Jazz albums w/ backup chorus or small vocal choir...

[Rooster_Ties]

Max Roach - "It's Time" (Impulse, 1962) -- 16 voice wordless choir

Billy Harper - "Capra Black" (Strata-East, 1973) -- 5 voice choir on side 2

Andrew Hill - "Lift Every Voice" (Blue Note, 1969 & 1970, two full-length sessions) -- 8 and 7 voices

Marvin "Hannibal" Peterson - "The Angels of Atlanta" (enja, 1981) -- w/ the Harlem Boys Choir and soloists

Donald Byrd - "A New Perspective" and "I'm Tryin' to Get Home" (Blue Note, 1963 & 1964) -- 8 voice choir on both dates

Freddie Roach - "All That's Good" (Blue Note, 1964) -- small vocal group (not sure how big, my copy is 1,000 miles away at the moment)

That's all that I have -- with the top four dates being the "heaviest". I just found a used copy of "It's Time" on Saturday (first time ever hearing it), and it's really a monster session -- with especially great blowing from Clifford Jordan, Richard Williams, and Julian Priester, plus Mal Waldron and Art Davis are on the date too -- Yeow!! Coincidentally I also replaced my lost copy of "Capra Black" this weekend, which I hadn't heard in several years, and it's a monster too.

What else is notable in this genre? I know there's another Max Roach date with choir ("Lift Every Voice and Sing", Atlantic 1971), which is on my wish-list now (haven't ever heard it) -- how is it?? Also, I understand Billy Harper has a more recent DVD with some big chorus (I think it was recorded in Poland, iirc) -- how's that??

Also, does anybody know if these kind dates were recorded "live" with the musicians and the chorus performing together in real-time?? In the case of those from the 60's and early 70's, I can't imagine them being done that way (especially the Andrew Hill, for instance) -- and I would have to believe that the chorus was overdubbed. Anybody know for sure??

Edited May 27, 2011 by Rooster_Ties

[Stereojack]

Max Roach - "It's Time" (Impulse, 1962) -- 16 voice wordless choir

Billy Harper - "Capra Black" (Strata-East, 1973) -- 5-voice choir on side 2

Andrew Hill - "Lift Every Voice" (Blue Note, 1969 & 1970, two full-length sessions) -- 8 or 7 voices

Marvin "Hannibal" Peterson - "The Angels of Atlanta" (enja, 1981) -- w/ the Harlem Boys Choir and soloists

Donald Byrd - "A New Perspective" and "I'm Tryin' to Get Home" (Blue Note, 1963 & 1964) -- 8 voice choir on both dates

Freddie Roach - "All That's Good" (Blue Note, 1964) -- small vocal group (not sure how big, my copy is 1,000 miles away at the moment)

That's all that I have -- with the top four dates being the "heaviest". I just found a used copy of "It's Time" on Saturday (first time ever hearing it), and it's really a monster session -- with especially great blowing from Clifford Jordan, Richard Williams, and Julian Priester, plus Mal Waldron and Art Davis are on the date too -- Yeow!! Coincidentally I also replaced my lost copy of "Capra Black" this weekend, which I hadn't heard in several years, and it's a monster too.

What else is notable in this genre? I know there's another Max Roach date with choir ("Lift Every Voice and Sing", Atlantic 1971), which is on my wish-list now (haven't ever heard it) -- how is it?? Also, I understand Billy Harper has a more recent DVD with some big chorus (I think it was recorded in Poland, iirc) -- how's that??

Also, does anybody know if these kind dates were recorded "live" with the musicians and the chorus performing together in real-time?? In the case of those from the 60's and early 70's, I can't imagine them being done that way (especially the Andrew Hill, for instance) -- and I would have to believe that the chorus was overdubbed. Anybody know for sure??

Horace Silver - "Silver 'n Voices" (1976)

Horace Silver - "Silver 'n Percussion" (1977)

I believe the voices were added later on both of these.

[Steve Gray]

Eddie Gale - Ghetto Music

Eddie Gale - Black Rhythm Happening.

[Rooster_Ties]

Oh yeah, forgot about the Eddie Gales - both of which I have (and they're great!).

I've sampled the Horace Silvers, and I've never had the nerve to take the plunge.

[B. Clugston]

Bobby Hutcherson's Now has Gene (aka Eugene) McDaniels on vocals plus a small chorus (4 singers?).

[JSngry]

I know there's another Max Roach date with choir ("Lift Every Voice and Sing", Atlantic 1971), which is on my wish-list now (haven't ever heard it) -- how is it??

Free-ish interpretations of spirituals. Not all that it could have been, but definitely worth a listen or three, imo.

[Shawn]

Duke Pearson - How Insensitive

Theres also a nice choir on the song "I Told Jesus" from Turrentine's Salt Song.

[Jim R]

[randyhersom]

McCoy Tyner - Inner Voices

Benny Carter on vocals ??!!

Edited April 20, 2011 by randyhersom

[paul secor]

I guess this one qualifies.

[Hot Ptah]

Sun Ra--Space Is The Place, from the album "Space Is the Place".

[Shawn]

I guess this one qualifies.

Don't think I've ever heard that one, looks interesting!

[paul secor]

I guess this one qualifies.

Don't think I've ever heard that one, looks interesting!

Good one. Diz plays well and the Double Six fit well with him. Some nice later Bud too.

