Blood on the Fields

Last updated
Blood on the Fields
Blood on the fields.jpg
Box set by
Wynton Marsalis
ReleasedJune 17, 1997 (1997-06-17)
RecordedJanuary 22–25, 1995
Genre Jazz
Label Columbia
Wynton Marsalis chronology
In Gabriel's Garden
(1996)		Blood on the Fields
(1997)		Jump Start and Jazz
(1997)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]

Blood on the Fields is a two-and-a-half-hour jazz oratorio released by Wynton Marsalis in 1997. It was commissioned by Lincoln Center and treats the history of slavery and its aftermath in the United States of America. The oratorio tells the story of two slaves, Jesse and Leona, as they traverse the difficult journey to freedom. The narrative suggests that the individual freedom and agency of its protagonists is necessarily and inextricably intertwined with the empowerment of the community and nation as a whole. [3] The work received the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Music, [4] being the first time the prize was ever given for a jazz music composition, an honor that had previously been reserved for classical composers.

Contents

Track listing

Disc 1

  1. Calling the Indians Out
  2. Move Over
  3. You Don't Hear No Drums
  4. The Market Place
  5. Soul for Sale
  6. Plantation Coffle March
  7. Work Song (Blood on the Fields)

Disc 2

  1. Lady's Lament
  2. Flying High
  3. Oh We Have a Friend in Jesus
  4. God Don't Like Ugly
  5. Juba and a O'Brown Squaw
  6. Follow the Drinking Gourd
  7. My Soul Fell Down
  8. Forty Lashes
  9. What a Fool I've Been
  10. Back to Basics

Disc 3

  1. I Hold Out My Hand
  2. Look and See
  3. The Sun Is Gonna Shine
  4. Will the Sun Come Out?
  5. The Sun Is Gonna Shine
  6. Chant to Call the Indians Out
  7. Calling the Indians Out
  8. Follow the Drinking Gourd
  9. Freedom Is in the Trying
  10. Due North

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References

  1. ↑ Yanow, Scott. "Blood on the Fields - Review". AllMusic . Retrieved November 8, 2009.
  2. ↑ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 951. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.
  3. ↑ "Blood on the Fields". Wynton Marsalis Enterprises. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Blood on the Fields, by Wynton Marsalis". The Pulitzer Prizes. January 28, 1997. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  5. ↑ Liner Notes from Blood on the Fields CD set, Columbia Records 1997.
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