Joan Baez
Describe your image
Describe your image
Describe your image
Describe your image
Photos: From AA's personal collection, a signed cover of "The Complete Gold Castle Masters", written to Alan, from Joan. Featuring commentary from Arthur Levy.
About Joan
Joan Baez was the most important artist to rise from the folk music movement that first blossomed in the late 1950s and early '60s. Baez was also the finest and most influential interpretive singer in contemporary folk; blessed with a soprano voice of uncommon clarity, her performances were emotionally compelling without resorting to histrionics. Early on, she recorded striking renditions of classic folk standards, as on her 1960 debut album Joan Baez, while later she would help popularize the work of songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, and Richard Fariña; songs by all three appeared on 1964's Joan Baez 5.
Her early recordings were austere acoustic sessions, but in time she would learn to work effectively with a band, as well as adding her own songs to her repertoire, and the title track to 1975's Diamonds & Rust, a biographical recollection of her relationship with Dylan, would prove to be one of her most enduring hits. Baez would become nearly as well-known for her political activism as her music, lending her talent and media profile to a long list of progressive causes from the early stages of her career to her farewell concert tour in 2019.
And while Baez is best remembered by many for her work in the '60s, she continued to release strong and committed music well into the 21st century, including albums like 2003's Dark Chords on a Big Guitar, 2008's Day After Tomorrow, and 2018's Whistle Down the Wind.
The Complete Gold Castle Masters from Arthur Levy
“Soon after, Joan was introduced to producer Alan Abrahams, a long time collaborator of West Coast R&B, Soul, and Jazz hit maker, Clarence McDonald (on those great Memphis Horns LPs for RCA.) Abrahams’ British demeanor never got in the way of the funk-drenched soul, jazz, and Gospel records he had been producing (and often performing on) for nearly two decades, mostly done at his preferred Capitol Studio A , rich with its Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, and Nelson Riddle vibes.
“Joan was surrounded by these brilliant, amazing players. We set her up in a vocal booth that we built in the middle of the room, so she could see all the musicians and they could see her. We had a really organic way that we did those records.”
Like the great producers he admired, Abrahams had gathered a steady trusted core roster of musicians, and they were among LA’s finest: guitarists Fred Tackett (from Little Feet) and Paul Jackson Jr., John Hobbs on keyboards, Tony Wilkins on Hammond B3 Organ, legendary bassist Abe Laboriel, drummer John “JR” Robinson, Alex Acuna on percussion, and secret weapon Laythan Armor on piano, discovered whilst playing at a church service.
Arrangements were handled by Gene Page, a premiere architect of pop and soul whose thousands of credits range from The Righteous Brothers’ “You Lost That Lovin Feelin’” To Barry White, Hall & Oates, and Johnny Mathis, From Roberta Flack, Nancy Wilson and MIchael Jackson, to virtually the entire Motown roster and countless others.
On top of this, when the situation called for it, Abrahams would augment as needed, everything from bagpipes on “Biko” to a full on Gospel church choir on “Let Us Break Bread Together/Oh Freedom”, (it is turned into a powerful Gospel event by the LA Mass Choir, specially assembled from local churches for this recording session. This kicked off their phenomenal award-winning career with Abrahams as their producer, when he helmed the contemporary Gospel Label Light Records), to South African musicians led by Paul Simon's Graceland collaborators.
Abrahams forged a lifelong friendship of professional love and occupational trust with Joan that continues to this day. He became a virtual member of the Baez family, joining them for holidays, celebrations, and transitions; he performed the wedding ceremony of Joan's son, Gabe Harris to Pamela, and is Godfather to their daughter, Jasmine.
Upon its release in the summer 1987, Recently was praised by the New York Times as “one of the most consistent records of Baez’ career… (Her) voice has noticeably deepened and darkened in recent years. And for the first time ever, her singing has taken on a rough, almost rock edge.” The Advocate called it “... a carefully crafted album,,, admirably justifying her claims, that she has never been in better voice."
Two years later, Speaking of Dreams was characterized as a “thoughtful album” by East Coast Rocker’s Harmonies, : Full of the political overtones that are so much a part of Baez’s being. But it's also a musically accessible album in the spirit of the times.”
– Arthur Levy, November 2016
Annotations from "Joan Baez: The Last Leaf" on collaborating with
Alan Abrahams
Written by: Elizabeth Thomson