A wonderful gospel mix by my man Leo, aka DJ El-V, one of Vermont’s finest collectors of gospel and soul LPs. Deep, mellow, uplifting vibe throughout. As I’m listening, man… parts of this mix are HEAVY. Some joints on here I need to track down for myself… heh heh. Enjoy!
Download HERE
Track list below the fold.
The John Wright Trio - South Side Soul - Prestige
Today I don’t have a gospel album lined up. There are some nice ones in the pipeline - Julius Brockington & The Family Tree, Spencer Jackson with Phil Cohran, a funky album by the Staple Singers that I never see anywhere… you know the usual. But ttday I want to play a jazz LP.
South Side Soul by The John Wright Trio is deeply rooted in blues sediment but reaches to the gospel heights. This LP is Saturday Night and Sunday Morning; the get down, the confession, and overall, the joyous celebration of life. They may say The Devil Is In The Details, but God resides in the nuances. Each song is named after a corner of South Side Chicago, from the grace of “47th And Calumet” to the slow creep of “La Salle St. After Hours”. Wright is backed by Wendell Roberts on upright and Walter McCants on drums.
Walking the line between sin and sacred. That’s what I’m about today. Moderation. I might get myself saved yet - but not before I enjoy my scotch, dance with my woman and play my music a little bit louder than I’m used to. We don’t even have to leave the house. This morning I threw on some nice duds and got out into the brisk air, and it felt good… maybe one of these days you’ll catch me a few seats down the pew. Maybe.
God Is Love
Jonny
Download HERE at 320kbs
Track list below the fold. (more…)
Two for your soul from The Gospel Storytellers, out of Bloomington, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri. Rare LP that recently graced the confines of this shop (thanks to Carfagna for the hat tip). Word on the street is there might be a spare or two in the offing…
Be well family.
Jonny
Who knew that it would end this way? I didn’t.
I posted on this blog, rescued an Obama window sign from the trash, and spent days phone banking from the store to Pennsylvania, Florida, Virginia… Good Records NYC played a tiny, microscopic part in electing Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. I’m proud of us. But way more proud of our country.
I am still sorting out all the emotions from last night, and I apologize if anyone comes by the shop today, I’m not there. We’ll be back up tomorrow, but right now I’m proclaiming a Hood Holiday.
We’re A Winner.
I was driving around uptown the other day, and my shuffle landed on Mary Lou Williams’ masterpiece, “Black Christ Of The Andes”. Something about the sunshine after a fresh rain, parishioners on their way to church, kids playing, yuppies scurrying towards the train, mothers on their way to the supermarket, and the beautiful old buildings that (thankfully) still dominate the Harlem landscape. For those who have been following this blog I have been trying to document with pictures the diminishing returns of our once-great society… same as how we do with the music I guess, as these buildings get demolished and replaced with shoddily-constructed condos, CapitalOne bank branches, and Starbucks…
I listened to “The Devil” while cruising up and down St. Nicholas and it all felt right. I adore this record and it is a spiritual experience, and if it’s not out-and-out gospel it is nonetheless one of the most intense expressions of faith in music I can think of.
Some people told me at one point Mary Lou williams was possessed; but it’s deeper than all that. From Time Magazine, circa 1964:
“There came a time ten years ago when Mary Lou Williams decided that jazz was the devil’s own music. She was among the best of the bebop pianists, but out on the scene she sensed evil all around her. She could even hear it echo in her playing. One blue night in Paris, “the badness” overwhelmed her; she got up from the piano and quit jazz cold. She drew up a list of names to pray for (urgent cases marked in red), and before long she had an endless coil of sadness, an encyclopedia of bad trouble, a roll of death and dishonor. For years there was nothing for her to do but pray.
“Then she joined the Roman Catholic Church. A priest convinced her that God would be pleased to hear her play once more: music was his greatest gift to her, and music played by a prayerful person, the priest explained, is a kind of prayer….
