Watch That Star
I fell in love with this band, called Ranky Tanky, the first time I heard them on the radio.
They are playing traditional Gullah songs with contemporary jazz infusion, while, for me,
they stay true to the directness of the traditional songs. "The core band of trumpeter Charlton Singleton, bassist Kevin Hamilton, guitarist Clay Ross, and drummer Quentin E. Baxter, go back over twenty years to music school, and a seminal Charleston jazz quartet, and are augmented by powerful vocalist Quiana Parler, with an impressive resume of her own."
I have been so enjoying deeply listening to this song to hear the way the rhythm that the drummer is playing on the rim of his drum holds the whole thing together. See if you can hear how the bass plays parts of that rhythm, and the guitar plays parts of it. But the drummer goes all the way through playing it steadily with just a few little kicks of embellishment. And the words to the song itself are on that rhythm a lot of the time, but it's the times when it is not on the rhythm that make it really interesting. Lots of the other songs on their album Ranky Tanky are up on youtube, so you can check them out. I bought their CD from their website at https://rankytanky.bandcamp.com/album/ranky-tanky
Watch That Star
traditional Gullah song
The day is past and gone
The evening shades appear
Oh may we all remember well
The night of death is near
Watch that star, see how it run
Watch that star, see how it run
If the star run down
on the western hills
You oughta watch that star,
see how it run
We lay our garments by
Upon our beds to rest
So death will soon disrobe us all
Of what we mere possess
Watch that star….
Lord keep us safe this night
Secure from all our fears
May angels guard us
while we sleep
Till morning light appears
Watch that star…
You can hear a faster, more rough edged traditional version of this song from the McIntosh County Shouters at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KOoIzNiat8
(Next verse is sung in this song by McIntire County Shouters.They did not sing the angels verse)
Must Jesus bear his cross alone
And all the world go free?
No there’s a cross for everyone
And there’s a cross for me
They are playing traditional Gullah songs with contemporary jazz infusion, while, for me,
they stay true to the directness of the traditional songs. "The core band of trumpeter Charlton Singleton, bassist Kevin Hamilton, guitarist Clay Ross, and drummer Quentin E. Baxter, go back over twenty years to music school, and a seminal Charleston jazz quartet, and are augmented by powerful vocalist Quiana Parler, with an impressive resume of her own."
I have been so enjoying deeply listening to this song to hear the way the rhythm that the drummer is playing on the rim of his drum holds the whole thing together. See if you can hear how the bass plays parts of that rhythm, and the guitar plays parts of it. But the drummer goes all the way through playing it steadily with just a few little kicks of embellishment. And the words to the song itself are on that rhythm a lot of the time, but it's the times when it is not on the rhythm that make it really interesting. Lots of the other songs on their album Ranky Tanky are up on youtube, so you can check them out. I bought their CD from their website at https://rankytanky.bandcamp.com/album/ranky-tanky
Watch That Star
traditional Gullah song
The day is past and gone
The evening shades appear
Oh may we all remember well
The night of death is near
Watch that star, see how it run
Watch that star, see how it run
If the star run down
on the western hills
You oughta watch that star,
see how it run
We lay our garments by
Upon our beds to rest
So death will soon disrobe us all
Of what we mere possess
Watch that star….
Lord keep us safe this night
Secure from all our fears
May angels guard us
while we sleep
Till morning light appears
Watch that star…
You can hear a faster, more rough edged traditional version of this song from the McIntosh County Shouters at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KOoIzNiat8
(Next verse is sung in this song by McIntire County Shouters.They did not sing the angels verse)
Must Jesus bear his cross alone
And all the world go free?
No there’s a cross for everyone
And there’s a cross for me