Angelina Jordan is remarkable. An “old soul” who’s been singing since she was two and has now reached the ripe old age of almost-twelve.
This was recorded on Norway radio this year. Angelina has an innate grasp of jazz, something that can’t be taught.
Merry Christmas.
BONEY M ‘1978’ – Mary’s Boy Child, Oh My Lord
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQnDNACTt9c
This reminds me of my childhood D.
Sometimes a side remark is more thought-provoking than the main point. Here, it is the assertion that “an innate grasp of jazz [is] something that can’t be taught.” Hmmm, must we despair of ever giving a big-brained space alien an innate grasp of jazz? Or a grasp of concepts like “holy” and “forgive”?
Some mathematicians I have known could explicate jazz brilliantly. But not all of them could feel it. I could imagine a big-brained space alien (or a reasonably intelligent jihadist) understanding the concept of “forgive” within their own context, and then killing us to see if we can practice what we preach.
Angelina has an innate grasp of jazz, something that can’t be taught.
“I am inclined to agree with Francis Galton that……most of our qualities are innate.”
Charlees Darwin
A lovely voice…wonderful.
A huge talent here. Gave me goosebumps.
Thank you Dymphna, and Baron, Merry Christmas and a prosperous and safe and Blessed New Year. Thank you for your work to bring continued awareness of the goings on, in life, especially in Europe. Very well done. And thank you for your contributors, and outstanding style and additional knowledge contributions of all the other commentators so cordial, as well, at your site….
I listened to several of her works. She has both talent, and very good coaches and teachers, her English, style, and inflections are excellently accomplished. And this particular piece, when 10, is really difficult to imagine anyone so young putting such perfection into it. Difficult for most adults, such perfection at 10, you are right in introducing her, here and now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD3hZOanKrc
Every Time We Say Goodbye – Lyrics It will be fun to see her develop her talent, ability. Always difficult, but she has an amazing start.
I have been a fan of Sissel, from Bergen, for years, with her two time appearance with the Mormon Tab. Choir, crystalline voice. So watching Angelina, will be nice. Much different style, but terrific.
Hope you’ve had a White Christmas, we’ve had another needed foot, out here, so far. Two or three feet is a large snow here, it has been a great classic Christmas here, at the c. divide. Hans Christian Anderson fairly tale style.
In case anyone wishes, here is one of Sissel’s performances, at the Mormon Tab. Christmas Concert in ’97. They do set a standard that is truly “bigly”. And Sissel fits right in. A beautiful concert of carols, with incredibly good taste. Much too few actually emulate or try too, in the current globe.
We have immense work to do, we who understand……
I admire what the Mormon Tabernacle Choir does, but I prefer to hear her voice with minimal accompaniment. There are several of Sissel out there. Lovely voice.
For some reason, this young girl grabbed my attention since I first saw her at six, singing Billie Holliday’s “Gloomy Sunday”. The Norway singing contest (a million dollar first prize, which she won) over-orchestrated some of her ‘presentations’ but those venues always do.
Can’t figure how I missed the URL reference, here is the one I referred to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDW2A461bZY
54 minutes, (I must have been on too much nog, spiked, of course-Brandy-interestingly).
Many Christmas solos for Sissel, here, who as many great singers, including Jenkins from Wales, started her experience with singing and soloing with beautiful Church choirs.
Yes! to her version of Cole Porter’s “Everytime We Say Goodbye” – it is perfect. When she manages that tricky change “from major to minor” it’s hypnotizing. I’ve watched it many times. Also, her mature grasp of Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang, Bang” is mesmerizing. It’s as though she’s channeling something. [No, I don’t believe in one person channeling another! It’s merely a metaphor.]
Obviously, she’s getting good voice training now, which she didn’t have at age six. But she’s still in bare feet and always dresses in white. This a cappella audition at age six -look at her teeth! – shows her raw talent:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LIcQL5gLoY
Eventually, I will post her Cole Porter rendition.
jAZZ IS NOT cHRISTMAS MUSIC.
