The first half was drawn from Sacred Ellington, a staging of some of Duke Ellington's sacred songs (which she will perform complete at St. John the Divine in the spring). The program did not credit an arranger of these pieces by Duke Ellington or give source information about them (most were drawn from the three Sacred Concerts Ellington gave later in his career). The range of styles in the arrangements was broad. David Danced before the Lord (without the solo composed by Ellington for tap dancer Bunny Brice) featured only Norman's voice, amplified from off stage, and the earthy tenor sax of Bill Easley. In In the Beginning God, which won Ellington a Grammy for Best Jazz Composition in 1966, Norman recited a list of things that were not when God was in eternity -- no conference calls, no applause, no critique, no amateurs, no professionals. More pleasing were Come Sunday, a slow-ballad plea for God's help, and the bouncy, straightforward, one-word Hallelujah.
Anne Midgette, Jessye Norman, Still a Diva Beyond the Classical Canon (Washington Post, September 15) |
Photo of Jessye Norman by Carol Friedman, courtesy of Clarice Smith Center
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