![]() Its about freedom/oppression, redemption/judgment, and gratitude/homelessness, all considered in those quiet and yet perhaps soul-wrenching hours that especially occur during the Day of Rest. ∼ome Sunday itself reflected more than that, as Ellington specifically composed it as one piece of his Black, Brown, and Beige work about Afro-American history, where its place was to present how Americas slaves felt about (and felt on) their one day of freedom from the work-weeks toil. Why did Ellington occasionally write such sacred songs? Perhaps the best initial answer is found in Albert Murrays Stomping the Blues (one of the most insightful books on popular American music), in the chapter titled The Blue Devils and the Holy Ghost, wherein the peculiar tension and connection between what Murray calls the Saturday Night Function and the Sunday Morning Service is explored, not resolved, and thus presented as a basic feature of the Afro-American socio-musical landscape. If you look on the youtube side bar, youll also find some fine adaptations by various sorts of choirs, suggesting it might well become a part of a broader classical canon, and not just the jazz and black gospel canons, for ages and ages to come. As great as Jackson always is, I encourage you to listen to the original recording more closelyafter several listens, once one gets past its apparently sleepy feel, one begins to feel its real majesty, and incidentally notices its interesting use of dissonance. I have linked to two versions of Duke Ellingtons ∼ome Sunday here, first its original recording, the second a later version featuring Mahalia Jackson singing words added to it. ![]() ![]() Both reflect an awareness that in America, and perhaps for any ∾uropean Son as well, the first day of the week (or is it the last?) does not feel like any other. Here are two pieces I can recommend unequivocally as fine music, one initially composed without words, from the jazz tradition but veering into the classical, and another with words, from the rock song canon. ∙ In challenging artistic norms while balancing pop with abrasive sonics, the band influenced such forward-thinking artists as Patti Smith, Joy Division, The Strokes, and Sonic Youth.For the seventh Songbook entry, its time for sounds that remind us of, or at least make us long for, Gods goodness. ∙ The Velvet Underground was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, and Rolling Stone included the group in its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. ∙ After pushing the limits of their sound with 1968’s distortion-filled White Light/White Heat, they returned to more pop-oriented territory on their 1969 self-titled album and 1970’s Loaded. ∙ Reflecting on the group’s first LP-which initially sold only 30,000 copies-experimental icon Brian Eno said, “I think everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band!” Library of Congress as “one of the most enduring albums in the history of rock ’n’ roll.” ![]() ∙ The band’s full-length debut, 1967’s The Velvet Underground & Nico, was recognized by the U.S. ∙ Artist Andy Warhol, who became their manager, insisted that they add German singer/model Nico to the group, and he included them in his traveling multimedia show, Exploding Plastic Inevitable. ∙ Formed in 1964, the band grew out of the friendship between Lou Reed and John Cale-the latter of whom had worked with pioneering experimental composers John Cage and La Monte Young. One of rock’s most influential bands, The Velvet Underground embraced the avant-garde spirit of 1960s New York City, while laying the groundwork for decades of alternative and experimental music.
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