Odekhiren Amaize & Andrew Gordon - For Darfur! Irin Ajo and other Sacred Songs and Spirituals (2008)

This disc offers an extremely unusual vocal recital. It is not a benefit for the people of Darfur. Indeed, there is nothing in the booklet spelling out the aim of the project, just texts and biographies of the performers. In the case of bass-baritone Odekhiren Amaize, the bio makes interesting reading. A native of Nigeria, he was in his early fifties when this disc was recorded in 2006. After studying art and design in Lagos, he went on to study voice in Texas (where he also got a marketing degree) and then in Indiana and later in Russia. His recorded repertoire is as varied as one might expect, but he's never undertaken anything quite like this. The program might be described as a meditative prayer, both reflecting on the situation of Darfur's besieged population and interceding on its behalf. The material approaches these themes from several perspectives, both religious and secular. Amaize draws on African American music (including not only Deep River and other spirituals, but also Kumbaya, not so often heard in an art music context), on several African traditions (the song that gives the album its title is Yoruba), on patriotic song (with both the socialist Internationale and the Star-Spangled Banner, last verse only, on the program), and on a huge range of Western art music, from Purcell and Vaughan Williams to Schubert, Handel, and Beethoven's In questa tomba oscura, which it is safe to say you will never hear in quite the same way again after listning to this disc. What a ride! And it's extremely powerful, with a sense of strong personal commitment and of viewing the tragic events in Darfur through the musical experience of a lifetime, finding that that experience has something of value to say. Amaize isn't a vocal virtuoso. His lower register isn't strong at this point, his upper range is often strained, and entrances in the lower part of his range don't hit the pitch. Yet any singer will have something to learn from this remarkable release.