Sunday Playlist 2/21/21

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzrVlXh4mc1Mb0LOi2HcO-BaQGD-AdB2s

On Ash Wednesday, I happened on the online service of Middle Collegiate Church, a social justice space that rivals our own at CAUMC. As you may know, their building was heavily damaged by fire in December 2020, adding more pain to the suffering of the pandemic. Like us, they are gathering in a virtual space now (theirs online, ours on the phone) from different places, but it was clear that they are still one in the cause of love and justice. We begin with a recording from 2019, a performance at Middle Collegiate of “For Every Mountain."

Next on the playlist, we have Ara Dinkjian playing the oud with the Istanbul Strings on an album that commemorates the Armenian genocide. This piece, which according to the liner notes is part of the Armenian sacred repertoire, is called, “Lord, Have Mercy.”

Mahalia Jackson sings a hymn that in my youth, I played perhaps more than a hundred times for altar calls in the Baptist church. There would be meetings when the preacher was so certain that someone was being called to the altar that he’d tell me just to keep playing. That’s one way to learn how to improvise on a hymn melody.

For our playlists, I’ve often turned to archival recordings from the Lomax collection, and this week, we hear again from the Sensational Friendly Brothers, “Where Shall I Be When The First Trumpet Sounds.”  I am moved by the joy of this performance, the sheer enthusiasm and talent, and I’m grateful that it was caught on record.

Finally, to go out in a contemplative mood, I’ve included the sarabande from the Bach Partita in A minor for solo flute.