[Rooster_Ties]

Another brief source of discussion on this linked below. I discovered it searching on a combination of both "Andrew Hill" "Lift Every Voice" and "Max Roach" "It's Time" (within the same Google search) -- resulting in a review of a Strata-East album by Brother Ahh (which I've not heard).

from Black World/Negro Digest Sep 1974 (pages 54 & 55)

This review also mentions some unnamed Ellington contributions to the "jazz + chorus" concept, though I'm afraid I'm not aware of the specifics.

Edited April 21, 2011 by Rooster_Ties

[A Lark Ascending]

Ellington's Sacred Concerts?

A few of the English jazzers have dabbled in this:

Michael Garrick - Mr. Smith's Apocalypse

Mike Westbrook - used a children's chorus on parts of 'The Westbrook Blake'

John Surman - Proverbs and Songs.

I really like Westbrook's use - the choir is young and ragged enough to fit Blake's ideas. Couldn't get on with the Garrick at all and haven't played the Surman in ages.

I'm not a great fan of choirs bolted onto jazz - but in the UK having a large piece like this seems to improve your chances of getting a grant. Seems to make the people who give out the funds think it might be 'art'.

Edited April 21, 2011 by A Lark Ascending

[brownie]

Always loved the Charlie Parker/Gil Evans session of May 1953 with the Dave Lambert Singers that produced 'Old Folks', 'In the Still of the Night' and 'If I Love Again'.

Edited April 21, 2011 by brownie

[Rooster_Ties]

Some googling implies that the 1972 Yusef Lateef album "Hush 'N' Thunder" has the same vocal group on it as Max Roach's "Lift Every Voice and Sing". Anybody know if their contribution is on the entire album, or just one or two cuts?? And how is it?

Edited August 3, 2020 by Rooster_Ties

[sidewinder]

'It's Time' is certainly a very interesting listen. I find that those sessions which have vocal direction by Coleridge Perkinson have quite a distinctive sound, be they on Blue Note, Impulse or wherever.

Mention of Coleridge reminds me that he was on piano I think in that Max Roach/Abbey Lincoln group back in the 1960s. The German TV broadcast has him in the lineup.

Edited April 21, 2011 by sidewinder

[Chicago Expat]

Archie Shepp - "The Cry of My People"

[Rooster_Ties]

'It's Time' is certainly a very interesting listen. I find that those sessions which have vocal direction by Coleridge Perkinson have quite a distinctive sound, be they on Blue Note, Impulse or wherever.

Mention of Coleridge reminds me that he was on piano I think in that Max Roach/Abbey Lincoln group back in the 1960s. The German TV broadcast has him in the lineup.

I agree, Coleridge Perkinson is probably a big key to the success of "It's Time" (maybe THE key).

Perkinson played piano and was also the "music director" on the Solomon Ilori BN session in three long cuts that make up the bonus material on the Conn CD issue of "African High Life" (October 30, 1964 - the one with w/ Donald Byrd & Hubert Laws - here's some previous discussion), which is also expertly arranged -- and technically, there's singing on it too (though not in the traditional 'choral' sense) -- but I think it qualifies here too (perhaps especially because Coleridge was involved).

I guess given their complexity, I'm kind of surprised that Perkinson DIDN'T do the arrangements on Andrew Hill's two "Lift Every Voice" sessions, but rather those were both done by Lawrence Marshall, who also sang in the group on both dates. Anybody know anything about him?? Was he ever involved in anything else pertinent to this thread?

For that matter, did any of these choral groups ever record outside of their respective involvement in these sessions??

Edited April 21, 2011 by Rooster_Ties

[JSngry]

Perkinson arranged this album of standards for Marge Dotson, his wife:

The internet is your friend here...

[Noj]

Some googling implies that the 1972 Yusef Lateef album "Hush 'N' Thunder" has the same vocal group on it as Max Roach's "Lift Every Voice and Sing". Anybody know if their contribution is on the entire album, or just one or two cuts?? And how is it?

I have Hush 'N' Thunder, I'll have to revisit it and offer an assessment. I recall really enjoying one instrumental track from it, which may indicate I didn't care so much for the vocals.

[felser]

I know there's another Max Roach date with choir ("Lift Every Voice and Sing", Atlantic 1971), which is on my wish-list now (haven't ever heard it) -- how is it??

Free-ish interpretations of spirituals. Not all that it could have been, but definitely worth a listen or three, imo.

Billy Harper is great on this album (I believe his first with Roach), which alone makes it worth listening/owning. Wonderful version of "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord", which is the highlight for me.

[king ubu]

Some voices on later Atlantic productions... Eddie Harris comes to mind first and foremost, Lateef has been mentioned, I guess there's some on Fathead albums, too (I might have some).

Stan Getz did one, too ("Voices" from 1966 - Manfred Schoof has one with that title but no voices, coincidentally).

Shepp's "Cry of My People" and some other tracks on other later Impulse albums have some cuts with voice.

[JSngry]

I know there's another Max Roach date with choir ("Lift Every Voice and Sing", Atlantic 1971), which is on my wish-list now (haven't ever heard it) -- how is it??

Free-ish interpretations of spirituals. Not all that it could have been, but definitely worth a listen or three, imo.

Billy Harper is great on this album (I believe his first with Roach), which alone makes it worth listening/owning.

Billy's always great, but I found myself not hearing enough of him on this album. I like to hear lots of Billy Harper.