The Band, the truly iconic rock-blues band made doubly famous by Martin Scorsese‘s well-known documentary The Last Waltz, disbanded a long time ago. But the great pure spirit of the enterprise, drummer Levon Helm, kept the flame burning in upstate New York, where he hosted regular gigs — “Midnight Rambles” — featuring the brightest stars from the rock and roll firmament.
Part of that inclusive spirit was captured when music legend Mavis Staples dropped into Helm’s realm the summer before he passed away 2012 at the age of 71. Now a decade later the music that was captured in those magic hours will be released on an album entitled “Carry Me Home.”
A teaser video dropped this week, full of nostalgia and its opposite: pure energy and joy. Here’s “You’ve Got To Move.”
Here is Helm singing and playing in perhaps the most memorable performance in Scorsese’s film. Oh yeah, that other singer? That’s Ms. Staples, of course, both of them back in the beautiful day. Take a load off, and watch and listen.
