DVD: Classic Moments in Jubilee Showcase

DVD:
Classic Moments in Jubilee Showcase
www.jubileeshowcase.com

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

“Jubilee…jubilee…jubilee!”

The singing of those words was the familiar intro of “Jubilee Showcase,” one of the longest running gospel music television shows in history.

From 1963 to 1984, “Jubilee Showcase” producer and host Sid Ordower introduced Chicagoans to some of the finest names in gospel music. For many outside the African American church community, it was the first time they set eyes and ears on the artists whose techniques were the sine qua non of American soul and rock music during that period.

But when the show went off the air in 1984, that was it. Unless you lived in Chicago and possessed a library card — a collection of episodes was available for viewing at the Harold Washington Library — “Jubilee Showcase” disappeared.

Until now.

Steve Ordower, president of Rhythm and Light film and video production and son of the late Sid Ordower, has released four of 100 archived episodes on a sampler called “Classic Moments in Jubilee Showcase.”

The DVD contains spit-polished video and audio of episodes that starred artists such as the Staple Singers, Inez Andrews, Jessy Dixon and the Jessy Dixon Singers, two iterations of the Soul Stirrers (James Phelps leading one and Willie Rogers and Martin Jacox leading the other), the Salem Travelers, and the Norfleet Brothers. One entire show was dedicated to Andrae Crouch and the Disciples, who with Gene Viale are the only non-Chicago based groups included, though Gene did live in Chicago for a time before moving back to California.

Two of the episodes on the DVD conclude with extraordinary gospel jam sessions. On one, Jessy Dixon and the Jessy Dixon Singers join the episode’s other guests, Gene Viale, and the Salem Travelers, in an extended version of “I Know What Prayer Can Do.” These combinations are rare on audio or video.

In addition to the complete episodes (sans commercials), the DVD includes bonus features such as information on the artists presented, a history of the show and a bio on host Sid Ordower.

This glimpse into the Jubilee Showcase archives will make traditional gospel enthusiasts and music historians yearn for more. Steve Ordower told TBGB that if sales of “Classic Moments in Jubilee Showcase” go well, more releases will be forthcoming.

DVDs can be purchased at www.jubileeshowcase.com or by calling (847) 459-7904.

Listen to an interview of Steve Ordower by TBGB’s Bob Marovich on the November 12, 2011 Gospel Memories radio program (WLUW 88.7 FM, Chicago): “Jubilee Showcase”