Robert McFerrin Sr. sings spirituals (4)

This is Bobby's dad, the great baritone Robert McFerrin Sr. (1921-2006). He was the first black male soloist at the Metropolitan Opera. McFerrin also was the voice behind Sidney Poitier's Porgy in the classic Otto Preminger film of Porgy & Bess in 1959. Here are four spirituals with Norman Johnson, piano.

1. Deep River 0:00
2. His Name So Sweet 2:50
3. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot 4:28
4. Witness 6:32

Of "Deep River", Roland Hayes writes: "At the source of this tune ring the words from Joshua: ''When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan." It is primitive in its wonder; yes, ecstasy before the incredible. "As God was with Moses, so shall I be with him at the time of my delivery." In the embrace of death lies fulfillment. As celebrated as the theme of Beethoven's Fifth, the musical phrase, "Deep River, my home is over Jordan," lies deeply rooted in the consciousness of mankind. It has a suggestive quality of inescapable power. Three times the last phrase, "I want to cross over into campground," is repeated. That repetition, a sort of incantation, is not unlike the litanies of the Catholic Church. Repetitions are phenomena of imaginative, poetic intoxication that, choosing word sounds irrespective of meaning, identifies the person with the mood."

Link to my playlist for Robert McFerrin:    • Robert McFerrin Sr. (1921-2006)