Two of the most respected and beloved performer-songwriters in the history of pop music make two rare Canadian appearances together, in Toronto and Ottawa, next month. Bob Dylan, 57, and Joni Mitchell, 54, will perform at Maple Leaf Gardens on Oct. 29, followed by a show at Ottawa's Corel Centre Oct. 30, it was announced yesterday in Toronto. These are the only dates the two veterans will be playing in Canada this fall.

Earlier this year, Mitchell and Dylan played a sold-out concert in Vancouver along with singer-songwriter Van Morrison. Dylan's Toronto show is part of a larger Canadian tour he is undertaking next month with Calgary singer-songwriter Jann Arden. Dates for those shows have been set for Calgary (Oct. 15), Edmonton (16), Saskatoon (18), Regina (20) and Winnipeg (21).

Tickets for the Toronto Mitchell-Dylan concerts go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster locations in Toronto and Ottawa. Toronto prices are expected to range from $60 to $32.50. Sales at the Gardens box office begin Saturday. Ottawa tickets will sell for $49.50 or $32.50.

This week, Mitchell released her latest recording, Taming the Tiger, her first recording of new, original songs since 1994's Grammy-winning Turbulent Indigo. A paperback collection of her lyrics and poems is to be published in Canada in November. Dylan is releasing a much-anticipated two-CD set next month titled The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966. It's culled from his legendary "electric" concerts in Manchester, England, with the group that would eventually become the Band.