Behind the Rainbow, the story of Eva Cassidy

Ahir vaig acabar el llibre "Behind the Rainbow", la biografia d'Eva Cassidy. Afegeix moltes dades i anecdotes al que ja sabiem, i que vaig intentar resumir en una serie de posts fa un parell d'anys. No és una obra literaria magnific, però tampoc cal - amb només saber l'historia detras d'aquesta tragedia, n'hi havia prou. Si us agrada la seva veu, i en voleu saber més, ho puc recomanar. Ja tenia 5 CDs de l'Eva. En acabar el llibre, he encomanat 3 més.
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Finished another Christmas present yesterday. Behind the Rainbow, the biography of Eva Cassidy. This book is not a literary masterpiece, but then again, why should it be? Just adding more detail to the story I think we all know by now is sufficient. I tried to summarize her tragic life, and magical talent, in a series of posts a couple of years back and have little to add now. If anyone wants to know more, I'd recommend this book. But, as usual, it's her voice which is the most important thing in the story. Sit back and listen.

Eva Cassidy (6) - Somewhere over the Rainbow

I per acabar, no podem marxar sense escoltar Somewhere Over The Rainbow. I "escoltar" vol dir escoltar, deixa de fer allò que estem fent, deixar de mirar els missatges i mails, i escoltem aquesta cançó de principi a fi. No us n’apenedireu.

Couldn’t finish without listening to this. And remember, "listening" means forgetting the other multi-tasks you are attempting to do, and sit back and listen to this from start to finish. You will not regret it.

Eva Cassidy (5) - Kathy's Song

Des de Songbird, han sortit més LPs de Eva recollint totes les gravacions que va fer - Time after Time (2000), Imagine (2002), American Tune (2003) i Somewhere (2008). Hi ha gent que pot pensar cínicament que, clar, amb una mort tan tràgica la gent li compra la música per morbositat o pena, però crec que si la escoltem, ens adonem que no és així.

Jo, per un, puc afirmar que quan vaig sentir-la per primer cop (LP Songbird, concretament la peça Fields of Gold), no en tenia ni idea d’ella ni que li havia passat però de seguida em vaig adonar que aquí tenia alguna cosa especial.

More collections of the recordings Eva left us have come out since Songbird. Time after Time (2000), Imagine (2002), American Tune (2003), and Somewhere (2008). Is she only famous because of her tragic death? Judge for yourselves. I for one had no idea of her life story when I first heard Fields of Gold, and I immediately realised that I was hearing something special ....

Kathy’s Song (Simon), del Time after Time.

Eva Cassidy (4) - Fields of Gold

En vida Eva mai havia arribat a ser molt coneguda fora dels cercles locals de Washington, però desprès de la seva mort una altra cantant local va fer una recopilació d’algunes de les seves millors gravacions en el LP Songbird, any 1998. Dos o tres anys desprès, aquesta obra va començar a sonar molt a la radio anglesa gràcies al interès d’un dels DJs. Des de llavors, poc a poc, la música d’Eva ha guanyat el reconeixement que mereix.

During her lifetime Eva had never hit the big time outside of Washington or specialist music circles, but after her death another local artist and friend decided to put together an LP collecting some of her best work. Songbird came out in 1998. Two or three years later, Terry Wogan started to give this album a lot of airplay on BBC Radio Two and it started to take off. Ever since then, more and more people have come to recognise Eva’s voice and music for the treasure it is.

Fields of Gold (Sting).

Eva Cassidy (3) - Songbird

Al juliol del 1996, Eva va notar molèsties i els metges van veure que sofria d’una melona maligna, probablement la continuació dels efectes d’una piga maligna que li havien tret 3 anys abans. La van diagnosticar un cancer i li donava poc temps de vida però Eva continuava actuant i gravant quan el dolor li permitia. Va morir el 2 de novembre del 1996, a l’edad dels 33 anys.
El LP que havia estat gravant, Eva By Heart, va sortir l’any 1997. La cançó, Songbird (McVie).

July 1996 and Eva starts to notice pain. The doctors soon realise she has a malignant melanoma, probably related to the malignant mole she had had removed 3 years previously. The cancer is so wide-spread that she is given months to live. Eva continues performing and recording when the pain allows it. She passes away on 2nd November 1996. At the age of 33.

The album she had been working on, Eva By Heart, comes out in 1997.
From this LP, Songbird (McVie).

Eva Cassidy (2) - People Get Ready

Desprès del LP The Other Side – ben rebut per la critica però que no va fer el salt al mass media - Eva va continuar actuant en directe a la zona de Washington, guanyant diversos premis com a vocalista de jazz. A l’any 1996 va gravar el seu segon LP, Live at Blues Alley, un LP en directe on podem apreciar més bé que mai la seva veu. Una veu que no m'atreveixo de descriure.

The Other Side received good reviews but didn’t hit the big time. Eva continued singing in the clubs of Washington, winning several vocalist awards. In 1996 she recorded her second LP, Live at Blues Alley. Sit back, listen, and enjoy ...

La cançó: People Get Ready (Mayfield)

Eva Cassidy (1) - Dark End of the Street

Eva Cassidy va néixer el 3 de febrer de l’any 1963. Des de ben petita tenia clar que volia estar dins del món de la música i als anys 80 ja treballava en nombroses projectes, mentre anava desenvolupant altres tasques no-músicales, però més ben remunerades, per arribar al final del mes. Als anys 90 ja cantava blues, jazz, soul, gospel amb un petit grup a la ciutat de Washington. L’historia diu que quan Chuck Brown li va sentir la veu, la va proposar de gravar un LP conjuntament. El resultat, The Other Side, seria publicat a l’any 1992. D’aquest LP hem de destacar la gravació de Somewhere Over the Rainbow, però la sentirem aquí un altre dia. Avui comencem amb la Dark End of the Street.

Eva Cassidy was born on 3rd February 1963. From a very young age she knew full well that her future would be linked to the stage and music. In the 80s she was involved in various musical projects, while keeping a day job to get to the end of the month. By the early 90s she was performing live in and around Washington DC – jazz, soul, blues, gospel ... The story goes that Chuck Brown heard a cassette recording of her and suggested they make an LP of duets, which led to the LP The Other Side – 1992. The most memorable and awe-inspiring track is perhaps Eva’s version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, but we’ll leave this for later ... today we start with Dark End of the Street.