Ethel Waters

[Bright Moments]

where to start? sadly no mosaic. recommendations please!

[Bright Moments]

nothing yet?!

[JSngry]

If I was gonna go there (and some day I might...), then this looks like a good place to start: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&a...10:3ifqxqtjldae

Plenty of Chronological Classics discs as well, if that fans the flames.

[nemo7]

route 66.

[jazzbo]

I like this one. It's got great sound as well as good performances.

http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/waters_ethel...641/album.jhtml

I'm a big fan of the movie "Cabin in the Sky" which features Ethel and she does a magnificent job. As does Lena Horne. And there's Pops and Duke performing as well. Fantastic!

[jazzbo]

  ChaunceyMorehouse said:

With all due respect, "Cabin In The Sky" is a curiosity and no better. It is not the best black film nor Vincent Minelli's. While there are textual questions, my suggestion is to start with "His Eye Is On The Sparrow," Waters autobiography with Charles Samuels. That will give you the meat and the bone. Don't bother with the bib, just dive in and start eating.

With all due respect, I totally disagree about Cabin in the Sky and bid you a good day. I didn't mean to imply it was either the best black film nor Minelli's best (don't really care about that latter). But I think it's a very effective movie in message and performance. (And reminds me favorably of an optimistic "Les Jeux Son Faits".)

On top of that I really think Ethel did a wonderful job with acting and singing.

Edited June 15, 2008 by jazzbo

[Bright Moments]

thanks for the suggestions!!!!

[Christiern]

  ChaunceyMorehouse said:

With all due respect, "Cabin In The Sky" is a curiosity and no better. It is not the best black film nor Vincent Minelli's. While there are textual questions, my suggestion is to start with "His Eye Is On The Sparrow," Waters autobiography with Charles Samuels. That will give you the meat and the bone. Don't bother with the bib, just dive in and start eating.

I like "Cabin in the Sky", but view it more for its historic rather than it cinematic value. What it has going for it is captured performances by artists who rarely caught Hollywood's fancy. When it comes to Ethel Waters, I think she is far more favorably represented in her dramatic picture, "Member of the Wedding", etc. She was as good an actress as she was a singer, IMHO.

BTW, I may have mentioned this before, but I always remember Ruby Walker (aka Smith)'s response when I asked her what she could tell me about Ethel Waters.

"Well, I can tell you one thing," she said, "here eyes weren't on no sparrow!"

[AllenLowe]

there's also an interesting account of Waters in one of Zora Neale Hurston's books (sorry but I can't think of the title now) - but she comes across as amazingly independent of white folks, as defiant and outspoken - also one of my favorite singers -

[Christiern]

This is an interesting clip. The guitarist is Bill Gunn, who wrote a successful film called "The Landlord," as well as an off vampire film called "Ganja and Hess" He and I wrote a miniseries on Alberta Hunter for British TV's now defunch Southern TV. Notice that Jo Jones playes the trumpeter in this clip, and Roy Eldridge the drummer.

[Pete C]

Of the Waters discs I own, this is my favorite.

http://www.amazon.com/Takin-Chance-Love-Ethel-Waters/dp/tracks/B00002818Q/ref=dp_tracks_all_1#disc_1