Mamzelle Zizi

"Mamzelle Zizi" has been on my mind a lot today. The Creole folk songs of Louisiana are quite beautiful and full of so much history. Orchestre Bourbon has recorded a more "authentic" version of the song lacking jazz touches while Paul Cargnello adds rock elements. Just for fun, here's a more formal version of the piece in concert style. Gottschalk's "La Savane" is also based on this tune.

Leyla McCalla

Lately I am really digging Leyla McCalla's latest album, a tribute to Langston Hughes and an exploration of Haitian folk music. She's not quite an amazing vocalist, but there is something appealing to her rather unadorned vocal style, plus her banjo and cello skills are enjoyable! She can sound perfectly fine just accompanying herself on the cello or banjo, and possesses classical credentials and folk/old-time cred from playing in New Orleans (as well as with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, an excellent band I once saw live). Check out some of her music here, as well as her excellent rendition of "Lonely House," a Kurt Weill number I have always been fond of. Besides that, I really enjoy her covers of Haitian folk tunes, including "Mesi Bondye" and "Latibonit."

Searching for Sugar Man in Song of Solomon and Sixto Rodriguez

Have you ever noticed how the beautiful, haunting poem, "Sugar Man," by Sixto Rodriguez, a Mexican-American Detroit folk musician whose music was legendary for liberal whites in apartheid South Africa, could be linked to Toni Morrison's excellent novel, Song of Solomon? Although I am sure there is no direct connection between Sixto Rodriguez and Toni Morrison, since Rodriguez's music never was big in the US during the 1970s and he worked as a laborer in Detroit after his recording career tapered off. Regardless, I find it fascinating how this Detroit singer-guitarist wrote a song about a "Sugarman" in the same decade that Toni Morrison's excellent novel also included a Sugarman character, in a bluesy folk song sung by children in reference to Solomon, an ancestor of Milkman's who learned how to fly. I first read Song of Solomon a few years ago, and wrote about it on this blog. Here is the song in the novel about Solomon/Sugarman

O Sugarman don't leave me here

Cotton balls to choke me

O Sugarman don't leave me here

Buckra's arms to yoke me. . . .

Sugarman done fly away

Sugarman done gone

Sugarman cut across the sky

Sugarman gone home. (Morrison 49)

As for Rodriguez, I heard about him while in Cape Town, South Africa. A stunning documentary on the search for Sixto Rodriguez by some South Africans who grew up loving his music for its rebellious tone and message to those living under apartheid dictatorship, was often mentioned and I finally watched it while flying from Johannesburg to Germany. Everybody should watch Searching for Sugar Man to read about the quest to discover the identity of 'Sugar Man' Sixto Rodriguez, which the clever South Africans finally pinpointed to a specific US region because of a lyric referring to a place in Michigan. Eventually, they got Rodriguez to come to South Africa and perform, and it's quite magical for the audience of the film and the plethora of South Africans in the concert to see the legendary Sugar Man in the flesh! Since the documentary won many accolades, one hopes that Sixto Rodriguez's music and life gets the recognition he deserves for his contributions to folk-rock and contribution to an ethos of resistance half-way around the world. The humble troubadour, cheated by the guy who collected the royalties from his record sales in South Africa, has apparently used his profits from tours in South Africa and elsewhere to share with friends and family, and he still works as a construction worker! Listen to "Sugar Man" here, and you may see some of the parallels in this "Sugar Man" and the Sugarman of Toni Morrison. 

Indeed, Rodriguez was a sort of Sugarman in the Morrisonian sense because he was "the answer that makes my questions disappear" for anti-apartheid white youth of South Africa. Like the ancestral Solomon of Milkman, this "Sugar Man" of Rodriguez makes questions disappear, and is believed by the singer to be of help, even though he is a drug dealer pushing "jumpers, coke, and sweet Mary Jane." Thus, this drug-dealing "Sugar Man" is far from the Morrison Sugarman who learned to fly, with flight as a common motif in African-American folklore for returning back to Africa, escaping the horrors of slavery in the US South. Nevertheless, one sees that, to Rodriguez and rebellious youth living in oppressive societies, the escape via drugs and the inherent rebelliousness of partaking, like learning to fly, learning to ride the air in Morrison's novel, are both powerful experiences. To be honest, I am sure there was no influence from Rodriguez on Morrison's novel, and their respective "Sugar Men" are vastly different, yet each provides an answer to one's past and current problems, and each one is heavily flawed in their own way. For instance, the Solomon in Morrison's novel learns to fly, but leaves his family behind in the process of doing so, which contradicts my perspective on the novel since flight to me was a metaphor for maturity and learning to love. Likewise, Rodriguez's "Sugar Man" presumably dies after meeting a "false friend" in the dusty lonely streets of Detroit, so despite his escapist and "silver magic ships," he too cannot escape the harsher realities of life that pervade even into the consciousness of the drug-addled mind. 

