Various Artists – The Earliest Negro Vocal Groups Vol.5 / Document CD-5613

Description

Document Records Compact Disc-CDDOC5613

1911-1926

21 tracks, 72 mins, recommended This collection features 13 tracks from the seminal Fisk University Jubilee Quartette/ Singers complementing the three previously issued albums (Document 5533, 5534, 5535) including 6 tracks from Edison Amberol singers and two items recorded for Starr that are not listed in the discography. Dignified and polished but very moving performances by the group of Shout All Over God’s Heaven/ All Over The World/ Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray and others. In addition there are four sides tracks by The Southern 4 (1921), two by the Manhattan Harmony Four (1923) and one by The Morehouse College Quartet (1923) – pleasing performances but lacking the power of the Fisks. Sound quality is frequently rough and this is not for the casual listener but is another important contribution to our understanding of early African-American recordings.