‘This record… after several ‘doubtful’ albums… was one of Mahalia Jackson’s best for several years’, say the notes. OK, ‘dubious’ would be better, but the sense is the same – some of this CD’s immediate predecessors in Fremeaux’s Mahalia Jackson reissue series have been less than wonderful, featuring LPs that teamed the gospel singer with rather unsuitable accompanists and/or occasionally with inappropriate, though always sacred, material. The bulk of this CD – From ‘Everytime I Feel The Spirit I Pray’ through to ‘What A Difference Since My Heart’s Been Changed’ made up the Columbia album, ‘Every Time I Feel The Spirit’, recorded in Hollywood, California on 7th March 1961. Johnny Williams, who had done a decent job on Mahalia’s preceding LP, ‘I Believe’, was again brought in as arranger and drummer, with Mahalia’s long-time accompanist Mildred Falls and Louise Weaver on piano and organ respectively, plus ace session guitarist Tommy Tedesco and Phil Stephens on bass. The ‘Orchestra and Chorus cond. By Johnny Williams’ are what dates this set, though they are far less intrusive than on some of the earlier albums, Mahalia is in excellent form, and the song selection is certainly closer to what she would sing in church than on some of the albums she had recorded in the preceding years. The opening title of this CD was recorded for an album issued by the United Nations, and ‘The Love Of God’ runs to over nine minutes, most of them featuring just Mahalia singing over piano accompaniment and showing clearly just why she is so highly-rated. The final two numbers were recorded from a television show, possibly ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’, and feature an introduction/brief interview by writer/radio personality Studs Terkel on the first part. Curiously, these sides were issued on 45 by the USA label. Anyone who has followed the series this far is of course going to want this – but it is also one of the best examples of Mahalia’s later work; not perfect, but a lot better than many others.
Par Norman DARWEEN – BLUES & RHYTHM
Par Norman DARWEEN – BLUES & RHYTHM
