Mahalia Jackson - Silent Night

I will address the elephant in the room straight off. Gospel music really is not in my wheelhouse, nor was it music I grew up with as a kid. Oh, I grew up with an abundance of good old fashioned church music, and a lot of the old hymns still get me in the feels. I am not really into gospel, but when it comes to Christmas music, I'd rather sit and listen to this than have to suffer through the caterwauling that passes for a lot of the "modern" takes on Christmas classics.

Released in 1962, Silent Night captures the reverence and sacred essence of the holidays. The music is sparse, predominantly organ with some orchestra and backing chorus that was conducted by Johnny Williams. Johnny Williams ... this was 1962, I wonder if this is the guy we now know as John Williams. You know, that John Williams - you likely just hummed one of two songs in your head right now, the theme from Star Wars, or at least the "da da, da na na na na, da na na na na, nah nah na naaaah" or you put on a felt hat and did the "duh duh duh duh, duh da dah, duh duh duh ... (I've lost track of my d'ohs at this point, you know what it mean) from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

It was indeed Mister Williams, father of Joseph (that's another story).

Mahalia Jackson was well established, and in her early 50s when she released Silent Night on Columbia Records. She had spent years breaking down social barriers and fighting for civil rights and desegregation. She appeared at the prestigious New Port Jazz Festival in 1957 and again in 1958.  She was a regular guest on many of the television variety shows that were popular at the time: From Steve Allen to Milton Berle. From what I've read her popularity almost single handedly brought gospel into the mainstream.

There's even evidence to suggest that it was Mahalia Jackson shouting out "Tell them about the dream Martin" that encouraged Dr. King to abandon his prepared speech and deliver his now iconic address. It's funny how she's not more well known ... I guess in some circles she is remembered, but I'm surprised she's not more well known.

You'll find a lot of stuff out there on her contemporaries like Aretha Franklin, Etta James and even Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, and I suppose the reason is pretty simple, although what they did had gospel roots, it was jazz and rhythm and blues that seemed to garner attention, and longevity.

Silent Night, it's one of those albums that seems to fly just under the radar. I'm not sure what I expected when I got the album - I expected a traditional album based on the song selection, which was hymns and spirituals. For those who complain about the lack of Christ, in Christmas, Mahalia wasn't skirting the issue, this was about paying respect to the source material. It was all about Christ.

Like I'd mentioned earlier, the music feels like what you'd hear in a church service, with the warbly Hammond organ and choir. Her delivery on classics like "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" and "O Come, All Ye Faithfull" are wonderful. Her version of "Go Tell it on the Mountain" takes the spiritual to another level. It is quite extraordinary, and it's strange it isn't heard more often.

Probably my favourite on the album is "Christmas Comes To Us All Once a Year" which is probably the most contemporary sounding song on the collection. It isn't necessarily the best song, it's just one I liked. I've heard so many variations of so many of the carols here, that it's the new ones to me that tend to get my attention.

The back of the album states, "Mehalia endows the carols and spirituals she sings here with all the fervency of spirit and freshness of interpretation we have come to expect from this dedicated artist." Normally the hyperbole and exaggerated commentary that gets written on a back cover is so often so overblown and exaggerated you really wonder what was in the copywriter's coffee. Here it's actually right on the money.

This was an album I played from start to finish a couple of times. While this isn't a bouncy foot tapping collection of carols, it is a wonderful collection that captures the build up to Christmas day.

The album was very much of it's time, and the Hammond organ evokes a bygone era, and unlike the jazz and big band and orchestra arrangements of so many others, it is the organ that serves to anchor this in place, and ultimately with the passage of time the accompanying music to Mehalia's soaring vocals, has not aged well and actually detracts from the experience.

Which is too bad.

Having said that though, there is still something very spiritual about listening to this album, and it may turn some off, and it will do the opposite for others. For me, it allowed me to take a little time and remember the reason for the season.

Merry Christmas.