Field Recordings Volume 3: Mississippi 1936-1942 (Document, 1997)

And so we continue with our posts on Document's excellent series of Field Recordings, which primarily consist of material gathered for the Library of Congress during the 1930s and early 1940s. A review of Volume 1: Virginia 1936-1941 appeared back in June, but I'm going to have to skip over Volume 2: North & South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas since I don't have it in my collection. That title has been out of print for some time now, and I'd appreciate it if anyone who has this CD for sale or who would be willing to make me a copy to get in touch with me.

COLOR-TINTED POSTCARD SHOWING THE CAMPUS OF
THE SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN INSTITUTE, CIRCA 1900

Field Recordings Volume 3 provides numerous examples of Mississippi's incredibly rich black musical heritage. There is a tremendous deal of diversity among the tracks presented here, with the common thread being John or Alan Lomax's involvement in collecting nearly all of them for the LOC's Archive of Folk Song. Once again, a visit to the notorious Parchman Farm State Penitentiary yielded several fascinating performances, including an example of the lost art of train calling (in this instance, the unnamed convict shouts out various stops on the Illinois Central line), a gospel tune ("Lead Me to the Rock" by Wash Dennis, D.B. Prowell, and Charles Sims), and what sounds like a work song ("Rosie [Big Leg Rosie]" by Jeff Webb et al.). Outside the prison walls in other parts of Mississippi, Lomax obtained several more a cappella pieces such as Joe Shores' "Sounding Calls" and Sam Hazel's "Heaving the Leadline" (which were originally used by leadsmen on riverboats to announce water depth measurements to the helmsman) as well as Thomas J. Marshall and Samuel Brooks' field hollers "Arwhoolie," "Oh the Sun's Goin' Down and I Won't Be Here Long (Quittin' Time Song)/(Another) Quittin' Song," and "Mealtime Call." The latter two performers were recorded at the now-defunct Southern Christian Institute near the town of Edwards. Ora Dell Graham apparently was a school teacher who carried on the old tradition of calling, and her obviously thoroughly trained students provide perfect backing vocals on the delightful fragments "Little Girl, Little Girl," "(Jes' A) Pullin' the Skiff," and "Shortenin' Bread." Unfortunately, no information exists regarding the anonymous woman who sings the sonorous "Angel Child."

ALAN LOMAX, 1941

This CD also includes several instrumentals and vocal performances with instrumental accompaniment. As Howard Rye states in the booklet notes, Clarksdale pianist Howard "Jaybird" Jones "comes out of the crossroads at which ragtime, blues, (and) jazz met and merged," which is clearly reflected in his repertory. "The Keghouse Blues" (a revisitation of a number he had originally waxed in 1928 with the similarly-named singer) and "How Long" were recorded by Lewis Wade Jones of Fisk University in 1941 and feature him with guitarist Ollie Upchurch, while the remaining titles date from the following year and were produced under Alan Lomax's supervision. "The Worried Life Blues" (featuring the vocals of Minnie Lee Whitehead), "Fo' Day Blues," "Ragtime Tune," "Walking Billy," "Corrina," and "Careless Love" all have their merits, but the folklorist's endless questioning throughout many of the pieces detract from their listenability. In his attempt to obtain details on the history of Clarksdale piano players from the late 1800s and early 1900s, Lomax was probably trying to produce results similar to what was achieved during Jelly Roll Morton's legendary 1938 sessions for the Library of Congress. The only problems are that he talks too much and Jones proves to be a much less interesting interview subject than his more celebrated counterpart from New Orleans. Volume 3 concludes with seven tracks by multi-instrumentalist Sid Hemphill accompanied by banjoist Lucius Smith, guitarist Alec Askew, bassist Will Head, and various unknown percussionists. "The Carrier Railroad," "The Arkansas Traveler," "Leather Britches," "Rice Straw," and "Soon in the Mornin'" can best be categorized as almost hillbilly-sounding string band performances on which the group leader plays fiddle. On the other hand, "The Devil's Dream" and "When the Ball Is Over" are examples of the considerably more African-derived fife and drum music (or in the case of the first title, quills and drum music), more of which can be heard on the highly recommended Traveling Through the Jungle, an album that includes the remaining material from this 1942 field recording session.

SID HEMPHILL (L) & LUCIUS SMITH, 1959

1. Calling Trains - Old Train Caller from New Orleans
2. Lead Me to the Rock - Wash Dennis
3. Rosie (Big Leg Rosie) - Jeff Webb
4. Mississippi Sounding Calls (A-1) - Joe Shores
5. Mississippi Sounding Calls (B-1) - Joe Shores
6. Arwhoolie (Cornfield Holler) - Thomas J. Marshall
7. Oh the Sun's Goin' Down and I Won't Be Here Long (Quittin' Time Song)/(Another) Quittin' Song - Samuel Brooks
8. Mealtime Call - Samuel Brooks
9. Heaving the Leadline (Calls and Song to the Pilot) - Sam Hazel
10. Little Girl, Little Girl - Ora Dell Graham
11. (Jes' A) Pullin' the Skiff - Ora Dell Graham
12. Shortenin' Bread - Ora Dell Graham
13. The Keghouse Blues - Thomas "Jaybird" Jones
14. Interviews: How Long (two parts) - Thomas "Jaybird" Jones
15. The Worried Life Blues - Thomas "Jaybird" Jones
16. Interview: Fo' Day Blues - Thomas "Jaybird" Jones
17. Unidentified Ragtime Tune - Thomas "Jaybird" Jones
18. Walking Billy - Thomas "Jaybird" Jones
19. Unidentified Ragtime Tune / Interview - Thomas "Jaybird" Jones
20. Interview (1, 2, 3) - Thomas "Jaybird" Jones
21. Corrina - Thomas "Jaybird" Jones
22. Careless Love - Thomas "Jaybird" Jones
23. Angel Child - Unidentified Female Singer
24. The Carrier Railroad (The Carrier Line) - Sid Hemphill
25. The Arkansas Traveler - Sid Hemphill
26. The Devil's Dream - Sid Hemphill
27. Leather Britches - Sid Hemphill
28. Rice Straw - Sid Hemphill
29. After the Ball Is Over - Sid Hemphill
30. Soon in the Mornin' - Sid Hemphill