Salutes Bessie Smith

Recorded in 1980 for the Leo label, Salutes Bessie Smith is a pivotal work in Amina Claudine Myers' discography and a landmark for the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). While Myers is often associated with the avant-garde, this album serves as a deep exploration of her roots in gospel and the blues. By stripping back the arrangements to their barest essentials, Myers highlights the structural brilliance of Bessie Smith's compositions while infusing them with the improvisational freedom of spiritual jazz. The album is notable for its use of the organ, an instrument Myers uses to create a thick, liturgical atmosphere that contrasts with her sharp, percussive piano playing. The closing track, 'African Blues,' is a significant departure from the rest of the album, moving into a polyrhythmic, extended improvisation that connects the American blues tradition back to its African origins. Critics, including Michael G. Nastos, have hailed it as a 'landmark recording' and a masterpiece of vocal jazz.