Odetta's Take This Hammer

Legendary folk singer Odetta was part of the American folk revival in the 1950s before the white boys, and is accompanied on this beautiful song by Spike Lee's father, Bill Lee, on bass. Odetta has classical training which imbues her interpretation of American folk, blues, gospel and spirituals, as well as an interesting, self-taught approach to the acoustic guitar. Bill Lee would go on to write music for Spike Lee's early films and be active in the jazz scene. Indeed, if I remember correctly, New York Times covered some story about how the long-established tradition of Lee holding jam sessions in his home has been challenged by some neighbors claiming he is too loud! Anyway, it's quite beautiful to hear the wonderful interaction between Lee and Odetta, particularly since his bass on rhythm frees her guitar to play a secondary effect with her mesmerizing vocals. "Take This Hammer" is astounding with this treatment. Likewise, "Timber" sounds phenomenal with the soaring melismas of Odetta and a solid foundation from Lee and her guitar. "Timber, timber..."

Nina Simone's At the Village Gate

Nina Simone’s lively live rendition of “Just In Time” at the Village Gate in New York in 1961 is one of my favorite standards, with her recording topping the many great attempts at the ballad. As part of an album that represents Simone’s early interests in African and folk music, hearing her get down on this beautiful jazz standard is a reminder to any and everybody that Simone entered music through jazz. Her piano solo, though very simple and almost classical, given her background in classical music before singing, is quite cute. The band plays perfectly here, too, swinging appropriately while Simone tickles the ivory. She cleverly plays around the melody until playing the chorus again on her piano, leading to her conclusion of the song with vocals, showing off her amazing breath. “Oh, baby, I was lost, the losing dice were tossed, my friends had all crossed, nowhere to go, now you’re here, now I know just where I’m going…” Besides lovely jazz standards like “Just In Time,” Simone treats the audience at the Village Gate to her early forays into folk and African music, such as the cute “Zungo,” a Yoruba tune she learned from Olatunji, a Nigerian drummer whose music would also influence John Coltrane in the early 1960s. She even sings some African-American and Afrocentric-themed songs, such as the gospel-jazz of “Children, Go Where I Send You” and “Brown Baby” a sparsely arranged song featuring Simone’s strong vocals and light piano. Her androgynous, unique voice emotes hope and optimistic while she sings majestically to great heights while lulling this ‘brown baby’ to sleep.

Her take on classics such as “Bye Bye Blackbird” show off classical influences, until the drummer starts swinging and clear, clean-cut electric guitar joins. It’s funky, exciting, swinging hard, and nice to hear, as on “Just In Time,” Simone in her jazz context. Her piano solo sounds like someone playing classical fugues or practices at times, but she knows what she is doing even if she does not adhere to bop jazz soloing styles at times. Also, like Bud Powell, she hums along and scats with her soloing, another treat for attentive listeners! Moreover, jams like “He Was Too Good To Me” show another side of the contemplative, smooth balladry of Simone, who begins the song with just her voice, light accompaniment and real fervor for this man who was too good to her, “When I was mean to him, he didn’t say go away now…” I don’t know what she is doing with her piano, but things become more complex with arpeggios and accented accompaniment while a little more tempo is added before returning to the original, less triumphant, majestic chorus. Similarly, “If He Had Changed My Name” begins with just her voice and piano, singing that it would be okay if Jesus changed her name. 

