Hejira – celebrating the legend of Joni Mitchell

At Christmas time in 2022, British guitarist and composer Pete Oxley was tasked with preparing a one-off gig for the Oxford Playhouse. What followed was Hejira, a seven-piece band that performs and celebrates the work of Joni Mitchell.

Specifically, they focus on Mitchell’s work from the late 70s and her live album Shadows and Light, which was released in 1980.

Earlier this summer, back at the site of their first gig in Oxford, Hejira played for the 100th time.

It would be wrong to describe the group as a tribute act. With the scope and quality of musicians involved, Hejira’s modus operandi is authentic and varied. This is very much a new interpretation of Mitchell’s work while staying faithful to the pillars of her songs. The group plays Galway’s Róisín Dubh on Friday, September 5.

“I thought to play the music of Joni Mitchell from this period would be a special gig to do for the Christmas show,” Pete Oxley recalls.

“I put together this band which was musicians I knew were great players but also loved the music of Joni. Some of us had never played together and some combinations had. I wanted to see how it gelled before suggesting another date.”

It gelled so well that Oxley felt confident enough to book a second gig before playing the first one.

When that sold out instantly, he contacted an agent to explain the project and suddenly Hejira were signed up for 50 gigs a year. Thankfully, given how much of his life he now spends immersed in her work, Oxley adores Joni Mitchell.

“I started listening to her when I was about 21,” he says. “A girlfriend of mine played me Blue. I wasn’t much into singer/songwriters at the time, but I thought this album was outstanding.

“It was a completely different level of songwriting – the melodies, the harmonies and the lyrics. The lyrics were poetry on their own. I was enthralled, and Blue was a go to album for me for a few years.

Pictured: Hejira...celebrating the work of Joni Mitchell at the Róisín Dubh.