A Medieval 70s Hit

Ah, 1972 – those were the days. An English folk band could record a medieval Christmas hymn and it would actually be a hit!

This is the mighty Steeleye Span, fronted by Maddy Prior (whose soprano is even better these days), with “Gaudete”.

Oh! Almost forgot: A loose translation of the lyrics.

Music For A Funeral

In the superb documentary, High Lonesome: The Story Of Bluegrass Music, Ralph Stanley sings a bit of this by himself. As you might expect, it is stark, spooky, autumnal. Strangely enough, this version, with it's trio harmonies, only serves to intensify those effects.

Music for a funeral from Ralph Stanley and The Clinch Mountain Boys, with "Village Church Yard".

A Christmas Playlist

His Yoke Is Easy from The Messiah by George Friderich Handel, The Academy of St. Martin In the Fields, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner: I've posted before about one of my most influential choral conductors, who once told me that, "Handel was a German who wrote Italian operas for the English."

He meant far more than English audiences.

It is beyond curious that a race of people so determined to avoid awkwardness that they make every moment more awkward, should interpret this portion of The Messiah with such unfettered joy, and defiance.

Speaking of awkward, the interwebs wil tell you that the lyric here reads, "His burthen is light". But, what is a "burthen"? Is it some kind of burqa for childbearing women? For newborn babies? Or, is it simply some rotten ingredient in the word salad of some semi-literate gatekeeper?

The truth is, if you want any sense of what these lyrics mean, you have to go to the source -- Jesus Himself, as quoted in Matthew 11:28-30.

Now that you get it, click the link, and crank it up. For your sweater-knitting auntie, for your bullet-journaling frenemy, for every "25 Things ..." blog post, for the Nazis past and present, play this one loud.

Merry Christmas, Baby, Otis Redding: In a season that's so often about temporary glitz and empty promises, it's good to remember that it's not Christmas unless it's got soul.

Redding doesn't bother to hide his anguish here. He's clearly thinking of other Christmases that weren't so merry, wondering if this one, too, will evaporate before his eyes. For someone like this, you shouldn't say it if you don't mean it.

What Child Is This, Paul Horn: With a choir of soprano, alto, and bass flutes, and a primitive octave splitter called a Multivider, jazz titan, Paul Horn (Chico Hamilton Quintet), created one of the least-known but most enduring holiday albums ever recorded.

The big reverb and parallel fifths would put this right at home on any Game of Thrones soundtrack, while the Scotch snaps in the bass give it a sort of traditional Christmas feel. But, his articulation -- so liquid he could almost be scatting -- puts the stamp of a jazzer all over this piece. The whole album is like this -- a heady brew of musical influences.

Christmas In Hollis, Run-D.M.C.: (above): I'm hardly a connoisseur of this genre. What I do remember is this: While the media threatened us with nightmare images of wilding teens, and super predators, super-strengthened by crack, or angel dust, or ... whatever, Run-D.M.C. presented  an almost-suburban story of naughty elves, a Christmas miracle, and as much traditional, Southern food as you could eat.

What followed years later was the discrediting of some doctoral candidate's super-predator theory, the acquittal of the so-called Central Park five, and the international exposure of Donald Trump, whose newspaper fanned the flames, as a liar, a bigot, and full-time attention-seeker.

Meanwhile, Run-D.M.C. are probably home for Christmas, rejoicing because they know exactly what's on the menu.

Drosselmeyer's Gifts from The Nutcracker, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande conducted by Ernest Ansermet: Let's, once and for all, abandon the notion that The Nutcracker is merely bland, holiday fare for the kiddies. Russian culture -- about which Russia's president seems entirely clueless -- won't let you have that. And it shouldn't.

See, sometimes, we expect more than we should from mere human effort. Sometimes, gifts offer us more fear and frustration than uncomplicated joy.

These are probably good things to remember for those who celebrate the birth of someone who promised, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Christmastime Is Here, Vince Guaraldi Trio: Maybe it's that the melody starts on a note that begs to be resolved. Maybe it's the fact that they never quite hit the high notes on the head. In other words, maybe there was a method to Vince Guaraldi's madness.

None of that satisfactorily explains how a genius of cool jazz got a group of kids to deliver a performance suffused with melancholy.

Way back in 1965, The Vince Guaraldi Trio, and a handful of kids figured out how to say, in the language of music, exactly what Christmas means to some of us. I see you, Linus, and this performance gives me chills every time I hear it.

Gaudete, Steeleye Span: Ah, the 70s!

There's a corner of Twitter where people whose gravest concern was having zits for the Homecoming dance, tell themselves scary stories of How Bad It Was back then, assuming that all who read these dystopian fantasies not only Know What Is Meant, but agree wholeheartedly, with an accompanying shiver down their spines.

