It may sound unusual to feature music by gospel great Mahalia Jackson as part of the Hyde Park Jazz Fest, but vocalist Tammy McCann is ready to put on a remarkable show, and to educate a new generation of music fans about Jackson’s incredible work. NBC 5’s LeeAnn Trotter reports.
It may sound unusual to feature music by gospel great Mahalia Jackson as part of the Hyde Park Jazz Fest, but vocalist Tammy McCann is ready to put on a remarkable show, and to educate a new generation of music fans about Jackson's incredible work.
According to the fest's website, “Yes Mahalia” is a union of the sonic energy of big band and the one of a kind voice of Mahalia Jackson, freely mingling the genres of jazz and gospel.
McCann is excited about helping to introduce Mahalia Jackson’s music to a new generation, saying she has fond memories of the impact it had when she performed the show in New York.
"And a young man walked up to me and said oh wow, did you write some of those songs? I was like 'oh no, baby. Those are traditional gospel songs and in many cases negro spirituals,'" she recalled. "So there is a generation that really needs to be introduced to this music to keep it alive”.
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She hopes her concert, happening Sunday afternoon on the Midway Plaisance, will uplift the community after the coronavirus pandemic shut down live musical events for months.
“In many ways is a ministry. It is using the vessel of Mahalia Jackson as a way to heal and connect people and we need that now more than ever," she said.
For information about Tammy McCann’s "Yes Mahalia concert," concertgoers can visit the website here.
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For a complete list of all the scheduled FREE performances during the Hyde Park Jazz Fest, click here.
