Shadows and Light (Joni Mitchell album)

Shadows and Light is a live album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released in 1980. It documents her 1979 tour supporting her 1979 studio album, Mingus. The album is notable for showcasing Mitchell's evolving musical style, incorporating elements of jazz, folk, and rock, and for featuring a backing band that included Jaco Pastorius on bass, Pat Metheny on guitar, Michael Brecker on saxophone, Lyle Mays on keyboards, and Don Alias on percussion.

The album's tracklist includes both new songs and live versions of some of Mitchell's most well-known material, such as "Big Yellow Taxi," "Free Man in Paris," and "Woodstock." The arrangements are often significantly different from the original studio recordings, reflecting the band's improvisational style and Mitchell's own experimentation with different musical textures.

Shadows and Light received mixed reviews upon its release, with some critics praising the musicianship and the adventurous nature of the performances, while others found the album self-indulgent and overly complex. Despite the critical reception, the album reached the top 40 in both the United States and the United Kingdom and has since been reappraised as a significant document of Mitchell's artistic evolution. The album's title is taken from a line in her song "Amelia." The cover art features a self-portrait taken by Mitchell.