For those unaware outside of the UK, Hejira is an outstanding 7-piece band set up to celebrate and honor the masterpiece works of Joni Mitchell, mostly from the late 70’s. Having released the albums ‘The Hissing of Summer Lawns’, ‘Hejira’, ‘Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter’ and ‘Mingus’, Joni then toured briefly with a band formed from the crème de la crème of contemporaneous musicians (Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Michael Brecker, Jaco Pastorius and Don Alias).

The tour was recorded, producing the much-lauded live album, ‘Shadows And Light’ and thus it is from this work that the band Hejira is drawing the spirit and body of its repertoire.

Diligently astute at what they do, dutifully aware of the source material and all its cadences, what Hejira majestically manage to do is bring forth not only the aforementioned spirit of Joni at that time, but her genuine essence of musical being within their live shows.

Run by Pete Oxley - guitarist and bandleader - and comprising highly experienced, world class musicians, Hejira 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.

We asked Pete about the concept, the history – and the future of the band and here is what he had to say:

Please tell us about how Hejira began; what was it that made you want to do this project? “I run a venue in Oxford (UK) called The Spin and for the Christmas 2023 gig, thought to myself, “it would be lovely to play the great music by Joni Mitchell from her ‘jazz period’ of the late ‘70s”. I put a band together of musicians that were not only great players, but musicians that I knew loved this repertoire.”

“I wanted a group that would know that the point of this performance would be to ‘serve the song’ (as opposed to being a vehicle for solo grandstanding!). The gig went incredibly well, so we decided to do another 2 months hence and after advertising this, the venue was sold out within 24 hours…so at that point I thought, “maybe this project has got legs!”– and to cut a long story short, the following year we did 50 shows in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.”

How were you presenting the songs? I note that you are careful to state that Hejira is not a ‘tribute band’, so are you rearranging Mitchell’s pieces to create your own sound? “Exactly that! With this seven-piece band, I have a lot of colors at my disposal. For a start, Hattie plays guitar, using Joni’s open tunings – and that forms the sonic foundations of the songs, allowing me space to weave lines around the vocals.”

“Our keyboard player is playing synths, in addition to piano – so lots of textures available there and Ollie on woodwinds is playing soprano sax, tenor sax and bass clarinet. Then in the rhythm section, our bass player, Dave, is the kind of player I can get to play any melodic parts when required and our drummer is aided and abetted by a great percussionist!”

“So, when we started, we were more or less just ‘playing the songs’ but more and more, I’ve got into the arranging side of things and really enjoy the challenge of seeing what I can do with the pieces – whilst always respecting the intent and character of the original. One thing I never mess with is the melody: so long as Hattie is singing what the audience knows and expects, I can get away with a fair bit of orchestrating and re-harmonizing here and there!”

I’ve noted that you have got a lot of traction from your videos on Youtube with many comments from people in the U.S. so do you have any plans to tour in America? “Yes! We have been invited to headline at the 40th Syracuse Jazz Festival on the 10th July this year! The director of the festival, Frank Malfitano is a great fan of Joni’s music from this period and fortunately, Frank found our videos on Youtube and fell in love with the band. We are deeply honored to be playing this show and are currently working on putting together a short tour in the northeast of America.”

From what I’ve seen and heard of Hejira, you are doing a great service to this music, bringing it alive to new audiences in a fresh and spirited way. I wish you all the best for the band and very much hope to see you touring at large in the States in the future.

Hejira - In France They Kiss On Main Street [Official Music Video]

Hejira - Just Like This Train [Official Music Video]

Hejira @ Facebook

Hejira @ Instagram

Official Live @ The Cockpit CD Purchase Link

www.PeteOxley.com

Hejira 2026 Tour Dates:
March 16th: London, Jazz Cafe
March 26th: Cambridge Junction
March 27th: Barrow-in-Furness, Town Hall
March 28th: Dumfries, The Venue
March 29th: Huddersfield Town Hall
March 30th: Ambleside, Zeffirellis
March 31st: Milton Keynes, The Stables
April 3rd: Manchester, Band On The Wall
April 4th: Cumbernauld, Lanternhouse
April 5th: Leeds, City Varieties Music Hall
April 8th: Portsmouth, Guildhall
April 9th: Lyme Regis, Marine Theatre
April 29th: Bristol, St George’s
April 30th: Oxford, The Spin
May 1st: Aberteifi/Cardigan, Mwldan
May 2nd: Totnes, Civic Hall
September 4: Ambleside Days Festival
September 6th: Swansea Jazz Festival
October 4th: Exeter, Phoenix Theatre
October 8: Cardiff, Acapela Studio
October 9th: Twickenham Exchange
November 6th: Kendal, Brewery Arts Centre
November 7th: Liverpool, Tung Auditorium
November 13th: Stroud, The Sub Rooms
November 14th: Hungerford Croft Hall