Roots - My Life, Song - Sony Classical - SNYC 64263 - 886976426323

Recording information: Philharmonie Berlin.

A sticker included on at least some versions of this Sony Classical release promises "music from Berlioz to Ellington," which would make it a pretty common type of classical vocal recital that includes a dash of jazz. That's not what's happening here at all, and there isn't even any Berlioz included. There is the "Habanera" of Georges Bizet, but that's given a tango-jazz treatment, and otherwise the only work from the European concert tradition is Poulenc's Les chemins de l'amour, a piece heavily influenced by popular song. This is not a souvenir or survey of Jessye Norman's career, but is instead oriented toward the roots mentioned on the cover. And, as such, it's quite an accomplishment. The two-disc program can be roughly divided into four overlapping and interpenetrating sections: spirituals, pop, French song, and jazz, with an introduction of African drumming. That's unusual enough as it is, but what really makes news here are the completely original treatments in each of the main categories. No information is included as to how the album took shape; some of it is apparently taken from live concerts in Munich and Frankfurt, Germany. Norman is accompanied by a small combo that serves the non-jazz as well as the jazz pieces. Even standards like "Stormy Weather" and "Mack the Knife" are given free, quiet, highly personal treatments, and there's very little "operatic" singing in evidence even in the spirituals, which could stand up to it. You might think of the entire collection as a jazz performance, based on its sense of individualistic departure from preexisting models, or as a uniquely personal rumination on a great singer's deep roots. The cumulative effect of the program is quite powerful, and Norman deserves a great deal of credit for taking chances with a project she could easily just have phoned in.~James Manheim

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Traditional : African Drum Invocation

Performers: Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet); Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Mark Markham (Piano); Jessye Norman (Soprano); Steve Johns (Drums); Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone)
Running Time: 2 min. 25 sec.
Studio/Live: Live

Traditional : His eye is on the sparrow, song

Performers: Mark Markham (Piano); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet); Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Jessye Norman (Soprano); Steve Johns (Drums); Ira Coleman (Double Bass)
Running Time: 1 min. 45 sec.
Form: Vocal
Studio/Live: Live

Anonymous : I Want Two Wings

Performers: Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Steve Johns (Drums); Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Mark Markham (Piano); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone); Jessye Norman (Soprano)
Running Time: 2 min. 25 sec.
Studio/Live: Live

Traditional Spiritual : I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, spiritual

Performers: Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone); Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Jessye Norman (Soprano); Steve Johns (Drums); Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Mark Markham (Piano)
Running Time: 3 min. 20 sec.
Written: by 1865
Studio/Live: Live

Traditional Spiritual : Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child

Performers: Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Mark Markham (Piano); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet); Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Steve Johns (Drums); Jessye Norman (Soprano)
Running Time: 4 min. 40 sec.
Period Time: Romantic
Written: by 1865
Studio/Live: Live

Ellington, Duke : Heaven

Performers: Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet); Steve Johns (Drums); Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Jessye Norman (Soprano); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone); Mark Markham (Piano)
Running Time: 3 min. 59 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Studio/Live: Live

Bernstein, Leonard : West Side Story

Performers: Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Mark Markham (Piano); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet); Steve Johns (Drums); Jessye Norman (Soprano); Mike Lovatt (Trumpet)
Running Time: 1 min. 29 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Form: Vocal
Written: 1957
Studio/Live: Live

Kahn, Gus / Donaldson, Wa : My baby just cares for me, song

Performers: Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Mark Markham (Piano); Jessye Norman (Soprano); Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Steve Johns (Drums); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone)
Running Time: 3 min. 22 sec.
Studio/Live: Live

Arlen, Harold : Stormy Weather

Performers: Jessye Norman (Soprano); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet); Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Steve Johns (Drums); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone); Mark Markham (Piano); Ira Coleman (Double Bass)
Running Time: 5 min. 1 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Written: 1933
Studio/Live: Live

