Smithsonian Folkways Recordings posted on Facebook:
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Angel Bat Dawid, the Chicago-based composer, jazz musician, DJ, and educator, curated a playlist of one hundred songs, chants, and music lessons from across Ella Jenkins’ discography in honor of her 100th birthday on August 6th. Reflecting on Ella’s revered legacy, Dawid recalls how she first discovered Ella’s Folkways recordings while working at a record store on the historically Black South Side of Chicago, where Ella grew up and developed her musical talent.
“Ms. Ella Jenkins' music is a masterclass in storytelling, defying conventional Western music education that presents music in a rigid and disturbingly unapproachable manner that often deters many people from learning, performing, and participating in musical endeavors,” Dawid writes. “Her approach is refreshingly patient and accessible, stripping away the mystique and making music feel like the joyful, life-affirming gift from God to humanity that it is. By doing so, she embodies the transformative power of music to educate, uplift, and unite people, particularly children.”
Read more and listen to the “Ella Jenkins at 100” playlist on your preferred platform here: s.si.edu/4c9vv2w