On March 19, 1968, Joni Mitchell played two surprise sets at Café Le Hibou in Ottawa. Also in town that night was Jimi Hendrix, playing two shows of his own at the  Capitol Theater earlier that night. 

 

But it seems that Jimi wasn't content with just playing his show - as he explained  his diary: 

“Talked with Joni Mitchell on the phone. I think I’ll record her tonight with my excellent tape recorder (knock on wood) . . . hmmm . . . can’t find any wood . . . everything’s plastic.”

 

The late guitar great ended up recording Joni - who he praised as a “fantastic girl with heaven words.” - and not on his phone - he used an entire reel-to-reel recoding device (!) while kneeling inconspicuously at the front of the stage.

 

Sadly - the tape of the show was stolen just a few days later and never to be seen again - until recently - when  it was discovered in a donation made to the Library and Archives Canada and subsequently returned it to Mitchell.

And now those recordings are being released as part of Mitchell’s latest archival box set. Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971) features nearly six hours of unreleased home, studio, and live recordings. The five-CD, 10-LP package includes the Le Hibou performances recorded by Hendrix. It also encompasses a BBC live broadcast with James Taylor, a demo recorded at Jane Lurie’s apartment in NYC, lots of early home demos by Mitchell, and more.

 

Below you can stream "The Dawntreader" from that 1968 concert that Jimi Hendrix recorded.

 

 

Here is the Tracklist for Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971) 
Disc One
Joni’s home (late 1967/early 1968)
1.“Midnight Cowboy” – Version one
2.“The Dawntreader” – Demo with vocal overdub
3.“Song To A Seagull”
4.“Midnight Cowboy” – Version two
Jane Lurie’s Apartment, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, NY (late 1967/early 1968)
5. “The Way It Is”
6.“Turn Around” – Incomplete
Home Demo, Joni’s home (late 1967/early 1968)
7. “I Had A King” – Demo with piano overdub
8. “Roses Blue” – Demo with peacock harp overdub
9. “The Fiddle And The Drum” – Piano demo
Song To A Seagull Session, Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA (January 24, 1968)
10.“Jeremy”
11.“Conversation”
12.“Both Sides Now”
13.“The Gift Of The Magi”
Jane Lurie’s Apartment, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, NY (early 1968)
14.“It’s Easy”
15.“Another Melody”
Live at Canterbury House, Ann Arbor, MI (March 10, 1968)
16. Introduction
17. “Jeremy”
18.“Songs To Aging Children Come”