Hejira (featuring Lia Booth)
I had the honor to perform on Melvin Davis’ new album, Genre: Music Chapter II (Joni). This Joni Mitchell song, Hejira, is probably my favorite on the album.
Joni’s guitar playing is nothing short of amazing. It was such a challenge to recreate her guitar part with my own take. In particular, the unique tunings she uses are fascinating.
For this song she uses: CGDFGC. It was like learning guitar all over again! Before I could even begin to play I had to figure out the tuning, learn the new chord shapes, and picking part. And then, of course, get it up to performance level before hitting record. It was tricky also because I was the first instrument to record on this song, which is a little unusual. I had to make sure the track was solid for the rest of the overdubs to lay over nicely.
Once I had a good take of the whole song. I doubled the part and panned them hard left and right. The natural differences in the parts created a lovely chorus and ping pong effect from left to right.
Melvin’s playing, as usual, is impeccable and sensitive. And vocalist, Lia Booth’s performance is stunning. Make sure to check out the whole album here. Enjoy!
