African American Folk Songs & Rhythms

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 --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Album 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. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Tracks:

All Through The Night
All The Pretty Little Horses
All Night, All Day
Armenian Lullaby
Baby's Bed's A Silver Moon
Baloo, Baleerie
Brahms' Lullaby
Brezairola
Traumerei, Op. 15, No. 1
Can Ye Sew Cushions
By'm Bye
Bye, Baby Bunting - Golden Slumbers
Dance To Your Daddy - Dance, Little Baby
Fais Dodo
Good Night To You All
Jocelyn: Berceuse
Hush, Little Baby
Kumbayah
Little Boy Blue
Suo Gan
Matthew, Mark, Luke, And John
Mozart's Lullaby
Chanson de Nuit, Op. 15, No. 1
Now The Day Is Over - Raindrops
Raisins And Almonds
Rock-A-Bye, Baby
Rocking - The Sandman
Tales Of Hoffman: O Bell Nuit - Bacarolle
Skidamarink
Sleep, Baby, Sleep
Sweet And Low
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Toora, Loora, Loora
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star: Twinkel, Twinkel, Little Star
When At Night I Go To Sleep

Amazon.com

Released as a companion piece to the award-winning book Lullabies: An Illustrated Songbook, this hour-plus of music is a wonderful mix of stately classical themes and child-friendly vocals. The selections range from "All the Pretty Little Horses" to a global spread of lullabies drawn from classical and folk traditions. The music is spare, with Kapp on piano, Julianne Baird and Kapp's daughter Madeline on vocals, and Mela Tenenbaum on violin, viola, and occasional vocals. Most of the classical selections (from Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Edmund Elgar, W.A. Mozart, et al.) get a straight-ahead, accomplished treatment. Lest you think the project stuffy, each of the melodies is in the one- to two-minute range, which effectively mandates a stronger sense of flow than most children's collections. Kapp, who managed to create a visual and poetic flow in the Lullabies book, keeps things nicely in a groove here, knowing enough to segue into silly tracks about halfway through the CD to provide a wider emotional range. This album every bit as accomplished as the book. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful!.......2007-02-14

I love this CD. It's very well-done, and the approach is different than most children's CDs - very refined, yet soothing. I don't get tired of listening to it the way I do others -- which is important when trying to get a little one to sleep! I highly recommend it and the companion book.

Simple and sweet songs.......2006-04-02

With just piano, violin and vocals, this is a simple and heartfelt album. Ms. Baird's voice conveys the full emotions that a mother feels for her new baby with clean and open singing. The first track in particular, "All Through The Night," still makes me teary. I played this in the hospital when my son was born, and we use it as part of our wind-down ritual. I do agree that some of the songs are a little upbeat for bedtime. We just skip those in the evening (using iTunes).

Marvellous cd, enchanting music.......2005-10-18

Our whole family loves this cd. I am continually charmed and refreshed by the subtlety, taste and musicianship that has gone into these arrangements of well- and lesser-known gems. Apart from the joy of the simple yet perfect chordal progressions, listen to the warm, caressing tone imparted by the low bass notes in the piano in many of the tracks. The pace is so wonderfully leisurely, there is time to savour each song or piece, and yet each lasts only two or three minutes. The three diverse yet complementary singers, each with a tender and gentle presence suiting the subject matter, give a sense of a 19th century family musical evening. Magical.

Good if you want to sing from the book but can't read music.......2004-02-10

I bought this solely because I have the book and wanted to sing the lullabies to my kids, but I can't read music. For this purpose it is fine. The songs are not in the same order as in the book but I can deal. As a stand-alone lullaby CD I wouldn't really recommend it--the songs are not sung in a soothing manner, there's lots of variety in tempo and volume, some are even sung up-beat. The voices are not pitched high enough for babies either. That being said, I am back on Amazon today to buy it for my sister who is due any day now with her 3rd kid--we both like to sing and have the book, and songs (in book or music form) are a great present that the baby won't grow out of for a long time, and helps you bond with your little one too.

Didn't like the voice........2002-12-11

I bought this cd to go with the book and it is very frustrating because the songs on this cd are not even in the same order as the book. The singing voice fluctuates too much, it will be really soft and then it gets really high pitch. And if you have the volume set at a lower level for some songs then you can't hear other songs. I think there are better cds to buy than this one.

