Gospel, soul and jazz on one debut: Donny Hathaway’s Everything Is Everything as a hybrid stereo SACD from the Atlantic 75 Series. From the long groove of “The Ghetto” to the choir-backed finale “To Be Young, Gifted and Black”, the nine tracks play as one continuous sequence.
A debut that speaks several musical languages
Donny Hathaway’s debut, released in 1970, brings gospel, soul and jazz together in one programme. Everything Is Everything presents him as a singer and pianist, but just as much as an arranger and musical organiser. Co-producing with Ric Powell, Hathaway sets his own material next to music associated with Ray Charles, Erroll Garner and Nina Simone.
That versatility had a history. Hathaway studied at Howard University, met Leroy Hutson there and later worked for Curtis Mayfield’s Curtom operation in Chicago. By the time of his debut he had gathered plenty of experience behind the scenes – and the album brings it into focus under his own name.
The groove takes centre stage
“The Ghetto”, written with Hutson, gives electric piano and percussion room to unfold, with Henry Gibson’s congas as part of the performance. For long stretches, short vocal calls work inside the ensemble instead of carrying a conventional run of verses.
Follow only the rhythm for one full pass: notice how piano and percussion lock together and when a voice changes the scene. Repetition becomes an active part of the arrangement, and small interventions give the recurring pattern its momentum.
From a jazz standard to the final word
“Misty” reaches into the jazz repertoire, “I Believe to My Soul” into that of Ray Charles. “Thank You Master (For My Soul)” makes Hathaway’s gospel background especially clear. Phil Upchurch plays guitar and, on several tracks, bass; the line-up changes with the needs of each piece.
Nina Simone and Weldon Irvine’s “To Be Young, Gifted and Black” closes the album, with the Vashonettes joining the vocal forces. Listen for the shift from the single singer to the group: the scale is different from an intimate piano passage, yet both belong to the same musical personality.
The Atlantic 75 hybrid stereo SACD
CAPA 052 SA is a hybrid stereo SACD from the Analogue Productions Atlantic 75 Series. The SACD layer plays on SACD-capable players, the CD layer on any conventional CD player. The disc contains the nine tracks of the original album; “A Dream”, which was added to a later CD release, is not part of the programme.
You order from Michael 45 in Germany. We arrange the US import and ship from Hilden.
More from the series: Atlantic 75 Series
Also in another edition: Everything Is Everything
Customer question: Buying Analogue Productions records in Europe
Musicians
Documented selection of participating musicians. Personnel may vary by track; this list does not claim to be complete.
| Name | Instrument / role |
|---|---|
| Donny Hathaway | Backing vocals, Lead vocals, Conductor, Piano, Organ, Bass |
| Phil Upchurch | Electric bass, Guitar |
| John Avant | Trombone |
| Johnny Board | Tenor saxophone |
| Lenard Druss | Tenor saxophone |
| Oscar Brashear | Trumpet |
| Aaron Dodd | Tuba |
| Morris Ellis | Trombone |
| Marshall Hawkins | Bass |
| Willie Henderson | Baritone saxophone |
| John Howell | Trumpet |
| Morris Jennings | Drums |
| John Lounsberry | French horn |
| Ethel Merker | French horn |
| Don Myrick | Alto saxophone |
| Ric Powell | Percussion, Drums |
| Louis Satterfield | Bass |
| The Vashonettes | Backing vocals |
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.