Saturday, October 2, 2010

YouTube Video of James P. Johnson's 'Lament-American Symphonic Suite' From CD 'Victory Stride'




[Victory Stride: The Symphonic Music of James P. Johnson; The Concordia Orchestra; Marin Alsop, Conductor; Music Masters 67140 (1994)]

James Price Johnson (1894-1955) is profiled at AfriClassical.com. He is best known as a stride pianist, but he studied classical music and endeavored to gain recognition as a composer of concert music. His symphonic output includes Yamekraw: A Negro Rhapsody and other works. A YouTube video posted on Oct. 2, 2010 consists of Lament from the American Symphonic Suite (1934) (8:49). It appears to be Track 8 of Victory Stride: The Symphonic Music of James P. Johnson:

James Price Johnson (1894-1955)
Lament-American Symphonic Suite (1934)
Conductor: Marin Aslop

The explanation of the work is in French, which we would translate as: “A Black composer who is nearly forgotten today but whose symphonic jazz is a good alternative to that of George Gershwin. Only the first movement of the American Symphonic Suite, Lament, has come down to us.




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