I was saddened by the recent death of the iconic James Earl Jones. His booming voice and presence will always be felt and remembered. When thinking about him recently I think I recalled something he did on a contemporary jazz recording. And I remember that oh my God, he did. He was on one of the Golden Slumbers compilation that Dave Koz and Jeff Koz put together. He did a recording of the poem “Children” by Khalil Gibran, a Lebanese-American poet, artist, and philosopher.
How can I describe it? It’s James Earl Jones gently reading a significant work of words in his inimitable voice. It has power.
Calling Golden Slumbers – A Father’s Love a contemporary jazz compilation may be a stretch. It’s a wonderful release of love songs by fathers for their children, produced by Dave Koz and Jeff Koz. In addition to James Earl Jones, you may recognize some other names, like Kirk Whalum, Michael McDonald, Smokey Robinson, Solomon Burke, Will Downing, Dave Matthews, and Phil Collins. The album was released April 26, 2005.
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