Steal Away - Songs of the Underground Railroad

Average customer rating:

Just Brilliant!
Listen While I Tell You a Story!
Great for kids
The Most Beautiful Music
Songs of power, protest and defiant hope

Steal Away - Songs of the Underground Railroad
Kim & Reggie Harris
Manufacturer: Appleseed Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Follow the Drinking Gourd
The Underground Railroad for Kids: From Slavery to Freedom with 21 Activities (For Kids series)
Voices Of The Civil Rights Movement: Black American Freedom Songs 1960-1966
Sing For Freedom: The Story Of The Civil Rights Movement Through Its Songs
Wade In The Water, Vol.1:African American Spirituals:The Concert Tradition

ASIN: B000005BPI
Release Date: 1998-01-20

Tracks:

Oh Freedom
No More Auction Block
Let Us Break Bread Together
Wade In The Water
Go Down Moses
Harriet Tubman/Steal Away
Now Let Me Fly
Sinner Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass
Trampin'
Follow The Drinking Gourd
Deep River/Swing Low
Great Day
Heaven Is Less Than Fair
Free At Last
Ain't I A Woman
Steal Away (Reprise)

Album Description

Before the Civil War, when a slave's every action was monitored by his "owners," songs became a powerful and vital form of private communication and expression on Southern plantations. Emotions and information that a slave could never plainly voice could be sung in coded spirituals and folk songs. When daring slaves sought a path to freedom in the North on the so-called Underground Railroad, actually a series of travel routes and safehouses, these songs became tools to transmit information and advice about escape plans, to assert defiance, inspire runaways, and express fear and elation at the harrowing journey ahead.

On "Steal Away: Songs of the Underground Railroad," veteran folk duo Kim and Reggie Harris capture the power, spirit and messages of these encrypted songs in a rich and moving collection of largely traditional material. This album, the core of an ongoing series of workshops and presentations for students, teachers and families by the Harrises, has become an important educational tool and is stocked in many libraries and museums around the country.

The CD's booklet includes informative, detailed liner notes and the lyrics to its 16 selections, shedding light on their hidden or inherent meanings: "Wade in the Water" reminded runaways to follow rivers and streams for direction, cover, and food; "Follow the Drinking Gourd" taught slaves to use the Big Dipper to find the North Star as a celestial signpost to freedom; "Let Us Break Bread Together" signaled secret planning meetings. Other traditional songs here such as "Oh Freedom," "Now Let Me Fly," "Free at Last," and "No More Auction Block for Me" require no decoding. These standards are joined by three contemporary songs - "Harriet Tubman," a tribute to the escaped slave who became one of the most famous Underground Railroad "conductors"; "Ain't I a Woman," a musical arrangement of a famous speech by Sojourner Truth, a 19th century crusader dedicated to slavery's abolition and women's rights; and the Harrises' own "Heaven is Less than Fair," based on narrative accounts of escaped slaves about their flight to freedom and the loved ones they left behind.

The Harrises present these songs with simple grace, using yearning harmonies and acoustic guitar accompaniment to convey the melancholy of slavery, the glimmerings of hope for a better life, and the joy of achieving a hard-won freedom.

Customer Reviews:

Just Brilliant!.......2007-03-23

I have had the pleasure to know Kim & Reggie Harris in the 1990s. They are gifted musicians and story tellers and they are gifted at making you feel like a passenger on the underground railroad, the Train that remains Bound for Glory!

I just love the collection of songs; you learn about the code terms for freedom as you come along for the ride. Just hop on board! This Train is Bound for Glory and it's making stops for freedom all along the way. Next stop - No More Auction Block for Me - an excellent statement against an atrocious period in history when people were sold at auction blocks on the open market. Now it's time to Follow the Drinking Gourd on the next stop. Kim has a beautiful voice and when you hear her sing "Free at Last," don't be surprised if you are very moved.

Abolitionists - those opposed to slavery; Quakers opposed slavery and helped many people escape to the Promised Land outside the slave states.

Conductor - people who helped lead the Underground Railroad and keep that train moving!

Drinking Gourd - North Star, used by many to travel northward out of the slave states.