” ‘I am praying through my fingers when I play,’ she says. ‘I get that good ’soul sound,’ and I try to touch people’s spirits.’
“Down & Out. Her discoveries of both God and the devil in jazz reflect perhaps the troubled state of her own spirit. But even so, she seems to have found her way. With the help of a priest, she has written a jazz hymn to St. Martin de Porres, a mulatto saint of the 17th century, and she is now working on a jazz Mass.”
True indeed, to wit:
“The devil is a woman with a red dress on,
A gleam that flits across a roaming eye -
The devil is a hand that moves along a satin seam,
A softly whispered, sweetly whispered lie.
The devil is a window filled with fancy clothes,
The lips that part and smile and breathe a sigh -
An open door someplace where steps that shouldn’t go there goes,
A word that touched the heart and made it cry.
Where are you gonna run, where do you think you’re gonna hide?
What makes you think you’re slick enough to take old Satan for a ride?
Angel never took a notice that no matter what you do,
Our old friend Mephistopheles gets there just ahead of you…
The devil never rests come day come dusk come dawn,
You compromise and wind up soul-in-palm;
So don’t it strike you funny when you look him in the eye,
The devil looks a lot like you and I.”
Mary Lou Williams - Black Christ Of The Andes
Hello friends and family,
Feeling slightly under the weather and tired from several consecutive nights of revelry, I apologize for not updating in a while… I promise to get on my JO this week and poast up some true greatness. In the meantime, I present to you The Brothers And Sisters’ “Dylan’s Gospel” LP. Here, the classic Dylan songbook catches the holy ghost and gets the Sacred Sunday treatment. The Brothers and Sisters are a Los Angeles chorus with some serious star power - the group includes Merry Clayton, Gloria Jones, Clydie King, Jesse Kirkland, and Edna Wright, and is conducted by Barry White-collaborator Gene Page. Brings whole new dimensions to the lyrics, let me tell you! Very enjoyable listen, a constant favorite around the house and the shop. Until next time…
Tagged D/L @ 256: The Brothers And Sisters - Dylan’s Gospel
A deep deep tune for this Sunday morning by Deacon Malachi Smith and the Dynamic Pittsburgh All-Stars, on the TCS label out of Philly. A favorite for those times when you feel like you need to repent and get right…
Dedicated to my man Bret, who’s going through it…
A personal favorite, deep gospel on a Sunday night.
Good morning my people, or good afternoon if you are like me and you are rising a bit late from an evening of revelry. I spent last night with friends at Bumpshop, a monthly funk & soul party on the west side where residents Chairman Mao, Finewine, Jared Boxx (Big City Records) and David Griffiths hosted the legendary Kenny Dope of Masters At Work. We got it in, to be sure. Shout outs to Mao, Matt, Jared, Kenny, Mike, Daniel, Josh, Ari, Ritchie, Osore, Asaf, Mark, Dave, and all my weoples that I got to chop it up with.
Now on this Sunday I find that I am not scared, therefore I did not go to Church. But what I did do was upload one of the most sublime and touching gospel LPs I own… it’s a completely unknown 4 man group from Connecticut (Stamford and Bridgeport, to be precise) and if you are into lo-fi, sounds-like-it-was-recorded-in-a-tin-can private issue soul music this is for you. There’s a full band, so it’s not exactly like Otis G. Johnson or what have you but… well let’s just say that the spirit shines through on this one. You can find the funk on “Wade In The Water” but my personal favorite is “His Eye Is On The Sparrow” which is simply heartbreaking. Enjoy.
The Gospel Creators - Wade In The Water
btw, I’ll work on getting some cover art up tonight.
Presenting my mans and them Justin Torres and Matt Webb on a mix they hit me with way back… an hour and change featuring nothing but funky, soulful, deep gospel… some rarities in there but a lot of stuff you might be sleeping on in the cheap bins. Peep game…
Tagged D/L: Holy Ghost Trippin’
Peace,
Jonny
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