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Geof Bradfield Quintet: Our Roots
By Track review of "Dark was the Night, Cold was the Ground"However, Bradfield wanders beyond Jordan, including two Blind Willie Johnson compositions, including his most famous one, "Dark was the Night, Cold was the Ground." Ethereal rising off of a 90-year old shellac 78 RPM, this Johnson composition was sent out on the Voyager Golden Record, sharing company with Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 (first movement), Beethoven's Fifth Symphony (first movement), and Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode." Branfield takes this piece in an entirely different direction. After a brief horn exposition, bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Dana Hall perform an intensely moody duet before Bradfield enters with Johnson's theme. The performance among the horns is one of call-and-response, recalling in modern terms something ancient and fecund.
Track Listing
Adam in the Garden; Clinton Hill; Yellow Gal; Black Girl; Meshell; Before This time another Year; Lead Belly; Dick's Holler; Mbira Song; Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground; Motherless Children; Take This Hammer
Personnel
Geof Bradfield
saxophone, tenorGeof Bradfield: tenor saxophone; Marquis Hill: trumpet; Joel Adams: trombone; Clark Sommers: bass; Dana Hall: drums.
Album information
Title: Our Roots | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Origin Records
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About Geof Bradfield
Instrument: Saxophone, tenor
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