Are there any fans of this amazing piano/organ/harmonica player and singer here?
Last year I became a big fan of "Salutes Bessie Smith":
And now I'm listening to "The Circle Of Time" (first time):
This music is very special and it makes me very happy to hear it - it's another
example of "I didn't know this person's name until recently but now
I know and I love her music"...
Here's AMG:
"Salutes Bessie Smith" (1980)
Vocal perfection and landmark recording for this keyboardist and singer. Desert island music.
"The Circle Of Time" (1983)
In terms of depth, spirit, originality, and diversity, this is the recording that best brings those vibrant elements of Aminda Claudine Myers' musicianship to ultimate fruition. With bassist Don Pate and drummer Thurman Barker, Myers freely explores jazz, blues, and gospel-tinged creative music in her own inimitable way. All of these six pieces were written by Myers, each showcasing a different side of her joyous persona, making her music deep, listenable, tuneful, and emotional.
Starting off with the hot instrumental modal bop number titled "Louisville," the pianist proves to be a capable, refreshing melodicist in this area, with Pate's complimentary lines to the piano and Barker's crackling drums setting the upbeat pace nicely. "Plowed Fields" has a loose structure with equally peaceful and soulful, tender and poignant motifs. Myers sings the line "seeing the plowed fields, made me want to go barefooted, until my mother spoke of soles (souls?) tied to her feet." "Do You Want to Be Saved?" is an anthem for the ages -- organ and piano strains are overdubbed for this hip, steady tempo gospel blues. Inexorable caravan-like processional pacing for "Christine" has a dual line of Myers cascading piano apreggios with a deft chordal four-bar line that is dramatic and dynamic. Pate's avant bowed bass introduces "The Clock," which has several aspects of time musically represented. Creaking bass, meandering piano, free stride, and completely free segments are featured, and are liable to speed or slow at a moment's notice. "The Circle of Time" further illuminates this with the lyric "time moves by slowly, time moves by quickly." Myers adopts a little girlish falsetto over another patiently slower, steady rhythm, injecting ai-yi-yis in a rather Native American inflection on this song that represents Myers at her creative, free-flowing zenith. This recording and Sings Bessie Smith are must-buy items for fans of this brilliant musician, and iconic signposts for where African-American expressionism can be directed.
If you have Soul Jazz Records compilation "New Thing!" then the last song on disc 1 is "Have Mercy Upon Us" - that song isn't on these 2 albums above (it's the song that made me a fan)...
Amina Claudine Myers
- Balboa
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Re: Amina Claudine Myers
I've nearly bought that first album you have posted on a number of ocassions Kenji - I'll be sure to seek it out.
How would you describe the music Kenji (I have read the reviews, but I am interested to hear what you think)? Is there anyone she sounds like?
How would you describe the music Kenji (I have read the reviews, but I am interested to hear what you think)? Is there anyone she sounds like?
Of course, I was mostly stoned at the time.
- Kenji
- Otaku
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Re: Amina Claudine Myers
Balboa wrote:How would you describe the music Kenji (I have read the reviews, but I am interested to hear what you think)? Is there anyone she sounds like?
The "Bessie Smith" album is a very bluesy sound - it's soulful and mellow with gospel sounds too. And that album ends with a (almost) 15 minutes song called "African Blues" and that has a great "tribal groove" and a little like African chanting.
Amina: voice, piano, organ
Cecil McBee: bass
Jimmy Lovelace: drums
I only listened to "The Circle Of Time" once but that sounds more jazz on some songs (first one is bop and another one was a little "out").
Amina: piano, organ, vocal, harmonica
Don pate: electric bass, countrabass
Thurman Barker: percussion
I don't want to say she's like Nina Simone because of course it's a woman piano player and so it's a little similar but I think Amina is very different - she's unique!
Here's solo piano from youtube:
[youtube]us_s0FyaaCo&feature=PlayList&p=B517BBC6BCC98A5B&index=51[/youtube]
EDIT: I just watched the youtube movie - I enjoyed that but it doesn't show how great her albums are, I think...
- Six String
- Posts: 23087
- Joined: 16 Jul 2003, 20:22
Re: Amina Claudine Myers
I'm interested in that Bessie Smith album. Her music has never been easy to find (I'm talking brick and morter stores here not the entire universe courtesy of the internet).
I saw her once at Yoshi's around 1990 playing with James Carter, Lester Bowie, another sax player which I can't recall and of course bass and drums. James Carter played baritone most of the night. It was not your grandpa's jazz organ group that's for sure. The horn solos were out there a bit and ACM was holding down the fort as they say for the most part though she did solo some and I seem to recall that she sang on one blues tune. Sitting here typing this I'm realising that it was almost twenty years ago. Holy crap I'm getting old.
I saw her once at Yoshi's around 1990 playing with James Carter, Lester Bowie, another sax player which I can't recall and of course bass and drums. James Carter played baritone most of the night. It was not your grandpa's jazz organ group that's for sure. The horn solos were out there a bit and ACM was holding down the fort as they say for the most part though she did solo some and I seem to recall that she sang on one blues tune. Sitting here typing this I'm realising that it was almost twenty years ago. Holy crap I'm getting old.
Everything is broken
B. Dylan
B. Dylan
- Kenji
- Otaku
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- Location: Tokyo
Re: Amina Claudine Myers
Six String wrote:I saw her once at Yoshi's around 1990 playing with James Carter, Lester Bowie, another sax player which I can't recall and of course bass and drums. James Carter played baritone most of the night. It was not your grandpa's jazz organ group that's for sure. The horn solos were out there a bit and ACM was holding down the fort as they say for the most part though she did solo some and I seem to recall that she sang on one blues tune.
I envy you Six String!