Joy Harjo is a published poet and saxophonist . . .
This My Heart: How to Blend Native American and Zen Buddhist Wisdom with Modern Painting and Video-Art
I also love that Harjo has given us her interpretation of Jim Pepper's classic Witchi Tai To. It honors the amazing Jim Pepper and his contributions to both mainstream and Native music (To read about Jim Pepper, go to http://jimpepperlives.wordpress.com/). For me, it also stirs memories of 1969 when, as an East Coast city girl, I first heard Brewer and Shipley sing Witchi Tai To on their album "Weeds." (For those disabled by generational memory lapses, you might remember Brewer and Shipley from their ubiquitous anthem "One Toke Over the Line.") Harjo's version of Witchi Tai To is simultaneously unique and traditional. Not to be missed.
Harjo's new album may be her very best, a mature and complex work with something for everyone. Buy two copies: one to keep and one for your best friend. Stop by for a listen if you're not convinced. You won't regret it.
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MUSIC Reviews
“Joy Harjo is a poet of music just as she is a poet of words.” Paul Winter, Grammy award winning saxophonist…a sax sound that creeps ever closer to that of Coltrane…
—Thomas Rain Crow, Beat writer, poet and musician.
“What a gift…I knew you could play sax, but I had no idea you could sing so beautifully..”
—Sandra Cisneros novelist, MacArthur Fellowship Awardee
“You are the best!”
—Charlie Hill, Oneida comedian
“Joy Harjo is a poet of music, as she is a poet of words.”
—Paul Winter
—Winding Through The Milky Way
—Native Joy For Real
—Letter From The End of The 20th Century
—Live Show/Band Reviews
—Reviews/Joy Harjo
Native Winds
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Poetry, Music have Joy Harjo’s band riding high
Weekly Alibi/1997
Poetic Justice
There are artists who excel at expressing themselves in words. We call them poets. there are still others who are most effective in such expression through music: They are known as musicians. And there are others although far more rare, who are miraculously able to weave the two-words and music—into a form that is infinitely beautiful and as powerful as the artists themselves. Call it Poetic Justice. Download.jpg
Crossroads/1997
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Josh Hathaway Fanboy Pick
The Progressive/1993
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Native Joy For Real CD/2005
Storytelling and improvised conversation have long played a role in Harjo’s performance life, so it wasn’t altogether surprising for her to move into the realm of theater. “In the last few years,” she says thoughtfully, “I began to see how I could combine everything I had been working on into a larger piece, to consolidate all the elements into a fuller and deeper arc.” Download Article.pdf
The long-anticipated latest release by Joy Harjo is finally here! Fans will not be disappointed with this new collection of songs which celebrates ancestral sensibilities wrapped in contemporary indigenous rhythms. Some of the original work is layered and deep; some is light-hearted and presents itself as a strand in the fabric of our island community. The guitar work of Producer/Guitarist Larry Mitchell is captivating and complements Harjo's powerful, emotive saxophone rifts. I can't decide which song touches me most deeply, but I predict that all listeners will feel a palpable connection with the primal energy of Harjo's spoken words, melodies, songs, and instrumentation.
Indian Country Today/1996
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Crossroads/1995
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Al-Ahram Weekly/Ciaro/1997
Arts of Hope/1998
This My Heart: How to Blend Native American and Zen Buddhist Wisdom with Modern Painting and Video-Art
Native American Pulse/1998
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Santa Fe Indian Market/1996
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