Product Description:
Personnel: Mahalia Jackson (vocals), Mildred Falls (piano), Lilton Mitchell (organ), Tom Bryant (bass).
Reissue producer: Nedra Olds-Neal.
Recorded live at the Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, Rhode Island on July 6, 1958. Includes liner notes by Leslie Gourse.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
This is part of the Columbia Jazz Masterpieces series.
On a Sunday morning at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, Mahalia Jackson took the stage and gave a performance that was recognized by fans and critics alike as one of her finest. This album documents that concert, and captures her deep soulfulness, irrepressible exuberance, and the passion of her Christian conviction. Introduced to the audience as "the world's greatest gospel singer," Jackson upholds that claim, unleashing a style that draws from Bessie Smith as much as European church music.
The program consists of traditional songs like "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" and "When the Saints Go Marching In," with Jackson's soaring alto infusing the tunes with new life. At times, Jackson seems somber and pious, as on the stirringly dramatic "A City Called Heaven." However, on "Didn't It Rain," she's nearly bursting at the seams, overflowing with spirit and rollicking, syncopated swing. Backed primarily by solo piano, Jackson carries the show by herself, with her larger-than-life talent cast in sharp relief by the stark instrumentation. The 1994 CD reissue of this landmark performance includes previously unissued tracks (most notably one song with Duke Ellington and his orchestra), remastered sound, and extensive liner notes.
Tracks:
