Belly of the Sun
Encyclopedia
Belly of the Sun is an album
by American
jazz
singer Cassandra Wilson
. It was released on the Blue Note
label in 2002.
The title of the CD comes from a line in "Only a Dream in Rio" that Wilson had translated to Yoruba
"... just to hear what it sounded like and it was explained [to Wilson] that in the Yoruba translation you would say 'in the belly of the sun.'"
India.Arie
is a guest vocalist on "Just Another Parade".
Recording was done in the Clarksdale, Mississippi
train station.
There was a promotional version of this album distributed before the album was released that contained 2 extra tracks that were not included on the final release. The promotional copy has "Rock Me Baby
" (B. B. King
) After "Shelter From The Storm" and before "Cooter Brown" and "Little Lion" after "Cooter Brown" and before "Show Me a Love". The promotional version was a regular pressed and silkscreened disc (not a CD-R) and came in a cardboard sleeve and had no album artwork.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
singer Cassandra Wilson
Cassandra Wilson
Cassandra Wilson is an American jazz musician, vocalist, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. Described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack [who has] expanded the playing field" by incorporating country, blues and folk music into her...
. It was released on the Blue Note
Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
label in 2002.
The title of the CD comes from a line in "Only a Dream in Rio" that Wilson had translated to Yoruba
Yoruba language
Yorùbá is a Niger–Congo language spoken in West Africa by approximately 20 million speakers. The native tongue of the Yoruba people, it is spoken, among other languages, in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo and in communities in other parts of Africa, Europe and the Americas...
"... just to hear what it sounded like and it was explained [to Wilson] that in the Yoruba translation you would say 'in the belly of the sun.'"
India.Arie
India.Arie
India.Arie is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and record producer . She has sold over 3.3 million records in the U.S. and 10 million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards from her 21 nominations, including Best R&B Album.-Background:Simpson was born in Denver, Colorado...
is a guest vocalist on "Just Another Parade".
Recording was done in the Clarksdale, Mississippi
Clarksdale, Mississippi
Clarksdale is a city in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 20,645 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Coahoma County....
train station.
Track listing
- "The WeightThe Weight"The Weight" is a song written by Robbie Robertson. It was released by The Band as Capitol Records single 2269 in 1968, and appeared one week later on the group's debut album Music from Big Pink. The song is listed as #41 on Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Songs of All Time published in 2004, and...
" (Robbie RobertsonRobbie RobertsonRobbie Robertson, OC; is a Canadian singer-songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known for his membership as the guitarist and primary songwriter within The Band. He was ranked 59th in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time...
) – 6:05 - "Justice" (Cassandra Wilson) – 5:27
- "Darkness on the Delta" (Jay LivingstonJay LivingstonJay Livingston was an American composer and singer best known as half of a songwriting duo with Ray Evans that specialized in songs composed for films. Livingston wrote the music and Evans the lyrics....
, Al J. NeiburgAl J. NeiburgAllen J. Neiburg was an American lyricist. He was born on 22 November 1902 in St. Albans, Vermont and received his education at Boston University. He is known for writing lyrics for such songs as "I'm Confessin' " , "It's the Talk of the Town" and "Under a Blanket of Blue"...
, Marty SymesMarty SymesMarty Symes was an American lyricist.Symes was born in Brooklyn New York in 1904. His first significant collaborator was composer Jerry Livingston. In 1932 they wrote "Darkness on the Delta", which became a hit for Mildred Bailey. The next year the Casa Loma Orchestra recorded their "Under the...
) – 3:47 - "Waters of March" (Antonio Carlos JobimAntônio Carlos JobimAntônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim , also known as Tom Jobim , was a Brazilian songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, and pianist/guitarist. He was a primary force behind the creation of the bossa nova style, and his songs have been performed by many singers and instrumentalists within...
) – 4:26 - "You Gotta Move" (Mississippi Fred McDowellMississippi Fred McDowellFred McDowell known by his stage name; Mississippi Fred McDowell, was an American Hill country blues singer and guitar player.-Career:...