She adds in some bluesy elements to her voice with her utterly sublime melisma and appropriately solemn piano accompaniment. Of course, for those who dislike Nina for ‘sounding like an old man’ or just generally dislike her voice, then songs like these will not be enjoyed. For the vast majority of us, however, Simone’s voice is achingly beautiful, solely hers, rich with emotion and deep with pain, sophistication, and character. Even on songs like the aforementioned Yoruba work song, “Zungo,” with its simple melody and “African” accompaniment from the guitarist, Simone’s piano, and the drums, showcases her unique voice singing in the beautiful Yoruba language, far better than Olatunji’s own version of “Zungo.” Of course, what album could be complete without Simone taking her audience to a revival meeting in “Children, Go Where I Send You,” my favorite song from the album. Thus, any fan of Nina Simone’s later work in the 1960s or her earlier, jazz-oriented releases from the late 1950s and early 1960s, this album is recommended. We see Simone’s political consciousness, her own singing talent, her interest in African music and folk, as well as her soulful, melancholic “House of the Rising Son," which also sounds ancient in her plaintive style.

Go, Tell It On the Mountain

One of my favorite spirituals and Christmas songs of any genre, "Go, Tell It On the Mountain" dates back to the 19th century. The lyrics of the original song celebrate the birth of Christ, but during the 1960s folk musicians changed the lyrics to refer to Exodus, thereby connecting the struggle of the Israelites to African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement. Furthermore, according to a little research on Wikipedia, the song was only compiled in the early 20th century by an African-American folklorist who collected Negro spirituals and folk music, John Wesley Work, Jr. So the origins of the song are still unknown...it's possible that it may not date back to the slave era.

Here is an interesting version of the song performed by a singer playing guitar. His vocals aren't great, but this guy videotapes himself playing different folk songs.

Peter Tosh and the Wailers performed a reggae-tinged "Go, Tell It On the Mountain" that uses some of the Civil Rights and Exodus references of the Peter, Paul and Mary version. Interesting to hear this old song with a reggae beat, right?

Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson also recorded the song, accompanied by a small choir and organ. Her version is the most beautiful I have heard, and probably closer to the original spirit of the song. She sings the traditional lyrics, which obviously refer to the birth of Christ.

Simon and Garfunkel also recorded the song on their not-so-good first album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. It's funny to hear Jewish boys singing a Negro spiritual about the birth of Christ, but unfortunately that alone doesn't make it an essential version of the song. I believe both Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel are singing here, and if I remember correctly, Spike Lee's father, jazz bassist Bill Lee, played bass on this record. Spike's father also played with Odetta and Bob Dylan, so he wasn't above working with folk singers. Interesting fact, right?

Here is the progressive, Civil Rights version of the song. Using lyrics from "Go Down Moses" (another Negro spiritual alluding to Exodus), Peter, Paul and Mary are connecting the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s to Exodus. Of course they were not the first to make that connection, since African-Americans have identified themselves and their struggles with Biblical references since slavery days.

The Blind Boys of Alabama also recorded a good version of the song that uses more R&B and gospel influences.

Michael, Row the Boat Ashore

One of my favorite Negro Spirituals/folk songs is "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore." I believe it was first sung by African-American slaves living in an island off the coast of Georgia or the Carolinas, where a language like Gullah was able to develop (Gullah is a mixture of various African tongues and English, only spoken by black slaves and their descendants off the coast of South Carolina as a Creole or patois). The song has both religious connotations and similarities to the work song traditions of enslaved blacks and the sea shanties of sailormen. The 'Michael' in the title likely refers to a Biblical figure, or perhaps a slave. Either way, the Halleluiah chorus obviously connects the song to spirituals and the Bible. The lyrics also refer to crossing the river Jordan.

Anywho, the song was first documented during or immediately after the American Civil War. Here are the 'original' lyrics as sung by African-Americans in the 19th century (per Wikipedia):

Michael row de boat ashore, Hallelujah!

Michael boat a gospel boat, Hallelujah!

I wonder where my mudder deh (there).

See my mudder on de rock gwine home.

On de rock gwine home in Jesus' name.

Michael boat a music boat.

Gabriel blow de trumpet horn.

O you mind your boastin' talk.

Boastin' talk will sink your soul.

Brudder, lend a helpin' hand.

Sister, help for trim dat boat.

Jordan stream is wide and deep.

Jesus stand on t' oder side.

I wonder if my maussa deh.

My fader gone to unknown land.

O de Lord he plant his garden deh.

He raise de fruit for you to eat.

He dat eat shall neber die.

When de riber overflow.

