3eme FESTIVAL DE GOSPEL A PARIS 1996

« Le coffret 2 CD essaie de retranscrire l’atmosphère live du Deuxième festival de Gospel & Negro Spirituals qui a eu lieu à Paris au début de l’année 95. Pari difficile mais assez réussi à l’écoute des trente deux titres de chorales principalement américaines. Citons pêle-mêle The Johnny Thompson Singers, Segan, Jo Ann Pickens, Brenda Waters… Et n’oublions pas les représentants locaux The Palata Singers, le groupe Accord-Black & White Gospel Singers, même si ces derniers reprennent souvent des classiques américains. » E.H. – BLACK NEWS

« Leurs plus belles inspirations :

On trouve un riche catalogue chez Frémeaux & Associés, composé de rééditions anthologiques (Negro spirituals/Gospel Songs 1926-1942, Gospel Quartets 1921-1942, Guitar Evangelists & Bluesmen 1927-1944, Country Gospels...) et d’enregistrements contemporains (Festival international gospel de Paris, éditions 1994, 1995 et 1996 ; The Palata Singers : Swing Low Sweet Chariot ; Black Harmony ; The Black & White Gospel Singers : Look to God…). » Sélection Noël TELERAMA

« Ce que François-Xavier Moulé appelle dans Jazz Hot le "gospel hexagonal" s’est effectivement taillé une belle part de marché chez nous et ce Festival de Gospel de Paris, en trois éditions, s’est imposé comme l’événement de l’année en ce domaine. Je suis le premier à m’en réjouir et à applaudir à cette initiative de Narcisse d’Almeida relayée par Patrick Frémeaux et sa compagnie de disques. C’est donc avec un plaisir toujours renouvelé que j’écoute les enregistrements faits lors de cette manifestation annuelle et pas seulement pour l’"alibi" américain (cette année les Robert Jackson Singers…qui vivent en Allemagne depuis pas mal d’années !) sans oublier la très sensible Jo Ann Pickens, un pilier de l’équipe de Narcisse d’Almeida) mais aussi pour des talents aussi originaux que ceux de Segan’, des Palata Singers et des autres. (…) » Robert SACRE – SOUL BAG. Ce disque a reçu la distinction * * * Soul Bag

On the evidence, a good case could be made for Spirituals and Gospel music seeming to have radiated out from mainland America into the Carribean and to Africa (and beyond). This double CD has a ‘French’ bias, which is interested in itself as France is generally thought of a catholic country – wich religion has not untill recently encouraged what is generally thought of as ‘gospel’ music as such, either at home or in the colonies. Whatever, a glance at the song titles reveals that the American influence is quite pronounced, with traditions that reach back at least as far as The Fisk Jubilee Singers. It would be interesting to find out just where each of these acts learned its material. An espacially pleasing aspect of the recording though is that often the strands are so totally interwoven as to become almost impossible to disentangle. The USA itself is represented by The Tobert Jackson Singers, formed in 1983 and extremly popular around Europe (though nowadays known just as The Jackson Singers – Robert dies in 2002). They have firmly fine. Jo Ann Pickens is another expatriate European resident – born in soprano voice, with traces of a classical training, though on ‘Hallelujah’, rather pleasingly, there is also strong evidence of a lone Star twang. Marcel Boungou is a prime mover for the African acts, as he is leader of the Palata Singers (who sound in places like The Golden Gate Quartet filtered through Ladysmith Black Mambazo) and a major inspiration for The N’Temo Gospel Singers, whose ‘Lord I Want To Be A Christian’ would not sound out of place in a large California church. Marcel’s ‘Jesus Is The Answer’ is a fine version of an Andrea Crouch song, but possibly a little too modern for most readers (through of course it would have sounded even more up to date in January 1996). Lozi Gospel, out of Brazzaville in the Congo, is the Congo, is the most ‘African’ sounding group here. Polya Jordan is a French woman with a big, jazz inflected voice (she was married to US jazz guitarist Bob Jordan) and a very strong accent – and American saxman Benny Waters’ short speech is really only to introduce her – whilst Carribean-born female singer Segan’ is influenced by the likes of Mahalia Jackson, and certainly sounds like it. Geographically, Yela is the most remote, hailing from Ile de la Réunion in the Indian Ocean, though her powerfull and quite bluesy singing is a treat, with something of an Aretha Franklin influence perharps. The young group Black Harmony, comprising members from the French Carribean, has the most experimental harmonies and arrangements. To sum up then, this is a varied and somewhat different take on gospel music. It may not be to everyone’s taste but once again, besides containing some excellent music regardless of genre, it should appeal to those with an interest in the interactions of African-American music with the traditions of other parts of the globe. Norman DARWEN – BLUES & RHYTHM