars and keyboards respectively on the concert album.)

"Shadows & Light" is a collage of Mitchell's various musical expressions throughout the years: rock, folk and pop ballads blended with her own unique and often quite eccentric style of jazz. The album kicks off brightly with "In France They Kiss on Main Street" with Mitchell packing in the words to this rapidly traveling and lyrically nostalgic pop tune. The crowd is enthusiastic from this very first song, which adds to the excitement and electricity of a very memorable evening at L.A.'s Hollywood Bowl.

From there it is a fascinating journey through the most recent Joni Mitchell works preceding this release...from "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" she performs the mysterious "Edith and the Kingpin" and the beautifully acappella title song with background vocals courtesy of The Persuasions. Mitchell's selections from her then recent collaboration with the late Charles Mingus are the focus of her most hard-core jazz performances including "Goodbye Porkpie Hat", "The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines" and the finger-popping "God Must Be a Boogie Man" which feature the late Jaco Pastorius on bass and Michael Brecker on saxophone.

Most lyrical and haunting though are her beautiful and often ethereal selections from her album "Hejira" including the rolling and humor-laden "Coyote", the melancholy "Furry Sings the Blues" and most notably the absolutely monumental "Amelia"...a confessional tale full of loss and wanderlust with its focus on the life, dreams and death of Amelia Earhart. "Amelia" concludes with a visionary Pat Metheny/Lyle Mays duet, which is a fine early example of the incredibly melodic and prolific work these two composers and instrumentalists produced together in subsequent years (such as on the album "Pat Metheny Group: First Circle").

There are a few old favorites covered on "Shadows & Light": a lively rendition of the old rock and roll classic "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?", and performances of two older Joni Mitchell classics "Free Man in Paris" and the legendary "Woodstock."

While the concert DVD of "Shadows & Light" now appears somewhat dated, the CD of this concert is every bit as entertaining and emotionally charged as it ever was upon its initial release. Truly a unique live classic.

I have to agree with all the other reviewers. This is some of the best work from Joni, Jaco and Pat. Pat and Jaco basically started out together and the unspoken communication between the two artists is very apparent on this recording. Joni picks a number of track that you wouldn't expect to be on this live album. "Coyote" is indeed the highlight of the record, with Jaco covering both the organ, bass and in some instances, guitar parts from the original studio recording. There was a video released of this particular show, if anyone has any information on it, I would be extremely interested. A final thought... the fusion of Jazz and other musical genres was very popular in the seventies, with groups like Weather Report, Mahavisnu Orchestra..etc, Joni creates the ultimate folk/jazz fusion.

I agree with another reviewer that this is a fantastic group. It is a rather strange grouping. Jaco on bass, Pat Metheny on guitar, Lyle Mays on keyboards, Don Alias on drums and percussion, and Michael Brecker on sax. You wouldn't think of these guys on a pop stage. Not that Joni really is pop. Joni soars with these guys underneath. It is also very interesting to hear Pat play in this forum. But to tell the truth, this is an absolute tour de force for Jaco. Hejira and Coyote particularly are given life by Jaco. What a great album. When it first came out it didn't leave my stereo for about 2 months.

This is a real live masterpiece. Some of these live renditions blow the originals right out of the water. Too bad that when transfered to disc,"Black Crow" got cut. It's much more urgent sounding here. The medley of "Amelia" with that beautifull Metheny solo moving into "Hejira" is the centerpice. It never gets old. Earlier on in here career, her voice didn't grab me as much, but from "Court And Spark" through this recording, I feel she was at her peak as a vocalist. A pox on those critics who slammed her for the Mingus project. It was Mingus himself who sought her out to put poetry to his music. What better authority on his work is there than the master? The answer is NONE!

Quite simply the best versions of some of her best songs. Her band is staggering (Jaco Pastorius! , Pat Methany!, Don Alias! , Michael Brecker! , Lyle Mays!) and they play so well together it's breathtaking. Try to find the vinyl version, which contains some gems the CD cut out (Free Man In Paris, great Don Alias solo...)