African American Folk Songs & Rhythms

Ella Jenkins

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 20, 1998)
• Original Release Date: June 15, 1992
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Smithsonian Folkways
• ASIN: B00000DBW6
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #218,191 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Best known for her recordings of children's music, here Ella Jenkins teams with the Goodwill Spiritual Choir of Monumental Baptist Church. A rarity, this 1960s-era Chicago choir (composed of older children and adults) sang both for worship and the general public, doing so with soulful clarity and articulation. Jenkins's precise alto leads the choir; she also arranges many of the traditional religious and work songs in a skillful blend of old-school style and crisp finesse. Poet Maya Angelou contributes to this project with arrangements of the singsong "That's All Right Julie" and "Who Is All Here" (recognized as a version of the skip-rope chant "Not last night, but the night before / Twenty-four robbers came a-knockin' at my door"). From "Cotton-Eyed Joe" to a shining a cappella choral arrangement of "Did You Feed My Cow?" and the stellar harmonies of "Rockin' Jerusalem," African American Folk Rhythms explores essential and vibrant aspects of black America. --Paige La Grone

Product Description

Ella Jenkins and the Goodwill Spiritual Choir collaborate in this lively presentation of African- American music for adults and older children. The choral arrangements of spirituals, work songs, children’s rhymes, and other forms present a cross-section of African-American experience and music in a variety of styles. Originally released in 1960, the songs on this recording continue to be exciting to sing, to think about, and to enjoy as a remarkable collaboration between a gifted artist and a community choir.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic reissued, February 28, 2001

By	AfroAmericanHeritage (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

One of the great things about modern technology is that we can bring back classics and remaster them so that they sound better than new! This CD presents songs that highlight the hardship, struggle, work and religious experience of African Americans. Some are new songs with traditional arrangements, others are very old but newly arranged (such as Maya Angelou's two arrangements of familiar children's songs.) My favorite is the presentation of "Old Time Religion" in three different versions: traditional, classic, and gospel styles.