Sir Willard White

This recording is also available in Hybrid SACD Multichannel on AKD 218.

Sir Willard W White - Vocals

Guy Barker - trumpet
Neal Thornton - piano, keyboards & percussion
Geoff Gascoyne - bass
Richard Bolton - guitar
Mark Doffman - drums

Paul Robeson was one of the most remarkable performers of the 20th Century. The son of a slave, he rose through extraordinary talent and dedication to become a distinguished singer, actor and political activist. This compilation of songs which were all performed by Robeson, has been specially arranged for Willard White and represents a musical progression, bringing a fresh approach to the repertoire which Robeson pioneered.

Sir Willard White was born in Jamaica but moved to New York to studt and finally settled in London, England. His career as an opera singer has in its own way been subject to many of the problems which Robeson encountered as an ambitious black artist, and the life and works of Robeson inevitably have a particular resonance for Willard.

Robeson particularly performed Negro spirituals and presented them as music worthy of standing side by side on programmes with other art songs. This CD includes 7 spirituals arranged to include the influences of modern rhythms and musical styles but to keep the simplicity and directness of the melody lines and text. These include Witness, On my journey now, Go down Moses, Ezekiel saw the wheel, Scandalise my name, All God's children got wings, Didn't my Lord deliver Daniel.

Robeson also loved folk songs. "Through their folk songs we learn the true spirit of a people" he once remarked. He lived almost the entire 1930's in England where he worked making many films and regularly performed the folk songs of the British Isles. We include the Scottish song Eriskay Love Lilt as an example. As a political campaigner for civil rights Robeson was inspired by the work of other champions of the people like Joe Hill. This man was an early union activist in American mining towns whi died for his beliefs. We include the moving song written in his memory. From the mainstream jazz repertoire we include Hoagy carmichael's Lazy Bones and Duke Ellington's Mood Indigo, revealing Sir Willard White's expressive ease in the jazz ballad medium. Another less performed song from the early jazz repertoire, Got the South in my soul reveals itself as an exciting find from the Robeson catalogue.

We hope that this album presents a fitting tribute to the life and work of Paul Robeson whose pioneering message of racial equality, human rights and the unifyiing power of music still demands to be heard.
Neal Thornton, March 2002