African-American Archive

Paul Robeson At Carnegie Hall – Vanguard/ PurePleasure – vinyl

by Audiophile Audition | May 2, 2016 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

Paul Robeson in only his second stereo recording receives a sonic upgrade… Paul Robeson At Carnegie Hall – Vanguard/ PurePleasure PPAN VSD 2035 – stereo vinyl (1958) ***1/2: (Paul Robeson – vocals; Alan Booth – piano accompaniment) Paul Robeson was an iconic figure well ahead of his time, who provided a “threat” to the conservative powers of the McCarthy period of the 1950s. Robeson was an African-American whose talents were prodigious. He was a brilliant student who excelled at athletics. He played in the NFL, while obtaining his law degree at Columbia. Robeson found a calling in the theater performing Shakespeare in England. He is most known today for his magnificent bass/baritone voice that both moved and inspired listeners. At the time of his concert at Carnegie Hall in 1958, he had been ostracized for his social activism, and his defense of the Soviet Union. Blacklisted by the McCarthy hearings, he had not been active on stage for over eleven years at the time of this recording. Only Vanguard Records, the home label of the Weavers, would record Robeson. The May 9th concert went so well that another Carnegie show was set the same month. These two concerts provide the […]