O poor sinner, how you land?

Riber run and darkness comin'.

Sinner row to save your soul.

or

Michel, row the boat a-shore

Hallelujah!

Then you'll hear the trumpet blow

Hallelujah!

Then you'll hear the trumpet sound,

Hallelujah!

Trumpet sound the world around

Hallelujah!

Trumpet sound the jubilee

Hallelujah!

Trumpet sound for you and me

Hallelujah!

Here is Pete Seeger's version of the song.

The Highwaymen had a hit with Michael, Row the Boat Ashore

The Beach Boys apparently sang this as well...I don't care for them

This singer sounds a lot like Paul Robeson with his bass singing

A gospel take on the song by Marion Williams
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73wNMHs7F18&feature=player_embedded

Choucoune: Again with the Haitian Folk Music

The Haitian folk song "Choucoune" (also known as "Yellow Bird") is based on a poem written by a Haitian writer Oswald Durand at the end of the 19th century. It was composed in honor of a beautiful Haitian marabou woman (marabou refers to a dark-skinned Haitian with less 'negroid' features). Apparently this woman was named Marie Noel Belizaire and she ran a restaurant in Cap Haitien in the last few decades of the nineteenth century.

http://webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti-archive/msg01015.html Check this for a more detailed history

The poem was set to music by Haitian composer Michel Mauleart Monton in the 1890s and it became very popular. It was arranged as a slow mereng and eventually found an international audience by the 1940s or 1950s. Harry Belafonte, the Jamaican-American singer who helped popularize calypso and other forms of Caribbean music, recorded the song as well. Many assumed it was of Jamaican origin since they believed it to be a calypso number, but that is only because the title of the song was changed when first translated into English.

Here's Belafonte's version of the song, which only retained the melody. "Don't Ever Love Me."

Here is an Arab-Haitian's jazz/meringue rendition of the Haitian classic. Issa El Saieh was also famous for supporting Haitian art

Haitian woman singing the song

American vocal group singing "Yellow Bird"

http://www.folkways.si.edu/listen2.aspx?type=preview&trackid=21590 Version of the song by Lolita Cuevas and Frantz Casseus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAGKfaTZakQ&feature=player_embedded#at=36

Arthur Lyman's Hawaiian-inflected version of the tune

Celia Cruz and Haitian-Cuban singer's version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4qFwTs0rwQ&feature=related

Angelique-O: Another Haitian Folk Song

"Angelique-O" is a Haitian folk dating back to the American occupation (1915-1934). Apparently it refers to the wife of the American commander during the Occupation who was sent back to the United States. The song had multiple meanings though. To Haitians of both the bourgeoisie and the popular classes, it was a nationalist song demanding Americans leave the country. It's message of freedom is still heard 'round the world today.

I was first exposed to the song through Harry Belafonte's Caribbean music LPs. I initially believed it to be a calypso or Jamaican folk song but something told me it might have a Haitian origin. The name Angelique is French, which would be odd in Jamaica or another anglophone Caribbean island. I eventually found a Haitian rendition of the song (with original Creole lyrics) sung by Puerto-Rican singer Lolita Cuevas and Haitian guitarist Frantz Casseus. This arrangement is Casseus's and all the songs on this LP of Haitian folk songs are arranged as slow meringues and lullabies. I unfortunately could not provide the entire song...
http://www.folkways.si.edu/listen2.aspx?type=preview&trackid=21594

Here is Harry Belafonte's rendition of the song with English lyrics that introduced the song to me. The lyrics here are less explicitly anti-colonial but rather refer to a woman who can't cook and doesn't know how to run a household so she is sent back to live with her mother.

Here is another version of the song with English lyrics by an American group

Meringues and Folk Ballads of Haiti - Meringues and Folk Ballads of Haiti (Various Artists)
check this for a more folksy version of this Haitian standard

Here is Issa El Saieh's jazz-influenced band's interpretation of this song http://www.belmizik.net/Music-Library/I/Issa-El-Saieh/La-Belle-Epoque-Volume-2/Angelique-O.html

EDIT (6/15/2013): My previous interpretation of the song as referring to an American army officer and a local Haitian woman is not what this song is about. I don't recall where exactly that idea entered my head, perhaps Harry Belafonte, but it's not what the song is about.

