Glorious Mahalia is Kronos Quartet‘s third release for Smithsonian Folkways. It follows 2020’s Long Time Passing: Kronos Quartet & Friends Celebrate Pete Seeger, and 2022’s Mỹ Lai. It’s an homage to gospel singer and activist Mahalia Jackson’s work, music, life, and friendships. The idea for the album appeared to Kronos founder David Harrington in 2013 after seeing Clarence Jones, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s lawyer and speechwriter on TV discussing King’s “I Have a Dream” speech from the 1963 March on Washington. Jones provided King with written thoughts, about 15 paragraphs’ worth. As King spoke what he had been provided, Jackson, who had sung before him, was sitting near King and said, “Tell them about the dream. Tell them about the dream, Martin.”
Category: gospel
Blue Note Records and Motown Gospel have joined forces for an unprecedented hybrid album, Sweet, Sweet Spirit, featuring Ron Carter’s improvisational bass lines underpinning gospel great Ricky Dillard’s famed New G Chorale. Whether this new venture will encourage jazz listeners to listen to traditional gospel remains to be seen, though Carter’s name alone will draw many to this effort. Although Carter’s bass is prominent enough in the mix, the choir’s power is overwhelmingly potent on every track. Fortunately, there are different lead vocalists throughout to provide some differentiation. The choir is clearly ‘the’ instrument, while Carter’s bass work serves as a narrator. As mentioned previously on other projects, many of these elder NEA Jazz Masters like Carter, have long-held dream…
Robert Finley has always wanted to do a gospel album, yet like his previous melding of blues, soul, R&B, and gospel, he’s not content to stick too closely to the pure genre. Finley works again with Dan Auerbach on his fourth album for Easy Eye Sound, and essentially gets free rein on Hallelujah! Don’t Let the Devil Fool Ya.
True to his mantra, Finley walked into the studio without any prepared material. His artistry has been honed as a street musician, playing for tips and improvising songs spontaneously. For this session, all he needed was the group of musicians assembled by Auerbach and a few words to spark him. Those musicians are Malcolm Cato (drums), Finley and Barrie Cadogan (guitar), Tommy Rennick (bass), and Ray Jacinto (keys).