Odetta's Beautiful Star An Album of Christmas Spirituals

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Once again Ashe Records is pleased to offer this classic Christmas album by one of America's greatest voices, the majestic Odetta - whom Martin Luther King called "The Queen of American Folk Music". On this collection of Christmas spirituals, produced by award-winning producer Rachel Faro and accompanied by bassist Bill Lee (the father of Spike Lee), Odetta presents a deeply felt collection of traditional and original songs. This is both a fine holiday album and an essential listen for Odetta fans no matter what the season.

"These songs celebrate Christmas as a time of birth, of hope, of survival. They are songs of celebration, of reaffirmation and of how my forebears managed to get through, under, over and around oppression." ODETTA

On Wednesday December 10th 2014, the famed Alvin Ailey Dance Company will present the world premiere of ODETTA, a 35 minute piece choreographed by Matthew Rushing, at New York's City Center. Honoring the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act, the piece features several classic Odetta recordings, such as 'Take This Hammer', 'Masters of War' and her hit duet with Harry Belafonte, 'There's A Hole In The Bucket'.

The idea to make a ballet about Odetta, who died in 2008, came to artistic director Robert Battle long before he sat at the helm of the Ailey company, when he attended her memorial service with his friend, Rachel Faro, the producer of the Christmas album 'Beautiful Star'.

"I was struck when one of my heroes, Maya Angelou, came out and spoke about Odetta, about her courage, her strength, " says Battle. "I thought more people need to know her story, how she used her voice as a weapon for change."

With projections by artist Stephen Alcorn, the choreography melds West African, Afro-Cuban, samba, jazz, contemporary ballet and modern dance. "She was a folksinger, but she also sang jazz, blues, musical theatre - even prison songs, " says choreographer Matthew Rushing. "I felt I couldn't use just one dance discipline to interpret such a versatile voice".

'Beautiful Star' will be available for sale at the Ailey Boutique, 405 West 55th St., New York NY.

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