Search - Mahalia Jackson :: In Concert Easter Sunday 1967

In Concert Easter Sunday 1967
Mahalia Jackson
In Concert Easter Sunday 1967
Genres: Pop, R&B, Christian & Gospel, Gospel
 
  •  Track Listings (15) - Disc #1

Maybe it was because she was born in New Orleans, the first city of jazz, that Mahalia Jackson brought so much ornamentation to the traditional gospel songbook, stretching her phrases with the grace of a horn and fracturin...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Mahalia Jackson
Title: In Concert Easter Sunday 1967
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Sony
Original Release Date: 1/1/1968
Re-Release Date: 6/19/2001
Album Type: Original recording remastered
Genres: Pop, R&B, Christian & Gospel, Gospel
Style: Live Recordings
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 696998529823

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Maybe it was because she was born in New Orleans, the first city of jazz, that Mahalia Jackson brought so much ornamentation to the traditional gospel songbook, stretching her phrases with the grace of a horn and fracturing single syllables into many-noted chromatic melodies. Or maybe the profound vocal gift she was born with would have ensured her a place among the greatest singers in any style she chose. At any rate, her accomplishments in American spiritual music remain unequaled. During the last 20 years of her life, when Jackson recorded for Columbia, her voice was the defining sound of gospel. She cut hundreds of songs during that period and became an inspirational figure in the civil rights movement, performing alongside Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington, D.C., singing at his funeral, championing black education, and running her own chain of restaurants. Now Columbia follows the fine Jackson box set Gospels, Spiritual & Hymns with three CDs that commemorate her 90th birthday. In Concert Easter Sunday 1967 and Recorded Live in Europe During Her Latest Concert Tour are reissues with some additional tracks. The new Sunday Morning Prayer Meeting with Mahalia compiles studio and live cuts from 1955 to 1965. All three are good, yet only Live in Europe is essential. It captures Jackson at her peak in her most common setting, singing standards with only longtime piano accompanist Mildred Falls. Jackson runs her cool-water voice in torrents that spin anywhere she chooses. She improvises breathless whispers, soaring crescendos, and additional choruses and verses, and she ignores or stretches the rules of rhythm with her phrasing; she performs however the spirit moves her, which it did deeply and often in this clarion performance. Slightly more ornate orchestrations accompany Jackson for some of the Easter concert, but her performance is subdued, perhaps due to the heart trouble that sidelined her for the previous three years and eventually killed her in 1972. Although the compilation is an excellent sampler of Jackson in studio and on stage, its unreleased tracks--including a live "Elijah Rock," which also appears on the two other discs--add nothing to her already well-preserved legacy. --Ted Drozdowski

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CD Reviews

The Perfect Manipulation of an Extraordinary Gift
(Mr.) N. Sean Wright | Whiteville, NC USA | 03/07/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Any one who has listened to previous

Mahalia Jackson albums/songs will

immediately notice something different

about this particular performance. Upon

deeper examination of history, we learn

that Jackson had been in the throws of

illness for a time prior to this concert.

The result is a mellower, quiet performance.

However, do not be discouraged by this bit of

information, because the Easter Sunday Concert

album has to be not only one of Mahalia Jackson's

best albums, but also one of the best gospel albums

ever.



What makes this album so phenomenal is Jackson's

veteran vocal ability. From the very first note

she sings it's painfully obvious that she isn't at

100%. At times, she is breathy and sounds tired.

However, in the grand tradition of a seasoned vocal smith,

she manipulates her weakness and combines it with her

strength, and the result is an even stronger masterwork.

Mahalia Jackson's voice is unearthly, and therefore could

not be broken by illness or time. Though this is a "quieter"

performance, it is no less remarkable. This album

shows how Mahalia Jackson was a true vocal genius, in

her own right and in our hearts.



My personal favorite on this album is "He Will Remember Me,"

where she belts and swings to a bluesy arrangement of the song.

She sings much of this song in her upper register and it sounds delightful.

My other favorite is "Calvary," which is utterly spectacular.



Her range from lowest note to highest in this one song

could send many of today's pop stars running in

shame to get vocal lessons. Another notable selection

is "Elijah Rock," which a grand, one-woman showcase of the

spirit that defines the Sanctified Church. By the

end of the song, the participation of the audience

threatens to tumble the very walls of the Lincoln

Philharmonic Hall with enthusiastic hand-clapping

in syncopated 4/4 time.





This is a great album for Easter or any time of the year.

Any one who has loved previous works of Jackson

will not be disappointed with this CD.

It is an essential installment in her musical catalog

and a glowing testament of her unique vocal gift."
Like A Phoenix rising!
Bill Cleland | Winchester, Indiana | 02/28/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)

"After suffering three years of severe health problems, enduring an ugly divorce battle and an enormous weight loss--maximum 260 down to 160--this great lady's spirit shone through more beautifully than ever. Her voice was transcendent in spite of the compromises to her fragile physical condition. I read in a biography of Mahalia that prior to this time she worried about ever singing much again. Thank God she found it within herself to continue her career. The vibrato was lovely and at times she let out the full power of that gorgeous contralto. At times her delivery was soft, subtle and mellow. The intrumental accompaniment was super with all the rhythms, drums,
organ, piano, tambourine, bass and guitar of the most sanctified church. I appreciate especially the "new releases" on here, which represent a return to her grand old standards.
I love her slow spirituals that leave you haunted. You never know what she will do with a song, but her sudden explosions of emotion and power leave me wondering at the greatness of her God. She can swing like no one else. But most of all, Mahalia came back "bigtime" in this. It felt like Easter all over. Like Garland at Carnegie 1961, Mahalia Jackson took on elegant Philharmonic Hall and left behind a wonderful piece of artwork for all people everywhere . . . she still has a universal appeal. Enjoy this album in the context of Mahalia at that time and place in her extraordinary life."