Harry Belafonte – The Many Moods Of Belafonte (1962) - Rest In Peace!

The singer, actor and activist Harry Belafonte died today at the age of 96. Rest in peace and many, many thanks for all the wonderful music!

Belafonte's follow-up album to "The Midnight Special" is another record stressing the diversity of world music. This time, a small combo accompanies Belafonte on the various tracks, as opposed to the big band approach of his last album.

Several crowd-pleasers were introduced on this album for the first time: the calypso "Zombie Jamboree," awhich soon replaced "Matilda" as Belafonte's epic audience participation song; and the showtune "Try to Remember," from the off-Broadway show "The Fantasticks".

The two highlights on the album are both songs dealing with American folk music. "Betty an' Dupree" is a classic murder ballad in the tradition of "Frankie and Johnny," performed with the intensity the subject matter commands. Country-western composer Merle Travis' "Dark as a Dungeon," a protest song dealing with the dreary, bitter life of the coal miner was inadvertantly recorded during a thunderstorm, giving the song a dose of ominous spontaneity.

Two of Belafonte's proteges from South Africa are also featured: singer Miriam Makeba and jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela. Some of the ballads are weak when compared to the more dramatic highlights, but still, this is a very satisfying album.
             
Tracklist:
01. Tongue Tie Baby (B.Eaton)
02. Who’s Gonna Be Your Man (Brookes-Minkoff)
03. ‘Long About Now (Hellerman-Minkoff)
04. Bamotsweri (with Miriam Makeba) (Makeba)
05. I’m On My Way To Saturday (Guryan)
06. Betty An’ Dupree (Calabata Leonard De Paur)
07. Summertime Love (Loesser)
08. Lyla, Lyla (Alterman-Zeira)
09. Zombie Jamboree (Mauge Jr)
10. Try To Remember (Schmidt-Jones)
11. Dark As A Dungeon (Travis)

Harry Belafonte - The Many Moods Of Belafonte (1962)
(192 kbps, front cover included)