CD Review: Mahalia Jackson – Not Forgotten

The Forgotten Recordings
Mahalia Jackson
Acrobat CD ADDCD 3006
2005
www.acrobatmusic.net

Unpack your bags. Cancel your reservation. You don’t need to travel to Paris and sort through boxes of dusty, used vinyl in record boutiques to own the music on Mahalia Jackson’s famous Vogue LPs. Acrobat Records of England has felt your pain and released a two-CD compilation of all her enigmatic and elusive Vogue recordings.

For the uninitiated: in the 1960s or 1970s, the French Vogue label released three LPs of Mahalia Jackson recordings that seemingly hadn’t been heard before. They could not be found on any of her previous LPs or singles. From whence did they come?

Three theories exist as to how the “forgotten” recordings came about. One suggests that the tracks were produced in 1947 when Mahalia was signed to Bess Berman’s Apollo Records but, for some reason, remained in the can. Another suggests that the recordings were made during Mahalia’s first tour of Paris in 1952. Yet another, offered by gospel music historian Anthony Heilbut, is that they are from television performances circa 1960 – 1961. Given the slightly muffled and lo-fi quality of the original masters, I’m inclined to go with Mr. Heilbut’s theory.

Regardless, this two-CD set will be welcomed with open arms and eager ears by gospel collectors and Mahalia completists alike. The tracks make for decent listening, if for no other reason than to hear Mahalia just singing, SINGING BABY, with the kind of freedom she had on Apollo – voice, organ and piano – and not the musical ephemera strapped to her during some of the Columbia sessions.

A special treat on this two-CD set is Mahalia’s sanctified rendering of “Somebody Touched Me,” from the first French Vogue LP, which gives us a taste of the holy dancing ‘Halie that rarely, in my opinion, was given its just due on recordings. She also shines on gospel ballads such as “Hold Me,” also from Vogue #1 and “Never Look Down,” from her second Vogue release.

Gospel historian Opal Nations lent his remarkable talents to write the liner notes that give a brief but satisfying history of one of gospel’s greatest singers, and also endeavors to explain the mystery behind the Vogue recordings.

Of course, if you simply must go to Paris for the original vinyl, far be it for me to stop you! I, for one, understand vinyl obsession all too well! But keep those LPs in safe keeping and play the CD.

(Special thanks to Eric LeBlanc for facilitating the Acrobat Records reviews)