Wrapped up last evening & a long Christmas week dozing off with my lady to Mahalia Jackson's Silent Night album. If I had been aware of Mahalia's Christmas albums before, I'd long since forgotten. Some of the finest holiday gospel I've ever heard. I've got Azzul, over at OnMuddySava to thank for turning me--and us--onto these recordings. His post is here:Azzul's Mahalia Jackson post
Definitely go over & check it out...
...And when you get back, I invite you to spend a little time at Jackson's rain-soaked, powerhouse set from 1958's Newport Jazz Festival. Sifting through the wreckage of the cabin's holiday week, Sunday's sounding a whole lot like Mahalia at the moment...
It has been said that Mahalia Jackson was the "finest gospel singer this country ever produced." While I believe such statements are all ultimately subjective, I personally find this one hard to dispute. We are given ample and consistent evidence of this throughout Jackson's Newport set, from her moving Evening Prayer opening, through Didn't It Rain, a deeply soulful Keep Your Hands on the Plow, on to her pair of stirring encores, Jesus Met the Woman at the Well and His Eye Is On the Sparrow.
At the time of this performance, after years of well-profiled concert and television performances, Jackson's career was reaching its zenith when she took the stage at Newport. Always singing through chronic and debilitating pain, this woman channeled it all, singing to her God, delivering vocal performances that remain some of the finest gospel has ever produced.
Mahalia Jackson
Live at Newport 1958
Sony 1994
1. Introduction
2. An Evening Prayer
3. A City Called Heaven
4. I'm On My Way
5. It Didn't Cost Very Much
6. Didn't It Rain
7. He's Got the Whole World In His Hands
8. When The Saints Go Marching In
9. I'm Going To Live The Life I Sing About In My Song
10. Keep Your Hand On the Plow
11. The Lord's Prayer
12. Walk Over God's Heaven
13. Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho
14. Jesus Met the Woman at the Well
15. His Eye on the Sparrow
Link
Peace, Mudcatz
.jpg)
