Quantum Leap and MVD Visual released the second set of titles from the America’s Music Legacy series on DVD on Dec. 7, 2010. This group of four two-hour programs focuses on blues, Dixieland jazz, folk and soul. The first set, released several months earlier, covered gospel, country and western, rhythm and blues and rock ‘n roll.) Each DVD carries a list price of $16.95
The America’s Music Legacy series was recorded i 1983 to 1985 and produced by 20th Century Home Entertainment. It showcases the musical legends performing the songs that continue to attract and entice the whole world, because they truly are the best of all that is America.
Here are breakdowns of the four programs:
Leadbelly
America’s Music Legacy: Blues — Blues can be subdivided into several subgenres ranging from country to urban blues that were more or less popular during different periods of the 20th century. Best known are the Delta, Piedmont, Jump and Chicago blues styles. World War II marked the transition from acoustic to electric blues and the progressive opening of blues music to a wider audience. In the 1960s and 1970s, a hybrid form called blues rock evolved. The program is hosted by Brock Peters and features performances by B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Pee Wee Crayton, Jimmy Rushing, Ernie Andrews and more.
America’s Music Legacy: Dixieland Jazz — Blues and ragtime, along with a rich local brass band tradition and many other influences, came together in early 1900s in New Orleans to create a new type of music called Dixieland jazz, also known as traditional jazz or New Orleans jazz. As jazz gained in popularity, it spread north to Chicago, New York, Kansas City and across the Midwest to California. The program is hosted by Al Hirt and features performances by Woody Herman, Irma Thomas, Delia Reese, Teddy Buckner, New Orleans Jazz All-Star Band and more.
James Brown
America’s Music Legacy: Folk — Folk singers may be of an ilk that rarely goes multi-platinum, but their work truly resonates with people of all walks of life, and their legacy is astounding. The program is hosted by Theodore Bikel and features performances by The Limeliters, Leadbelly, Burl Ives, Glenn Yarbrough, New Christy Minstrels, Doc Watson and more.
America‘s Music Legacy: Soul — Soul is music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, secular testifying. The program is hosted by Leon Isaac Kennedy and features performances by James Brown, Ben E. King, Gladys Knight and The Pips, Percy Sledge, Otis Redding and more.
Leave a Reply