Personally, I liked it just fine when kids didn't kill other kids for shutting them out of the in crowd, and English folk rockers could sing a carol about Jesus's birth, a capella, in Latin, taking it to Number 1 on the charts, albeit in their home country.

Do They Know It's Christmas, Band Aid: When this single was released, I was deeply moved, as were many.

Older, ostensibly wiser friends strove to burst my bubble. They counseled that Band Aid's efforts were useless, that food sat rotting on the docks because the organizers hadn't the brains to do it right. Work harder, they said. Make money and spend it. There is nothing else. Your heroes are hopelessly filthy.

No.

See, we have no right to expect humans and human effort to be perfect. Purity culture was as ugly then as it is now.

There's more to life than getting and spending, and Band Aid proves it. The initial effort served as the springboard for major charitable projects by Bob Geldof, Midge Ure, and Bono -- efforts that continue to this day.

"We let in light, and we banish shade", the song goes. It's not just talking about flipping a switch.

Beautiful Star Of Bethlehem, Dailey and Vincent: (above): Number One with a bullet -- or, maybe, it's a Bible. And why?

Because too many conservatives are dreading any kind of overtly-religious end to this countdown, even as they exploit the religious right in a last-ditch effort to grab more money, more power.

Forget about it.

See, physics may be the reason for the season, but Jesus is the reason Christians call it Christmas. All the ideological squeamishness (read: hypocrisy) on conservatives' part won't change that.

So, Merry Christmas, or Happy Holidays -- take your pick. May the coming year give you enough courage to use the holiday greetings your conscience dictates, no matter who else is listening.

Hope and Truth

Ralph Stanley. Because who else can you count on for a hopeful, yet truthful, song about death?

This one's called "Gloryland".

If you have friends in Gloryland
Who left because of pain,
Thank God up there, they’ll die no more
They’ll suffer not again

Then weep not friends, I‘m going home
Up there we’ll die no more
No coffins will be made up there
No graves on that bright shore

The lame will walk in Gloryland
The blind up there will see
The deaf in Gloryland will hear
The dumb will talk to me

The doctor will not have to call
The undertaker – no
There’ll be no pain up there to bear
Just walk the streets of gold

We’ll need no sun in Gloryland
The moon and stars won’t shine
For Christ himself is light up there
He reigns of love divine

Then weep not friends, I’m going home
Up there we’ll die no more
No coffins will be made up there
No graves on that bright shore

I am so, so happy to be sharing sacred harp music with you today. If sacred harp singing intrigues you at all, you must see this documentary for historical, cultural, and musical context. You might also like this video, featuring voluble musicologist, Alan Lomax, and some knowledgeable friends.

In the meantime, take a look at the trailer for "Awake My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp". You can purchase the film on Amazon, or stream it on Netflix.

Side note: The first generation of bluegrass musicians had sacred harp singing in their bones. They grew up with it, and incorporated many of its hymns and stylistic elements into bluegrass music.

Polished, Soulful, and Still Influential

The Nashville Bluegrass Band initially made a name for themselves by teasing out the black gospel strain of bluegrass, and emphasizing it in their repertoire.

Additionally, they were (and are) virtuoso players squarely in in the Monroe tradition while adding their own innovations. What's more, they synthesized technical brilliance with soulful harmonies and bluesy leads in their vocal style.

With To Be His Child, all this combined for a brilliant record that's still influential in bluegrass circles today. The songs come from sources as diverse as black gospel quartets (The Golden Gate Quartet, The Dixie Hummingbirds, The Pilgrim Jubilee Singers), Jim Eanes, and Ralph Stanley.

The singing is passionate, blues-drenched, and full-throttle -- even rarer in bluegrass today than in 1987, when this album was released. The a capella harmonies are brother-close. And the instrumental work is superb.

To Be His Child is a bluegrass gospel classic that will appeal to fans of all different strains of gospel, as well as fans of the blues.

In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, the music world was over the moon about the all-female Le Mystere de Voix Bulgare, and rightly so.

I would suggest that this group has a sound that is equally rich and other-worldly, even though they come from right here in the U.S. They deserve a lot more credit, and a larger audience.

The first time I heard them do this song was on an album paying tribute to the songs of Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly (A Vision Shared). They’ve improved the arrangement since then, giving it more drive and harmonic complexity.

This is Sweet Honey In the Rock with Leadbelly’s “Sylvie”.

The Irish Ralph Stanley

I knew this was a collection of folk songs, of course, but this one in particular sounded so ancient that I thought the singer must be long dead. In fact, Paddy Tunney died in 2002, a contemporary of the first generation bluegrass singers of whom he reminds me so vividly. “The Irish Ralph Stanley,” I thought when I first heard Tunney sing.

Like Stanley, Paddy Tunney had an ear for emotional stories about people who have been marginalized by public shaming. This one’s called “Rockin’ the Cradle”.

