Thoughts, Thoughts...And More Thoughts!!

As of late it has been quite exhausting - work has been strenous (although I do thank God for the job) and my whole body has been sore.  Yet, a lot has been happening otherwise too, which is what I want to talk about today.

After a few months' hiatus, I am finally at a point to where I can get some of my Amazon wishlist cleared up, and it is quite an exhiliration to do that.  Recently, I have acquired some DVD's of my specific musical interests, but they are a bit different.  Among my newest acquisitions are DVD footage of two classic Gospel quartets, the Statesmen and the Blackwood Brothers.   Having grown up around a culture where Southern Gospel was quite popular, it would only make sense that I develop a taste for it.  And,  the talent of those quartets, man - their blend, harmony, and range are absolutely phenomenal, and that piano too; nothing like good Gospel piano!  If only I could play myself...hmmm!!

My love of the old gospel quartets and my big band interests are not exactly mutually exclusive either, and I often muse that if I would have lived in that era, I would have featured a Gospel quartet with my orchestra.  And, another thought quickly followed that - could you imagine if you could take four saxes - two tenors, a baritone, and a bass sax - and write arrangements of quartet favorites for them??  I think that would sound phenomenal myself - a sax quartet playing old "Redback" (the popular name of the old Pentecostal Church Hymnal published by Pathway Press in Tennessee) gospel songs such as Hovie Lister's "Goodbye World Goodbye," or an arrangement of the old Blackwoods' record of "Swing Down Sweet Chariot" (if you all get the chance, look up that latter one on Youtube or something, as it is a great recording).  It would sorta be a bit of an Adrian Rollini-meets-"Big Chief" Wetherington fusion.  Would be a great sound no doubt.

Bass sax virtuoso and bandleader Adrian Rollini

Jim "Big Chief" Wetherington, who for many years was the bass singer with Hovie Lister and the Statesmen

There was something too about those old Gospel songs - they were never meant of course for corporate church services, although many of them ended up being part of the standard hymnody of the Church later on.  However, they provided an outlet of Christian-based talent that gained the adoration of millions of fans.  Southern Gospel music today has lost a lot of what the older quartets had, and it is a shame.  Many of these new gospel groups are now flirting with CCM, which is to me both spiritual and artistic suicide.  Or, they sound too twangy and hickish - some originally gospel groups even sold out for the almighty buck, notably the Oak Ridge Boys, and that was a shame as well.  However, thanks to new technology, that great old music, like played by the Blackwoods and Statesmen (I am also a big fan of vintage Black gospel as well, and my favorite Black Gospel group from days past would hands-down be Clara Ward and the Ward Singers - fantastic stuff too!).

The old "Redback," a classic Pentecostal shape-note hymnbook published by the Church of God's denominational publishing house in TN.  This book has all the old classic gospel songs and spirituals the old quartets recorded and made famous, and many churches thankfully still use this classic hymnal today.

One thing I do miss seeing though is a program I remember watching regularly about 20 years ago on a local Christian television channel back home in WV.  The half-hour program featured gospel pianist Hilton Griswold who, back in the 1940's, played piano with the Blackwoods.  He still is around as far as I know, but I wonder if his shows are available on DVD - I really should research that.  He is a phenomenal pianist too, and much like Anthony Burger he exemplifies classic Southern Gospel piano. 

Gospel pianist Hilton Griswold

Any rate, the DVD footage of the vintage Statesmen and Blackwoods was a real blessing and treat to get last week, and have already watched them twice through!  For some of you people who are into the whole "American Idol" crap, it is time you learn what real talent is all about, and it would be an educational experience for you to hear great music such as this.  Southern Gospel and big bands will always be my music, and I would not have it any other way.   God blessed me with the affinity for this stuff for a reason, and I feel - as I may have said a time or two in the past - that it's a part of my testimony.   I could never in good conscience listen to rock music or anything that sounds like it - they play that junk at work way too much, and I get sick of George Harrison praising the Hare Krishnas, the Eagles extolling the virtues of the Church of Satan, and that pervert Prince doing God-knows-what in that acidy, stinky garbage of his from the 1980's.  And, please spare me the overly-commercialized and musically-deficient detritus as exemplified by that Bieber twirp and the whole "American Idol" franchise, not to mention their sellout CCM religious imitators - gag me with a spoon!!  American musical tastes these days have gotten as dumb as petrified owl dung, and it seems that every passing fan makes society even dumber; whatever happened to real musical talent anyway, seriously?? 

That is basically a nutshell expression of my thoughts for the week, and my apologies in advance if I am too crass and insulting - American pop culture as of late leaves me nauseous, so please excuse my rants.  And, God bless you until next time.