Mahalia Jackson 1958 recorded at the Newport Jazz Festival 33rpm vinyl

Description: Feel free to message me with any questions NEWPORT 1958 MAHALIA JACKSON recorded at the rewport Jazz Festival Despite war, pestilence, anger, and deceit, which are all accomplished by humans, the Person is still the center of our lives. This may sound annoyingly familiar to you, but despite repetition, the truth of it can't be denied. Our concern-regardless of atoms, missiles, submarines, Alaska, Quemoy—is the Person; everything begins here. Strangely enough, this Person is the most confusing of the facts we face from one day to the next. Yet it is the most familiar fact we know. A vast reservoir of reality is present in all of us, and we do have the intention of letting others share it with us. But the moments in which this happens are rare. The piercing through of the screen of matter, and the sudden perception of spirit these occur and we realize the depth and the content of a human being. A glass shatters, and down through the senses a perception travels and brings new understanding. The small child is disobedient, and a mother sees the future with all the battles of authost and free-dom; this small child only in out of the play yard. Only artists consistently give Sus this in- sight. They intrigue us with their attempts to work in the depths of the Person. In Mauriac's Thérèse, you suddenly see what boredom and a clamoring-for novelty and response can do to a woman. Or the two contestants of The Bridge on the River Kwai, standing on the completed bridge, and neither sure what the motivation was that brought about the accomplishment of this huge structure. And one character justifies his action by calling on age and the sense of accomplishment. His life has passed its middle point, must now de-scend, and he looks anxiously about him for something to justify the time spent. Mahalia Jackson works at this depth; there is no other explanation for her success. Audiences come away with little or no comment about the voice, the rhythms, the groans, calls, cries, but always about the dignity and the depth of the woman. They see and hear a dimension that hasn't been a common factor in their lives. They aren't religious, and many would never accept the theological premises of the religious viewpoint of Mahalia. But they sit and listen as they did at this concert at Newport in July, late at night, and in the rain. And a year ago they had done the same, only that time in the sun, when most sensible people were at the beach because it was summer-and on a Sunday afternoon you go for a swim, not to listen to a gospel singer. Americans are seldom articulate about their religious views. Whether it be prayer or meditation or reflection, it is done in the secrecy of the church, the quiet of the cell, or the privacy of one's own room. This artist, graced with marvelous presence, can kneel, close her hands, lift her head, assume any gesture, and though the audience may gasp or pull back, Mahalia masters them, and the determination and earnestness of the woman comes through. Another problem that confronts the artist here is the form or medium that she has chosen as her own. Gospel songs are simple in structure and almost childlike in lyric, appearing at times incapable of conveying the drama and the reality they are called upon to express. But through the history of revival meetings, house parties, and church choirs, and the singing of the blues, the test of the hymn and the gospel song is not what the music and the words bring, but what the artist gives this small creation. Here, the emphasis of jazz becomes a factor as the artist strides through with all the force that freedom and spontaneity can bring to any performance.. custome or of project by an discipli customed to the lean sounds of the synagogue or of medieval chant. Such musical lines project the same dedication and intensity but by an entirely different means. They are disciplined and contained, and no changes are permitted because the voices represent the social group; the prayer uttered is the prayer of all, not the prayer of one. Obviously, the form is different; ears raised on this as typical religious music are taken aback by the looseness and the almost chaotic formlessness of the gospel-singing form. But again, remember that Mahalia sings within a different tradition, one which calls for the burst of song from the individual— and the form doesn't demand concern about grace notes and accents. These are handled as you want them to be at the time when you sing. This is Mahalia when she sings. Happy, vibrant, full-figured, dressed in white, brown-skinned, flashing eyes, easy with the audi-ence, and in complete rapport with them as she deftly announces her own songs, and teases the audience as they speak out for more and more. When Willis Conover walked on stage at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival-it was on July 6th-and announced "Ladies and gentlemen, it is Sunday morning and time for the world's greatest gospel singer," one could tell that something of value was about to happen. It was obvious that the capacity audience-which had sat in the rain through an unusually long program-was waiting for Mahalia. This great lady walked on stage and was greeted by an ovation from the audience and a downpour from the heavens. But she had not finished her first selection before, as if by pre-arrangement, the rain stopped, and it did not return until the end of her glorious performance. Many have tried in vain to describe what it is that is so captivating about Mahalia and the songs she sings. In this respect, I too have failed, for greatness is seldom describable. But of one thing I am sure: she and her art are made luminous by sincerity, and her ability to -eject an emotion, regardless of its notivation, is unparalleled by any enger past or present-with the possible exception of Bessie Smith. Though the exts of her songs are religious in na-sure, one can be moved regardless of one's beliefs. Like a true jazz musician, she could sing the same song over and over for an entire evening, and each performance would be different. Subtle changes in rhythm and melody make each hearing a revelation. Her impeccable sense of rhythm forces the listener to participate. On the slow, ballad-type songs, one is swayed along with the beautifully sustained passages she spins out. All of these things, plus Mahalia's great devotion, contribute to her greatness. Like a line in one of her songs, she must live the life she sings about in her song. —CAL LAMPLEY What was said at the beginning is perfect for the end. A Person. She has a story or a message or a viewpoint as an artist she wishes to give you something that is usually called beauty. But the beauty is really a little more understanding of your-self, and the world in which you live and breathe and eventually die. This woman wants you to know what is meant by con-viction, dedication, committment, and she gives it to you with all the strength that she can bring. This means with her mind and her heart-two words that still convey the totality of human accomplishment and are used in her songs. She worries, not that you accept her tradition, but only that you under-stand, share. FR. NORMAN O'CONNOR ality of reproduction on the phonograph of your choice, new or old. If you are the owner of lity. In short, you can purchase this record with no fear of its becoming obsolete in the future. ING IS DESIGNED FOR USE ON 33-1/3 RPM STEREOPHONIC REPRODUCERS

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Location: Vinton, Virginia

End Time: 2024-11-23T04:35:51.000Z

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