Fleet Jazz Club: Hejira

Since their formation just over a year ago, the band has been a tremendous success, with sold out
shows, standing ovations, a total of over 150K views on their YouTube channel and more than 700
enthusiastic comments and audience reviews.

‘Hejira’ is a 7-piece band set up to celebrate and honour the masterpiece works of Joni Mitchell,
mostly from the late ‘70s. Having released the albums ‘The Hissing of Summer Lawns’, ‘Hejira’, ‘Don
Juan’s Reckless Daughter’ and ‘Mingus’ (regarded as her ‘jazz period’), Joni then toured briefly with a
band formed from the crème de la crème of contemporaneous jazz musicians (Metheny, Mays,
Brecker, Pastorius and Alias). The tour was recorded, producing the outstanding live album,
‘Shadows And Light’; it is from this album that the band Hejira is drawing the body of its repertoire.
Comprising highly experienced jazz musicians, this band is fronted by the brilliant Hattie Whitehead
who not only has – in her own way – assimilated the poise, power and beauty of Joni’s vocals, but
also plays guitar with Joni’s stylistic mannerisms. Expect an evening of the ‘great’ songs from
Mitchell’s back catalogue, such as ‘Amelia’, ‘Woodstock’, ‘A Case Of You’, ’Song For Sharon’, ‘Edith
And The Kingpin’ etc.!

Hattie Whitehead ~ vocals & guitar
Ollie Weston ~ tenor & soprano saxophones
Chris Eldred ~ keyboards
Pete Oxley ~ guitar
Dave Jones ~ bass
Rick Finlay ~ drums
Marc Cecil ~ percussion