Have you ever walked down a city sidewalk or been at a local park and seen the imprint of something in the cement? Perhaps a leaf tumbled unnoticed into the form while it was setting, or somebody thought it would be clever to write their name and put a hand-print into the hardening concrete. Though the object that made the impression is long gone, its shape and essence remain, captured forever in stunning detail.
So what does all this have to do with Bessie Smith? A few months ago, I acquired a copy of Bessie Smith's "Down Hearted Blues" and "Gulf Coast Blues" for my record collection. I was thrilled to have come across these two particular sides because, incidentally, these are the VERY FIRST two songs Bessie ever recorded! With record in hand I rushed home, anxious to hear Bessie's voice resurrected from a dusty old shellac disc. I knew that I would enjoy listening to this record, but I had no idea how profoundly it would affect how I listen to and think about music in general.
I placed the record on the turntable very gently (old records are very brittle), turned the power on, and set the tone arm down on to the disc's edge. I heard the trademark rush and flutter of the lead-in groove. Then the music began. After a brief piano intro, Bessie's voice came ringing true and strong, with a power and passion unrivaled by any of her tawdry contemporaries.
"People it's hard to love someone,
when that someone don't love you..."
I was taken aback.
It was at this point that I just had to stop and sit down on my floor. I quit everything else I was doing and just took it all in, because I realized that this record was a hand-print in the sidewalk.
Though Bessie is no longer with us, her youthful spirit and tenacity are preserved there on that black, circular sidewalk. It also occurred to me that this hand-print is the closest I'll ever get to hearing Bessie in person. But how close it is! The way records were produced back in the 1920's went a little something like this: A machine was set up that worked exactly like a record player, only in reverse. Instead of sound coming out of the horn from the record, sound went into it, causing a small stylus to vibrate according to the sound waves affecting it. This stylus would then cut the sound into a large block of warmed wax, from which all the subsequent pressings of the record were made. So, the record in my possession is not only a figurative imprint of Bessie, but also a literal one, too! When the record was finished, I picked up the disk and it felt like Bessie was only an inch away, like I was touching her voice with my hands or I was sitting next to the piano as Clarence Williams tickled the ivories. It was almost as if the door of time had swung open for a moment and I had stepped into the past. I felt connected as never before to the music I love so well. It was...surreal. The ghosts came alive in my mind, and my black and white imaginings were suddenly in glorious Technicolor. I'd never experienced anything like that before, and it was wonderful.
So I encourage you, LISTEN to your music, whatever format it's on. Really listen, don't just hear your music. Get around it. Get inside it. Savor it like a gourmet meal. You might just find yourself influenced, as I was, in a very unique way.
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