This is one of the more curious titles issued in the
jazz
world. Recorded in 2001, the day before a
heritage concert assembled by historian, clarinetist, and bandleader
Bill Carter
, this is the great singer and monologist
William Warfield
's last recording. But it presents something that never occurred previously in his long career.
Warfield
appears on nine of the 17 cuts here, singing and playing piano; as such, it is the only time that
has ever been taped commercially accompanying himself while singing, and the first time he ever performed publicly with a
Dixieland
band. Sometimes
appears singing solo with his piano, as on
"Every Time I Feel the Spirit,"
"What a Friend We Have in Jesus,"
"His Eye Is on the Sparrow,"
and
"Ain't Gonna Study War No More."
In other places, he accompanies the band as their pianist, such as on
"When the Saints Go Marching In."
This is not for everybody, but fans of the great black
spirituals
and early
will flip. The sound is wonderfully warm and full, and the performances are nothing short of stellar. ~ Thom Jurek