Odetta And The Blues

Description

Highly influential and revered, Odetta Holmes (1930-2008) was one of the earliest singers to bridge traditional folk music and more contemporary sounds. While she was an American folk icon who made her mark in the late 50s and early 60s, her music and style also included elements of blues, jazz, spirituals, as well as traditional Appalachian and English songs. This LP edition compiles one of her finest albums, the excellent “Odetta and the Blues”, originally released on Riverside in 1962 and long unavailable. Drawing inspiration from classic blues singers like Bessie Smith, Mamie Smith, and Ma Rainey, she traded her acoustic guitar for a six-piece jazz band, featuring trumpeter Buck Clayton, trombonist Vic Dickenson, and bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik, as well as Herb Hall, Dick Wellstood and Shep Shepherd. Odetta and her magnificent voice breathe new life into old classics such as “Yonder Come the Blues”, while the trumpet, trombone and clarinet provide a vibrant and lively accompaniment. In addition to the original album, this limited collector’s edition contains 2 bonus tracks of blues gems from the same period: the self-penned “Misery Blues”, and a solo rendition of the traditional “Alabama Bound”.