Dear Old Southland and Deep River

The Negro Spiritual "Deep River," has an unforgettable melody which was used for the song "Dear Old Southland." "Dear Old Southland" was covered by many 1920s jazz groups. Another example of a timeless folk song's melody being revived in another musical idiom.

African-American opera singer Marian Anderson's rendition of "Deep River"

Paul Robeson's version

Albert Ayler's Free Jazz take

"Dear Old Southland"

Duke Ellington

Louis Armstrong

John Coltrane's Greensleeves

"Greensleeves" is an old English folk song from the Middle Ages, probably appearing in the late 16th century and eventually coming to North America with the English colonists. Though often associated with Christmas music, that is largely due to a 19th century English composer using the melody for his hymn, "What Child Is This," which    became a popular Christmas carol. The song itself is based on a form of Italian composition which did not reach England until the Elizabethan period, well after the death of Henry VIII (he couldn't have composed it for Anne Boleyn, contrary to popular belief. Regardless of the song's ultimate origins, like all great folk music, the melodies and lyrics are changed and reused throughout history to create new compositions, such as the Christmas carol, "What Child is This?" or John Coltrane's jazz-based interpretation of the song.

The Weavers' version of "Greensleeves"

Christmas song, "What Child Is This?" sung by gospel singer Mahalia Jackson

Coltrane recorded the song twice in the 1960s, each time using a great bassline. This simple ancient folk song becomes a transcendent experience once Coltrane unlocks its harmonic complexities. McCoy Tyner's block chords and moving piano solos seemingly reveal the deep past of the tune and it's melodic minor beauty. Eric Dolphy and McCoy Tyner's arrangments for the big band backing Coltrane and the small group work well here, with the big band reduced to solely playing a few note pattern in the background to emphasize the harmony and evoke a majestic feel.

From Africa/Brass

Coltrane's live performance of the tune at the Village Vanguard in the future was quite similar to the aforementioned recording but shorter and without a large band backing the group. Tyner are here again on this on. McCoy Tyner's solo takes the song in some interesting directions as well, venturing far from the melody for some real beauty. All jazz musicians should incorporate folk songs into their standard repertoire!

The Evolution of Sinner Man

I believe the folk song, "Sinner Man," is of Scottish origin. It was first sung in the Appalachians of the United States. Although it's likely of Scottish or some other Northern European origin, the song is most often associated with Nina Simone's legendary, 10 minute long version of the song which infuses it with black gospel and jazz influences. The song remains one of the best-known folk songs/spirituals in the US and one of Nina Simone's best recordings. It has also been covered by a broad array of different performers, such as Bob Marley & The Wailers, Peter Tosh, Lauryn Hill, The Weavers, and Les Baxter.

The earliest recording of the song I could find is one from the 1950s by Les Baxter. It's interesting for incorporating a large orchestra but not nearly as jazzy or soulful as Nina Simone's acclaimed version from her Pastel Blues in the 1960s.

The Weavers also recorded the song in a more folksy manner

Here is a version by Bob Marley and the Wailers (but it's really just Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer singing) that uses a ska beat. Peter Tosh would later perform the song as "Downpressor Man"

Here is Peter Tosh's reggae version

Nina Simone performed the song often at the end of her live shows in the early 1960s when she regularly performed at the clubs in Greenwich Village. I've added an early version and the epic one

Lauryn Hill

Spanish folk group's interpretation

Another version

Yoko Kanno

All God's Chillun Got Rhythm

The old Negro Spiritual "All God's Chillun Got Wings" aka "I Got a Robe" inspired the 1930s jazz standard, "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm." The composer, a European musician living in the US, used the melody for "All God's Chillun Got Wings" while writing the song specifically for Ivie Anderson, an African-American vocalist who had worked for Duke Ellington. It's quite ironic that one of the most American of songs was composed by a European...

Here are different versions of "All God's Chillun Got Wings"
Paul Robeson

African-American opera singer Marion Anderson

"I Got Shoes" is another title for the song

Here are various jazz versions of "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm"

Bud Powell

Sonny Stitt 

Judy Garland vocal version

Ivie Anderson

Gypsy jazz interpretation

Duke Ellington version

Thelonious Monk

Art Tatum

Tony Bennett

Billy Boy and John Brown's Body

Such a nice little folk song. I believe it began as a nursery rhyme. However, I feel compelled to write about it because a jazz cover by Miles Davis is on his seminal album, Milestones. Although Miles doesn't actually perform on the track (it's a trio recording that was added to the album), it's great to hear jazz musicians playing folk music. When I first heard "Billy Boy" on Milestones, I foolishly believed it was a traditional Christmas song because the piano playing does sound a bit reminiscent of Christmas music. Anywho, here is Pete Seeger and the Almanac's version of "Billy Boy."