Heaven - Code word for Canada, the desired northern stop. Canada recognized all free citizens, regardless of race. The Train that was Bound for Glory made many successful runs to Canada.

Safe Houses, stops - homes that were used to shelter runaway slaves. These safe houses were stops the train made en route to freedom.

Slave Catchers - self explanatory.

These gifted story tellers are not only wonderful musicians, but they are also historians who bring to life a vital part of history that should never be forgotten.

Listen While I Tell You a Story!.......2007-01-15

As background music while I tell the story of the hidden symbols and meanings in my Underground Railroad Quilt, this is the best collection I have found. I was pleased with the sound quality and clarity of the words. My only complaint was the unevenness of the volume. Perhaps I can adjust the timing of my story so the lower volume sections of the music correspond with the more somber parts of the talk!

Great for kids.......2003-09-04

My pre-schooler liked this tape after she read about Harriet Tubman

The Most Beautiful Music.......2000-03-30

This is quite simply the most beautiful music I've ever heard in my life - not just one song, but the entire CD.

Kim and Reggie Harris's voices are extraordinary, their harmonies are perfect, and their guitar work supports each song ideally. In addition, the selections are so moving that more than one of them brought me to tears.

I don't think the samples nearly do it justice.

Songs of power, protest and defiant hope.......1998-05-26

Kim & Reggie have done it again with their latest release. This extraordinary collection features a diverse collection of the "code" songs of the Underground Railroad, the brave group of African-Americans who escaped the oppression of slavery in the U.S. South and then joined Harriet Tubman, the group's "foundress," in her quest to bring others to freedom. The songs in this collection truly touch every human emotion as they convey a history that is too often forgotten in our society which is more racially divided than ever. I am struck by the confident hope expressed by songs such as "Harriet Tubman/Steal Away," "Great Day," and "Wade in the Water." The story & accompanying song "Heaven Is Less Than Fair" brings home the brutality of slavery that separated families and loved ones from each other. All the songs carry a messaage for today, especially songs like "Ain't I A Woman?" as we discover that these words of Sojourner Truth could still in some ways be spoken today. This CD is a great listen, a great gift, and a great teaching tool. Highly recommended to all.

Average customer rating:

Children's Songs of the World

Manufacturer: Nightingale
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000025HPF
Release Date: 2005-11-08

Tracks:

Poesje Mauw
D'esos Caballos
Si Toutes Les Filles
Che Baccan
Es Klappert Die Muhle
Spi, Mladjenec
Miala Kasienka
Numi, Numi
Tancuj, Tancuj
Una Flor De La Cantuta
Three Blind Mice
Aa, Aa, Allin Lasta
Haragszik
Pridi Ty Suhajko
Yuyake Koyake
Heidschi Bumbeidschi
Pera Ston Pera Kambo
L'inverno E Passato
Mi Jachol Lassim
Sakura
Dolina, Dolina
Humpty Dumpty
Kumbaya
Nana Mara Haath
Katten Og Killingen
Ciobanas
Schyau
Joli Tambour
Ba, Ba, Vita Lamm
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
Tala 'Al-Badru' Alaina
Alle Voglein

Classic African American Ballads from Smithsonian Folkways

Average customer rating:

Very Good

Classic African American Ballads from Smithsonian Folkways
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Smithsonian Folkways
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Classic Railroad Songs from Smithsonian Folkways
Classic Folk Music from Smithsonian Folkways

ASIN: B000ENV3GI
Release Date: 2006-04-25

Tracks:

Mouse on the Hill - Warner Williams
Casey Jones - K. C. Douglas
John Hardy - Lead Belly
Railroad Bill - John Jackson
Stewball - Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon
John Henry - Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee
St. James Infirmary - Snooks Eaglin
Staggerlee - John Cephas & Phil Wiggins
Lost John - Convicts at the Ramsey & Retrieve state farms
Betty and Dupree - Josh White
Old Riley - Lead Belly
The Race of the Jim Lee and Katy Adam - Jazz Gillum, Memphis Slim, & Arbee Stidham
The Titanic - Pink Anderson
Frankie and Johnny - Big Bill Broonzy
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Louis Collins - John Jackson
Bad Lee Brown - Woody Guthrie
Luke and Mullen - Horace Sprott
Duncan and Brady - Dave Van Ronk
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