Name: Roots: The Saga of an American Family (Original Soundtrack)
Brand: Varese Sarabande
SKU: 124987682
Price: 15.71 USD
Availability: InStock

Roots

Rating

Album: Roots: The Saga of an American Family (Original Soundtrack)
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Motherland	More Info...
2)	Roots Mural Theme (Performed by The Quincy Jones Orchestra)	More Info...
3)	Main Title: Mama Aifambeni (Premiere Episode)	More Info...
4)	Behold, The Only Thing Greater Than Yourself (Birth)	More Info...
5)	Oluwa (Many Rains Ago): (African Theme, African Version)	More Info...
6)	Boyhood To Manhood (African Manhood Training)	More Info...
7)	The Toubob Is Here! (The Capture)	More Info...
8)	Middle Passage (Slaveship Crossing)	More Info...
9)	You in Americuh' Now, African	More Info...
10)	Roots Mural Theme Intro (Slave Auction)	More Info...
11)	Ole Fiddler	More Info...
12)	Jumpin' De Broom Ceremony (Marriage Ceremony)	More Info...
13)	What Shall I Do? (Hush, Hush, Somebody's Calling My Name)	More Info...
14)	Roots Mural Theme Bridge (Plantation Life)	More Info...
15)	Oh Lord, Come By Here	More Info...
16)	Free at Last? (The Civil War)	More Info...
17)	(Many Rains Ago) Oluwa (African Theme/English Version)	More Info...

Album: Roots: The Saga of an American Family (Original Soundtrack)
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Motherland	More Info...
2)	Roots Mural Theme (Performed by The Quincy Jones Orchestra)	More Info...
3)	Main Title: Mama Aifambeni (Premiere Episode)	More Info...
4)	Behold, The Only Thing Greater Than Yourself (Birth)	More Info...
5)	Oluwa (Many Rains Ago): (African Theme, African Version)	More Info...
6)	Boyhood To Manhood (African Manhood Training)	More Info...
7)	The Toubob Is Here! (The Capture)	More Info...
8)	Middle Passage (Slaveship Crossing)	More Info...
9)	You in Americuh' Now, African	More Info...
10)	Roots Mural Theme Intro (Slave Auction)	More Info...
11)	Ole Fiddler	More Info...
12)	Jumpin' De Broom Ceremony (Marriage Ceremony)	More Info...
13)	What Shall I Do? (Hush, Hush, Somebody's Calling My Name)	More Info...
14)	Roots Mural Theme Bridge (Plantation Life)	More Info...
15)	Oh Lord, Come By Here	More Info...
16)	Free at Last? (The Civil War)	More Info...
17)	(Many Rains Ago) Oluwa (African Theme/English Version)	More Info...

Performer Notes

Personnel includes: Quincy Jones, Reverend James Cleveland (conductor, arranger); Dave Grusin (arranger, keyboards); Bill Summers (arranger, bata drums, percussion); Zak Diouf, Caiphus Semenya (vocals, drums); Letta Mbulu, Lou Gosset, Alex Hassilev, Jim Gilstrap, Paulette McWilliams, The Wattsline Choir (vocals); Stan Haze (spoken vocals); Lee Ritenour, David T. Walker (guitar); Bobby Bruce (fiddle); Ernie Watts (woodwinds); Bill Watrous (trombone); Richard Tee (piano, organ, keyboards); Mike Boddicker, Ian Underwood, Pete Jolly (keyboards); Chuck Rainey, Ed Reddick (bass); Arni Egillson, Milt Kestenbaum (acoustic bass); Paul Bryant, Emil Richards, Milt Holland, Shelly Manne, Vic Feldman (percussion).
Includes liner notes by Paul Grien.
Original score written by Quincy Jones.
Quincy Jones has been threatening to write a long tone poem sketching the history of black music for decades now, and he has yet to do it. This project, rushed out in the wake of the 1977 TV mini-series Roots, is about as close as he has come. A brief (28 minutes) immaculately-produced and segued suite, Roots quickly traces a timeline from Africa to the Civil War, incorporating ancient and modern African influences (with Letta Mbulu as the featured vocalist), a sea shanty, field hollers, and fiddle tunes, snippets of dialogue from Roots actor Lou Gossett, and some Hollywood-style movie cues. Only a fraction of this music was used in the mini-series; oddly, the most familiar piece of music, the often-repeated "Roots Mural Theme," is not by Jones, but by film composer Gerald Fried, who wrote most of the TV score. Though some prominent jazzers (Shelly Manne, Victor Feldman, Ernie Watts, Lee Ritenour, Richard Tee, etc.) turn up in the orchestra, there is not a trace of jazz to be heard. This is a timely souvenir of a cultural phenomenon, but merely a curiosity for jazz fans. ~ Richard S. Ginell