As Jenkins herself states in the first few seconds of this album, call-and-response is like playing "follow the leader with song and sound." The groundbreaking Call and Response was originally released on Folkways Records in 1957.
The Artist
Ella Jenkins began her career as a youth activities instructor in Chicago. Her interest in multicultural music and call-and-response songs led her to record a few demos of tunes she used in her programs. This led to a meeting with Folkways Records founder Moses Asch, who encouraged her to follow her musical passion, and a children's music legend was born.The Music
Working with a small group of students from Chicago's Howalton Day School, Jenkins demonstrates the musical and educational possibilities of call-and-response singing. The chants and music of Africa, the Middle East, and American chain gangs are featured on this short CD, originally released as a 10-inch LP.
Side one of Call and Response concentrates on rhythms, chants, and instruction. Jenkins uses the songs "Tah-Boo," "Zeembah," "Moon Don't Go," and "Toom-Bah-Ee-Lero" to teach the children the concept of call-and-response, using loud and quiet voices, handclaps, instruments, and various rhythms. "Moon Don't Go" and "Toom-Bah-Ee-Lero" are performed twice each, once with vocals only and once with percussion accompaniment.
The songs on side two of Call and Response are more melodic. "A Chant from West Africa" utilizes voices and handclaps only, while "A Love Chant from North Africa" includes tambourines with the singing. The bells, percussion, and handclaps of "An American Chain Gang Chant" help you visualize the prisoners wearily laying railroad ties, as the singer tells the tale of an escaped convict. "An Arabic Chant that Means Welcome" closes the album with an a cappella greeting.
Fun with Call and Response!
This little album doesn't seem like much to us nowadays, but fifty years ago, no one had ever recorded music specifically for children's educational and instructional purposes, so Call and Response was a groundbreaker. But above all, the album is a fun way to get kids into rhythm, melody, memory, and music history.
Note: Lyrics and liner notes can be downloaded from the Smithsonian Folkways website.
Originally Released 1957 on Folkways Records; Rereleased 1990 on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
