America has produced two distinct musical styles which have traveled the world-Blues and Jazz. Both are improvisational in nature and stem from the same source-the folk music of the African-Americans who were brought here as slaves. This week on The Sing Out! Radio Magazine we’ll listen to some jazz masters who have taken their inspiration from folk music. Included will be Sonny Rollins, JJ Johnson, Wes Montgomery and many more.

LISTEN:

Artist / “Title” / CD / Label

Pete Seeger / “If I Had A Hammer” / Songs Of Hope And Struggle /
        Smithsonian-Folkways

Bobby McFerrin / “Wade” / Spirit You All / Sony Masterworks
Sonny Rollins / “St. Thomas” / Saxophone Colossus / Prestige
Cassasdra Wilson / “Only a Dream in Rio” / Belly of the Sun /
        Capitol
Kronos Quartet / “Saade” / Pieces of Africa / Nonesuch

Paul Winter / “John Henry” / Jazz Meets the Folk Song /
        Columbia
Mose Allison / “Rollin’ Stone” / Best of Mose Allison /
        Atlantic
Wes Montgomery / “Scarborough Fair (Canticle)” / Road
        Song / A+M
Bobby McFerrin / “Whole World” / Spirit You All / Sony
        Masterworks

JJ Johnson / “See See Rider” / Standards / Antilles
Jan Garbarek-Bobo Stenson Quartet / “Witchi-Tai-To” /
        Witchi-Tai-To / ECM
Michael Hedges / “All Along the Watchtower” / Live on the
        Double Planet / Windham Hill
Steve Gadd / “Watching the River Flow” / The Gadd Gang /
        Columbia
Pete Seeger / “If I Had a Hammer (excerpt)” / Songs of Hope and Struggle /
        Smithsonian Folkways