Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet cover

Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet

Released

One of the oddest, most beautiful, and most deeply moving compositions of Gavin Bryars’ oeuvre is this piece, which is built on a field recording of a homeless man singing a few lines of the gospel song “Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet.” The vocal recording is looped, and on each repetition a string ensemble plays a slightly different accompaniment. The back story to this composition is worth seeking out, but even if you know nothing about its genesis, the music is utterly entrancing.

Rick Anderson

Recommended by

Suggestions
Keel Road cover

Keel Road

Danish String Quartet
 To Paradise for Onions: Songs and Chamber Works of Edith Hemenway cover

To Paradise for Onions: Songs and Chamber Works of Edith Hemenway

Claron McFadden, Michael Stirling, Nancy Braithwaite, Roberta Alexander, Vaughan Schlepp
Four Four Three: music of Terry Riley cover

Four Four Three: music of Terry Riley

Ragazze Quartet, Slagwerk Den Haag, Kapok
Tüür: Canticum Canticorum Caritatis cover

Tüür: Canticum Canticorum Caritatis

Endrik Üksvärav, Collegium Musicale Chamber Choir
Danse cover

Danse

Patrice Moret, Julian Sartorius, Colin Vallon
Sources cover

Sources

Louis Sclavis Atlas Trio
Between Systems And Grounds cover

Between Systems And Grounds

Paula Matthusen, Olivia Valentine
Three-Mountain Pass cover

Three-Mountain Pass

Van-Anh Vo, Kronos Quartet
Buyukberber Variations cover

Buyukberber Variations

Oğuz Büyükberber, Emanuele De Raymondi