From Mike Seeger's Collection

This hymn was originally collected by Mike Seeger on an album titled Close to Home:  Old Time Music from Mike Seeger’s Collection, 1952 – 1967. The Primitive Quartet also recorded an upbeat, bluegrass-inflected version, but I much prefer this one.

The group is variously referred to as The Stacer/Stancer Quartet, and though this is not a shape note hymn, it has the same stark, modal quality.

This is “He Said, If You Love Me, Feed My Sheep”.

Another rare track recorded live at the Berkshire Mountain Bluegrass Festival.

Everyone loves Ralph Stanley’s solo take on this one but, for my money, the trio versions, like this one that he did with Keith Whitley and Jack Cooke, beat the solo a capella iteration for sheer mountain spookiness.

This is, of course, “O, Death”.

The turn on a dime from a capella singing to full band, full speed ahead gives this gospel barn burner some extra juice, but what are these musicians so dang happy about?

Maybe it’s the Gospel, although, if you’ve heard it preached on American TV, you’re likely to think just the opposite.

See, the American way says hard work + success = love and acceptance. The Gospel way says believe with your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus’s death on the cross paid for all your screw ups, and He’ll love and accept you for all eternity – no matter how hard you don’t work or how many times you screw up.

There’s a world of difference between working hard to earn material success and working hard to earn God’s love and the free gift of salvation, which none of us screwups deserve. Maybe the reason Patty Loveless and crew are so happy is that, for the few minutes it took them to track “Rise Up, Lazurus”, they understood the difference at last.

American Christianity could take lessons.

Ralph Stanley can preach, all right. In sharp contrast to endless, Americhristian, success-driven doing, Stanley talks about what he can’t do. He emphasizes willingness over doingness.

See, if you can’t do it, then Someone Else has to step in. The gospel says not only that that’s okay, but that it’s celebrated.

Here are Ralph Stanley and The Clinch Mountain Boys with the glorious, rare, and much sought-after “Willing To Try”.

An old hymn with an old-school arrangement, by The Bluegrass Cardinals.

By the time my parents had dragged me to church, this raw, basic style of congregational singing had all but died out, practiced mostly by older Southern and Midwestern immigrants to California.

In this style, members of the choir would stand intermingled with the congregation during hymn time. Instead of singing the melody, choir members would sing their own parts — soprano, alto, tenor, bass — acting as a kind of singing school. This way, folks who weren’t choir members could sing whatever part suited their range, just by following along.

Thus was actual music made. Thus were farmers, factory workers, teachers, and housewives made aware that music had value beyond mere prettiness. It fostered an ethic of community, cooperation, and appreciation. Music was given, not stolen.

This is “There Is A Fountain”.

A Gospel Promise For the Civil Rights Movement

Doyle Lawson got this one from Sister Rosetta Tharp. The message may seem a bit reactionary, but it was relevant during the (initial) struggle for civil rights, and, sadly, is relevant all over again.

This rendition is powerful, and it’s clear from their dazzling technique and obvious passion why DL&Q are consistently ranked among the top bluegrass gospel groups.

This is Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver with “My Lord’s Gonna Move This Wicked Race”.

There are  a few different performances of this available, all of them stunning. That’s thanks to Larry Sparks, who doesn’t know how to sing a soulless note.

I chose this vintage one for the creativity exhibited by the tenor singer. I’ve searched high and low, trying to figure out who she is, but I’ve come up empty. Anybody?

Here’s Larry Sparks, and a crew of very talented singers, with “Gospel Train”.

An Irish-Bluegrass Fusion

Aside from a couple of experiments by Bill Monroe, traditional Irish music was not combined with bluegrass until The Chieftains recorded “Down the Old Plank Road”.

Today, the fusion is common, with Irish bands like Sligo Rags and Rackhouse Pilfer leading the way.

Here’s an American band, The Punch Brothers, with a stunning, a capella version of an Irish tune written by Irish playwright/poet/novelist, Brendan Behan. This one’s entitled “The Auld Triangle”, aka “Banks Of the Royal Canal.” And, yes, this is every bit as good as the version they did for the soundtrack of “Inside Llewyn Davis”.

The Punch Brothers’ version of “The Auld Triangle,” which I'll post in a bit, reminds me a lot of this track by Newfoundland folk singers, Great Big Sea.

Ah, robust male harmonizing; there’s nothing like it! Try not to lose interest during the weak, off-key response from the audience. It goes away after the first two lines of “General Taylor”.

The Future of Mountain Music

The future of hardcore, mountain-style, bluegrass singing is in secure hands with Nathan Stanley — Ralph’s grandson. If he can regain his momentum after endorsing Donald Trump for president, that is (facepalm).

Nathan’s style is squarely in the mold of one of Ralph’s best-ever singers, Keith Whitley. Considering that Nathan was only twenty-one in this clip from 2014, we can look forward to years of powerful bluegrass from him.

I haven’t been so moved by a performance in a long, long time. This is an a capella gospel number called “One Day I Will”.