The jazzed up version 

Ahmad Jamal also recorded "Billy Boy" a few years before Miles Davis's sidemen. His arrangement seems to have influenced the Davis recording even though the Latin percussion is not used in the latter. Still, it's always fun to hear jazz musicians play folk music!

John Brown's Body is another folk song that uses the same melody as "The Battle Hymn of the Old Republic." Obviously it's a tribute to John Brown, the great American abolitionist who lost his life after attempting to take Harper's Ferry. In my opinion, Brown remains one of the greatest American's of all time for his valiant efforts to immediately end the enslavement of millions of African-Americans. Interestingly, soul-jazz organist, Jimmy Smith, performs the song on his record Bucket. 

Here is a folksy version by Pete Seeger

Now Jimmy Smith's jazzy cover

Wimoweh (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)

The song's composer was a Zulu South African who died in obscurity and poverty in South Africa while The Tokens and other American groups profited from the song. An American music publishing group claimed the copyright while the original composer/recording by Solomon Linda was only paid a little for his record's sales in South Africa and Britain.
Here is the original Wimoweh, sung by Solomon Linda with some other vocalists in 1939.

Here is an early American folk group's interpretation of Wimoweh (a.k.a. Mdube in the original song)

Pete Seeger and the Weavers. Apparently Pete Seeger and The Weavers learned of the song from Alan Lomax, the man who personally traveled the world for his field recordings of folk music. The Weavers are also responsible for popularizing the song in the 1950s

Here is another example of the song as recorded by the folk trio, The Kingston Trio

Here is South African vocalist Miriam Makeba's interpretation. 

The Tokens' version, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," was a big hit in 1961 and perhaps the most popular version of the song here in the United States

Strange Fruit

Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, two victims accused of killing a white man and raping his girlfriend in Marion, Indiana. There was no evidence of rape, and the woman herself said she wasn't raped. According to James Cameron, the only survivor of this lynching, and who would later found America's Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee, the two men were robbing a white man but Cameron himself fled the scene before he died during the struggle. While Shipp and Smith were forced outside of the jailhouse and lynched, someone miraculously saved Cameron's life by announcing he had nothing to do with the crime. 

This powerful photograph likely influenced the writer of "Strange Fruit," a Jewish Communist. It also shows how lynchings were not a strictly southern phenomenon. It's also important to remember that his lynching occurred in 1930, only 81 years ago. 

"Strange Fruit" remains one of the most poetic anti-lynching/protest songs in American history. Though associated with Billie Holiday, the song's composer was a Jewish radical who penned it during the 1930s. Abel Meeropel would later set it to music under the name Lewis Allen and perform in New York City with is wife. Holiday only sang it for the first time at the Cafe Society, an integrated nightclub in Greenwich Village some years later. Then she recorded the song in 1939 for Commodore, a label company that was known for supporting alternative jazz.

The interesting thing about Holiday's recording is the lack of jazz or blues influences. Furthermore, many at the time only believed the record sold well because Holiday's amazing blues, "Fine and Mellow," was increasing sales. Needless to say, her record sold well and the song has forever been equated with Billie Holiday's powerful vocals (she recorded this song again for Verve and performed it live). I suppose the best way to describe her 1939 recording would be something akin to folk and hymns.

Josh White, a folk musician who had worked with Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and other early folk revivalists, would also record the song, accompanying himself on guitar. As one would expect, as a folk and blues musician, White's recording has more in common with those traditions than Holiday's version.

http://grooveshark.com/s/Strange+Fruit/3VC6TZ?src=5

Nina Simone also performed "Strange Fruit" with a very sparse arrangement (rather similar to her take on Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair).

Here is Billie Holiday's 1939 studio recording of "Fine and Mellow." This is probably her best blues.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2002/feb2002/frut-f08.shtml A good article on the history of the "Strange Fruit"