) – 2:44 - "Only a Dream in Rio" (James TaylorJames TaylorJames Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
) – 4:32 - "Just Another Parade" (Wilson) – 6:05 featuring India.ArieIndia.ArieIndia.Arie is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and record producer . She has sold over 3.3 million records in the U.S. and 10 million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards from her 21 nominations, including Best R&B Album.-Background:Simpson was born in Denver, Colorado...
- "Wichita LinemanWichita Lineman"Wichita Lineman" is a popular song written by Jimmy Webb in 1968, first recorded by Glen Campbell and widely covered by other artists. Campbell's version, which appeared on his 1968 album of the same name, reached #3 on the U.S. pop chart, remaining in the Top 100 for 15 weeks...
" (Jimmy WebbJimmy WebbJimmy Webb is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He wrote numerous platinum selling classics, including "Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", "Galveston", "The Worst That Could Happen", "All I Know", and "MacArthur Park"...
) – 5:48 - "Shelter From the Storm" (Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
) – 5:17 - "Drunk as Cooter Brown" (Wilson) – 4:58
- "Show Me a Love" (Robinson, Wilson) – 3:49
- "Road So Clear" (Richmond) – 5:22
- "Hot Tamales" (Robert Johnson) – 1:43
- "Corcovado" (For Japan only)
There was a promotional version of this album distributed before the album was released that contained 2 extra tracks that were not included on the final release. The promotional copy has "Rock Me Baby
Rock Me Baby (song)
"Rock Me Baby" is a blues standard that has become one of the most recorded blues songs of all time. When B.B. King released "Rock Me Baby" in 1964, it became a Top 40 hit reaching #34 in the Billboard Hot 100. The song is based on earlier blues songs and has been interpreted and recorded by a...
" (B. B. King
B. B. King
Riley B. King , known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter.Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No.3 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. According to Edward M...
) After "Shelter From The Storm" and before "Cooter Brown" and "Little Lion" after "Cooter Brown" and before "Show Me a Love". The promotional version was a regular pressed and silkscreened disc (not a CD-R) and came in a cardboard sleeve and had no album artwork.
Personnel
- Cassandra WilsonCassandra WilsonCassandra Wilson is an American jazz musician, vocalist, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. Described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack [who has] expanded the playing field" by incorporating country, blues and folk music into her...
– vocals, sardo, guitar (6, 7) - India.ArieIndia.ArieIndia.Arie is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and record producer . She has sold over 3.3 million records in the U.S. and 10 million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards from her 21 nominations, including Best R&B Album.-Background:Simpson was born in Denver, Colorado...
– vocals (7) - "Boogaloo" Ames – piano (3)
- Jewell Bass – vocals (6)
- Children of M.S.44 (NYC) – vocals (4)
- Cyro BaptistaCyro BaptistaCyro Baptista is a Brazilian musician, teacher, and recording artist specializing in percussion in the genres of jazz and world music....
– percussion, vocals (1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14) - Kevin Breit – mandolin, guitars, vocals, bizouki, omni-chord (1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14)
- Olu DaraOlu DaraOlu Dara Jones is an American cornetist, guitarist and singer.-History:...
– trumpet (12) - Jeffrey Haynes – percussion, plastic tub, steel pans (1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- Vasti Jackson – vocals (6)
- Xavyon Jamison – drums (1, 2, 6, 11, 12)
- Richard Johnston – guitar, vocals (5)
- Patrice Moncell – vocals (6)
- Mark Peterson – basses (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14)
- Henry Rhodes – vocals (6)
- Rhonda Richmond – vocals, piano (5, 7, 12)
- Jesse Robinson – electric guitar (11)
- Marvin Sewell – guitars (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Billboard Top Jazz Albums | 2 |
| Billboard Heatseekers | 4 | |
| Billboard The Billboard 200 | 155 | |
| Billboard Top Internet Albums | 156 |