Spirituals, guitar evangelists, "shout" bands, quartets, and choirs sing out the sacred sounds of African American gospel music. This Smithsonian Folkways "Classic" spans over a half century of select recordings to paint a broad panorama of this cherished American musical creation. Reverend Gary Davis, Sister Ernestine Washington, Sonny Terry, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, and Elizabeth Cotten are among those featured on these 24 tracks of soulful song.
With a selection of indelible recordings made over 70 years, Classic Piedmont Blues captures the essence of this fascinating blues tradition. Originating in the foothills of Southern Appalachia, the Piedmont blues served as a breeding ground for cross-pollination between traditions: rural and urban, black and white, country and coastal. Swept up on the tide of the Great Migration, it was carried from the Carolinas and Virginia, north and east through Maryland and Washington, D.C., to New York City and back again. Featuring influential artists like John Jackson, Cephas & Wiggins, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, and many others, this collection offers an illuminating overview of the Piedmont style. 64 minutes, 36-page booklet with extensive notes.
Originally released in 1995 this was the twenty-sixth release from the original Beechwood owned 'Mastercuts' team, and features 12 records chosen by Lindsay Wesker - previously a noted writer and contributor to 'Black Echoes' magazine.
Hits back to the '50s from Colombia's Disco Fuentes label, with history sweeping consistency aside–any gringo can tell Conjunto Tipico Vallenato's accordion side-closers are country and Rodolfo's coffee commercial isn't. But even if the accordion stuff belongs on a vallenata comp, it passes muster on a collection where at least half the songs bristle with the exigente hooks that sell classic pop the world over. And the unmistakable beat runs down a consummate South American groove, halfway between Euro clomp and Afro hipshake.