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
Arvo Pärt: Tintinnabuli cover

Arvo Pärt: Tintinnabuli

Peter Phillips, The Tallis Scholars
Translucence + Drift Music cover

Translucence + Drift Music

John Foxx, Harold Budd
Indicum cover

Indicum

Bobo Stenson
Steve Reich: Duet cover

Steve Reich: Duet

MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, Kristjan Järvi
Theremin Sonatas cover

Theremin Sonatas

Carolina Eyck
Invisible Strings cover

Invisible Strings

Prakash Sontakke, Eraldo Bernocchi
Uma Elmo cover

Uma Elmo

Jakob Bro, Arve Henriksen, Jorge Rossy