Kronos Quartet Reimagine Early Mahalia Jackson Recording Ahead of Tribute Project Out 4/3 via Smithsonian Folkways

From a Press Release:

Today, GRAMMY-winning San Francisco string quartet Kronos Quartet is out with the third single, “God Shall Wipe All Tears Away,” from their forthcoming album Glorious Mahalia, out April 3 via Smithsonian Folkways.

The project pays tribute to the life and legacy of legendary gospel singer and civil rights activist Mahalia Jackson, weaving together archival recordings and new compositions to bring her artistry and advocacy as a performer and civil rights leader into the present day.

Listen to “God Shall Wipe All Tears Away” HERE.

Originally recorded by a twenty-five-year-old Mahalia Jackson in 1937 and frequently performed early in her career, “God Shall Wipe All Tears Away” is a 1935 gospel composition by Antonio Haskell inspired by Revelation 21:4 in the King James Bible. Jackson’s recording vibrates with hopefulness and is a powerful early example of her emotional range and spiritual intensity.

For this new interpretation, Kronos Quartet reimagines the piece through an arrangement by composer Jacob Garchik that builds directly from Jackson’s original recording. Treating her voice as a guiding force, the ensemble closely studied her phrasing and delivery, with violist Hank Dutt melodically accompanying her vocal line. Using modern techniques, including heavy metal practice mutes that dampen their strings, the quartet creates an organ-like soundscape that echoes the original recording while expanding it into a rich, contemporary piece.

As a concept album, Glorious Mahalia incorporates archival audio from a 1957 live performance in Chicago and a 1963 interview with Studs Terkel, alongside new compositions by Stacy Garrop, Jacob Garchik, and Zachary James Watkins. The album also features newly recorded audio from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speechwriter and lawyer Clarence B. Jones, who reflects on Jackson’s role in the American Civil Rights Movement, including her historic call to King during the March on Washington: “Tell them about the dream, Martin!”