Alice Parker and Melodious Accord dig deep into the rich history of the black tradition. This recording contains a cantata, two suites and eight spirituals in choral settings by Parker. Interspersed between the suites and cantata are sets of spiritual arrangements. "I want Jesus to walk with me" is especially beautiful. The title piece "Listen Lord," a cantata for solo contralto, chorus and jazz combo, uses the text of the opening prayer in James Weldon Johnson's God's Trombones in combination with two spirituals. This jazzy-blues set features contralto Pamela Warrick-Smith. The first suite, "Dem Bells," was composed for choir and handbells. The first and last movements are light almost-rags with a slow somber movement in the middle. The performance on the recording uses piano. The last set, "Street Corner Spirituals," is a suite combining fragments of spirituals for chorus, and an informal street corner band of trumpet, drums and keyboard. These catchy tunes and varied rhythms make a fun toe-tapping piece. This CD is a great example of Alice Parker's unique view on the black spiritual as a melodic resource. |