Weill, Kurt [Composer] : Die Moritat von Mackie Messer (The Ballad of Mack the Knife), song for voice & piano (from "Die Drei

Performers: Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Steve Johns (Drums); Jessye Norman (Soprano); Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone); Mark Markham (Piano); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet)
Running Time: 6 min. 38 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Written: 05/1928-08/1928
Studio/Live: Live

Jr., Charles Kingsford : Another Man Done Gone, for voice & piano (Chain Gang Song)

Performers: Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet); Mark Markham (Piano); Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Steve Johns (Drums); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone); Jessye Norman (Soprano)
Running Time: 4 min. 34 sec.
Studio/Live: Live

Traditional : Pretty Horses, song

Performers: Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet); Mark Markham (Piano); Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone); Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Jessye Norman (Soprano); Steve Johns (Drums)
Running Time: 5 min. 7 sec.
Form: Vocal
Studio/Live: Live

Traditional : God's Gonna Cut You Down, song

Performers: Jessye Norman (Soprano); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone); Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Steve Johns (Drums); Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Mark Markham (Piano); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet)
Running Time: 4 min. 56 sec.
Studio/Live: Live

Poulenc, Francis : Les chemins de l'amour ("Les chemins qui vont"), for voice & piano (or orchestra), FP 106

Performers: Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Steve Johns (Drums); Mark Markham (Piano); Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Jessye Norman (Soprano); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone)
Running Time: 6 min. 28 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Form: Vocal
Written: 1940
Studio/Live: Live

Scotto, Vincent : J'ai deux amours 'mon pays et Paris'

Performers: Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet); Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Steve Johns (Drums); Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Mark Markham (Piano); Jessye Norman (Soprano); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone)
Running Time: 4 min. 27 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Studio/Live: Live

Duke, Vernon : April in Paris, song (for the revue Walk A Little Faster)

Performers: Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone); Mark Markham (Piano); Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Steve Johns (Drums); Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Jessye Norman (Soprano)
Running Time: 4 min. 27 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Written: circa 1942
Studio/Live: Live

Bizet, Georges : Carmen, opera :: Habanera

Performers: Jessye Norman (Soprano); Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Steve Johns (Drums); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone); Mark Markham (Piano)
Running Time: 5 min. 31 sec.
Period Time: Romantic
Written: 1873-1874
Studio/Live: Live

Strayhorn, Billy : Take the A Train

Performers: Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Steve Johns (Drums); Jessye Norman (Soprano); Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Mark Markham (Piano); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone)
Running Time: 3 min. 22 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Written: 1941
Studio/Live: Live

Monk, Thelonious : Blue Monk

Performers: Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet); Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Mark Markham (Piano); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone); Jessye Norman (Soprano); Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Steve Johns (Drums)
Running Time: 5 min. 43 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Studio/Live: Live

Ellington, Duke : Solitude

Performers: Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Jessye Norman (Soprano); Steve Johns (Drums); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone); Mark Markham (Piano); Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet)
Running Time: 4 min. 4 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Written: 1933
Studio/Live: Live

Ellington, Duke : It Don't Mean a Thing (If it Ain't Got That Swing)

Performers: Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet); Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Jessye Norman (Soprano); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone); Steve Johns (Drums); Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Mark Markham (Piano)
Running Time: 6 min. 15 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Studio/Live: Live

Ellington, Duke : Don't Get Around Much Anymore

Performers: Jessye Norman (Soprano); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet); Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone); Mike Lovatt (Trumpet); Mark Markham (Piano); Steve Johns (Drums)
Running Time: 2 min. 41 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Studio/Live: Live

Traditional, American : When the Saints Go Marching In

Performers: Jessye Norman (Soprano); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Saxophone); Martin Williams [Sax/Clarinet] (Clarinet); Mark Markham (Piano); Ira Coleman (Double Bass); Steve Johns (Drums); Mike Lovatt (Trumpet)
Running Time: 5 min. 26 sec.
Period Time: Romantic
Form: Choral
Written: by 1900
Studio/Live: Live

Roots - My Life, My Song

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