01 July 2013 (gig)
03 July 2013
The Blind Boys of Alabama are genuine legends and remarkably are still busy touring and performing after 74 years of singing Gospel and Soul.
The show at London’s Jazz Cafe was a triumph and the crowd were chanting and cheering long after the three remaining originals were led upstairs and away.
Jimmy Carter still has all the power and grace in his voice that he ever did and the band mixed it up with a set of standards kicking off with ‘Train A’Coming and taking in a wonderful ‘Spirit In The Sky’.
We were being treated to some wondrous and truly joyous singing and even the usual Camden crowd chatter was silent as the crowd sang along with standards like ‘Keep The Devil In The Hole’
The musical accompaniment was fine – excellent guitar and a huge, swelling organ sound using a genuine B-3 but the voices were the focus and the Praising and Uplifting was bringing the packed crowd with them.
On of my personal highlights was a version of ‘Amazing Grace’ to the tune of ‘House Of The Rising Sun’ that worked brilliantly or ‘An Uncloudy Day’ that seemed to lift the roof off the place.
An hour and a quarter of the most sublime music and genuinely uplifting feelings, it was impossible to leave with less than a smile on your face and the beaming grins of moost of the crowd told their stories very well.