Don’t tell Louis Armstrong!
Any standard style can accommodate Christmas music. The repertoire of songs covers the range from Bach to Blue Grass.
It helps to widen your vision.
And that’s just in America! Christmas is of course, celebrated worldwide, with widely varying “un”-Christmas like music, in many places, but it is their own pleasure. What amazes me is that Christ like courage is used in freed Aleppo, for the few Christians left, somehow, to carry on, and apparently celebrate Christmas, even there!!! And in the Ukraine, and elsewhere, Orthodox Christians honor a different later date, to celebrate the BIRTH.
We all are spending time on this space ship, with a lot of different ideas, some good and leading to better, and some very evil that lead to destruction. No matter, we are all together heading where our destination is, at not really sitting still, but speeding along at 1.2 million MPH. We seem to be in a hurry, so life is short, make it good.
For an angle on dates and such, from a lawyer, here is a video that many consider to really fix scientifically, the dates surrounding Jesus life events. Many will find this most revealing, perhaps strengthening in their faith. As Hugh Ross does, with his lectures, as an astrophysicist, and minister.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyAoNOc_gjg The Bethlehem Star scientifically proven.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfSNxVqprvM Cosmic Eye HD IMAGE WORTH SPREADING .1hr. VIEW A FACE OF GOD, INTIMATELY…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4EaWPIlNYY Cosmic God, LATEST SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE FOR GOD’S EXISTENCE – Hugh Ross, PhD, astrophysicist, now minister 1.5hr.
(By the way as revealed in the preceding HRoss reference, more scientists are recognizing, both in scale, and in logic, existence is too interlocked, in time and complexity, for any chance whatsoever for it not to have been brought to be, by an undefinable creator, who put things into existence, and our Creator has a “time for everything”, including each of and all of, us.)
There is a lot to unpack in these, but it actually is all REALLY good, to much, much, better appreciate our Creator, God, Christ….. The Creator, God, and Christ are as real as we here are pushing around massive amounts of electrons, to communicate with all who read and lurk here…..Way back, they didn’t know what electrons were, nor existed, now look! A “dot” full….. (What power we have?)
That having been said, traditionally, of course in larger majority of America (inclusive of all races, even), carols are not mixed with the jazz tempo-style (and in a few instances they are, here and there), but Angelina to me didn’t use jazz in her carols renditions. And I do well enjoy both main types of jazz, too (classic and New Orleans). So I do understand the comment, overall.
And Louis, I had the pleasure to watch close up and personally, at Disneyland, in a magical performance then back in 1962 approximately. He came floating on a little barge in an artificial river, with small band playing, coming into view, round the bend.
Anyone with wide exposure to gospel music would find Angelina Jordan’s version of this song to be tepid. But it’s nice and Norwegian tepid and fine by me.
That hymnn is in the Episcopal African-American hymnal. Even white churches keep a few copies on hand, especially for copying out of for Good Friday services. At one time there was a stronger African American strand in the Episcopal Church, including some still-extant black churches here in southern Virginia.
Young Angelina’s versions of Gershwin’s “Summertime” are good, but not up to the standard she set with Cole Porter. No doubt her interpretation of that song will develop a richer tonality as she gets older. But her voice as it is right now fits Cole Porter, et al.
The mix of science and religion by a pastor makes me uncomfortable, even if he has the credentials to talk about it. While I can understand the experience behind it – i.e., to study the theorems of quantum physics is akin to staring into the void – I’d prefer silence in the face of such a moment. There are places where words get in the way. The author(s) of John’s Gospel understood that…
The “feel” for jazz does seem to be innate. I’d be tempted to say that only American musicians (irrespective of ethnicity) have it, especially having heard Leonard Bernstein, who definitely had “rhythm”, failing to get the same response to his own jazz-based works from the London Symphony that he could take for granted with American bands; yet this remarkable girl has it in spades. So does the Dutch singer Caro Emerald: check her out on YouTube.