lockdown : vinyl find #51.

My first encounter with Donny Hathaway dates back from my student years. I was uploading mixtapes online, and Donny featured in one of them though I don't remember how I got to choose one of his tracks to feature. I tried to have my Beatles-fanatic friends to listen to "Jealous guy" by Donny, and they hated it because of Donny's piano-bar style and vibrato. I shared the "Live" album with my best friend, and he loved it. We both consider it one of the best albums we've ever heard. 

Donny Hathaway seemed to be a troubled guy, and it kinda makes its way in his music. Despite his virtuosity on the keys, which makes playing look effortless and sound like a natural language, his voice contains sadness. I guess people called it "emotion" while he was still alive. 

This album is actually a collage work. The first side comes from a concert at the Troubadour in Hollywood, while the B side comes from a concert at the Bitter End in New York. But they added a bass solo played at the Troubadour in one song, "Voices inside (everything is everything)", of side two. Nevertheless, the listening flows well, without any filler or weak point. 

Playing both covers and his own songs, Donny Hathaway felt comfortable in both : his "The ghetto", playing for more than 12 minutes, is an unmatched marvel, his covers of Carole King's "You've got a friend" is so legendary that many people think he's the author of the song. 

A real live album, in which the artist interacts with the audience. Makes me want to travel back in time in order to have the opportunity of participating. 

Donny Hathaway - Live.

Here's the album, as a YouTube playlist.