Watch Joni Mitchell perform ‘Summertime’ at the Gershwin Prize concert
Last month, Joni Mitchell was the recipient of the Gershwin Prize in Washington, D.C, and footage has now emerged of the folk icon performing ‘Summertime’ at the event.
At the concert on March 1st at Constitution Hall, Mitchell was celebrated by peers such as Cyndi Lauper, Herbie Hancock, Marcus Mumford, Brandi Carlile, James Taylor, Graham Nash and Ledisi. When Taylor took to the stage, he said their past relationship was “one of the chapters in my life that I’m fondest of. She had a huge effect on me, on my work. And we collaborated during the year or so that we were together on a lot of stuff.” He concluded by saying: “Joni is a national treasure”.
In his speech, Nash told the crowd: “She has had many, many difficulties in her life with polio when she was young. And now there’s a brain aneurysm several years ago. But to see her come back and be singing again and playing again is incredible. I mean, talk about resilience.”
Before Mitchell was awarded the prize, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden commented: “Joni Mitchell’s music hits you straight to your heart, down to your soul. You can say she has truly helped all of us look at both sides now.”
Meanwhile, Joni said in a statement: “I’m a creative person. I like the creative process. I’ve been a painter all my life. I’ve been a musician most of my life. If you can paint with a brush, you can paint with words. It’s a great honour to join the pantheon of recipients.”
After receiving the prize, Mitchell performed a rendition of ‘Summertime’ by George Gershwin, which has now officially been released on the singer-songwriter’s YouTube channel. Watch it below.
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