A Change Is Gonna Come

 Jennifer Hudson:

A Change Is Gonna Come

  This is a big week, for the country and for me personally. We have a new President and a new administration, and I have a Top 5 jazz album on the charts! It certainly feels like a change is coming.

Like most R&B artists of his time, Sam Cooke focused on singles; in all, he had 29 top 40 hits on the pop charts and more on the R&B charts. He was a prolific songwriter and wrote most of the songs he recorded. He also had a hand in overseeing some of the song arrangements. 

Sam Cooke's career met an untimely end in 1964 when he was shot by a motel manager at the end of a drunken evening gone terribly bad. He was 33 years old.

If you have watched the new movie "One Night In Miami" you know that the movie ends with a performance of "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Leslie Odom Jr. who does a fantastic job in his portrayal of Sam Cooke. The song was released after Sam's death as a B-side to a single. "A Change Is Gonna Come" is considered a classic protest song from the era. It became a top 40 pop hit and a top 10 R&B hit. 

Here is the original single by Sam Cooke:

https://youtu.be/wEBlaMOmKV4

And here is a fantastic performance by Jennifer Hudson, one of the truly under-appreciated soul singers of her generation. 

https://youtu.be/M7uanvzKzKw

George Kahn Quartet - Eva

 George Kahn Quartet:

"Eva" on the charts

 The start of the new year finds jazz radio stations across the US playing cuts from the new George Kahn DreamCatcher album.

This week the album is #8 on the JazzWeek Radio Charts!

If you have a local jazz station, please give them a call and ask them to play a cut from the album - it has been delivered to all the stations, from Hawaii to Maine.

This song today, "Eva" has a special story behind it.

Born in Paris, to British parents, Anna is an artist, a songwriter, composer, singer and musician. At the age of 26, (Stroke) Anna lost the use of her right side (hemiplegia) and her speech (aphasia). The artist finds herself trapped by her body that can no longer write, play her guitar, or sing as before, leaving beautiful songs, and unpublished recordings. Please enjoy this beautiful video by Stephane Novak, take a journey with Anna, Eva, and the George Kahn Quartet

 

https://youtu.be/v9v7Pvkn-W4

The Essence Of Music - DreamCatcher Behind The Scenes

 

The Essence Of Music - DreamCatcher Behind The Scenes

To start 2021, instead of including a specific video, here is a 9-minute "Behind The Scenes" look at the Making of DreamCatcher.  Film maker Jonathan Brock has done a wonderful job combining interviews with live footage from the studio recording. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/cDv55CMM3m4