An Ottawa drummer with a passion for collecting reel-to-reel tapes deserves applause for the coming release of a Joni Mitchell performance recorded over half a century ago by none other than virtuoso guitarist Jimi Hendrix.

The impromptu 1968 recording session of blossoming singer-songwriter Mitchell at the national capitalB次元官网网址檚 Le Hibou Coffee House has long been the stuff of pop music lore, documented in HendrixB次元官网网址檚 diary.

But the tapeB次元官网网址檚 fate was a mystery for decades.

Mitchell announced this week that selections from the Ottawa gig would be included on a volume of archival recordings from 1968-71 to be released in October.

A 24-year-old Mitchell was in the middle of a two-week stint at Le Hibou on March 19, 1968, when Hendrix, playing the nearby Capitol Theatre, phoned the Alberta-born songstress, whom he would soon dub B次元官网网址渇antastic girl with heaven wordsB次元官网网址� in his diary.

B次元官网网址淚 think IB次元官网网址檒l record her tonight with my excellent tape recorder (knock on wood) B次元官网网址� hmmm B次元官网网址� canB次元官网网址檛 find any wood B次元官网网址� everythingB次元官网网址檚 plastic,B次元官网网址� he wrote.

In liner notes from MitchellB次元官网网址檚 forthcoming release, posted on her website, she recalls the evening vividly.

B次元官网网址淭hey came and told me, B次元官网网址楯imi Hendrix is here, and heB次元官网网址檚 at the front door.B次元官网网址� I went to meet him. He had a large box. He said to me, B次元官网网址楳y name is Jimi Hendrix. IB次元官网网址檓 on the same label as you. Reprise Records.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淗e said, B次元官网网址業B次元官网网址檇 like to record your show. Do you mind?B次元官网网址� I said, B次元官网网址楴o, not at all.B次元官网网址� There was a large reel-to-reel tape recorder in the box.

B次元官网网址淭he stage was only about a foot off the ground. He knelt at the edge of the stage, with a microphone, at my feet. All during the show, he kept twisting knobs.B次元官网网址�

The resulting tape was stolen from a vehicle a short time later. Hendrix died in 1970. And it seemed MitchellB次元官网网址檚 show would linger only in the memory of those who came out to Le Hibou.

More than 30 years later, drummer Richard Patterson, who had played in Ottawa band The Esquires, asked fellow musician Ian McLeish to digitize more than 300 tapes he had amassed over the years.

B次元官网网址淪ome were tapes sent to him by artists trying to get on the air, some were tapes of the groups and the artists heB次元官网网址檇 been involved with. And some were just tapes that he found hanging around in the studios,B次元官网网址� McLeish said in an interview.

After PattersonB次元官网网址檚 death in 2011, his estate asked McLeish to go through the old recordings again.

B次元官网网址淎nd I found a bunch of tapes Richard hadnB次元官网网址檛 given me the first time. And one of them was Joni Mitchell at Le Hibou, March 1968, taped by Jimi.B次元官网网址�

McLeish digitized the tape, and the original, along with all the others from Patterson, were given to Library and Archives Canada.

B次元官网网址淏ut I kept the digitized versions of everything,B次元官网网址� said McLeish, who releases vintage Canadian recordings through Mousehole Music.

B次元官网网址淎nd I was hoping that this Joni thing might be of interest to somebody someday. But I didnB次元官网网址檛 really think, being an old tape, that it was that important.B次元官网网址�

McLeish heard last year that Mitchell had begun issuing some early performances. B次元官网网址淎nd I said, well, this would be right up her alley.B次元官网网址�

He got in touch with the performerB次元官网网址檚 management and sent along the digital file.

B次元官网网址淭hey passed it on to Joni and, from what I understand, she freaked out. She had thought this stuff was lost forever, and so was really, really pleased to hear this set.B次元官网网址�

McLeish said he looked into retrieving the tape from Library and Archives because Mitchell expressed interest in having the original, but COVID-19 restrictions complicated matters.

Richard Green, now retired from the archives, was manager of the music section when PattersonB次元官网网址檚 tapes were offered to the institution. He recalls accepting them even though there was a freeze on such acquisitions at the time.

B次元官网网址淚 essentially took it upon myself to bring the material in when I wasnB次元官网网址檛 supposed to, and to hide it away in the backlog.B次元官网网址�

A full inventory was not done at the time, so Green didnB次元官网网址檛 know the Mitchell tape was among the recordings.

The mystery is how it got into PattersonB次元官网网址檚 collection in the first place, McLeish said.

B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 really know, because RichardB次元官网网址檚 gone now, how he got a hold of it. But I assume because he was always picking up tapes and adding them to the collection, either somebody gave it to him because they knew he was archiving stuff. Or he saw it somewhere and said, B次元官网网址楬ey, can I take this?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2021.

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press