Editing Mahalia Jackson (section)

===Mildred Falls===

Until 1946, Jackson used an assortment of pianists for recording and touring, choosing anyone who was convenient and free to go with her. As her career progressed, she found it necessary to have a pianist available at a moment's notice, someone talented enough to improvise with her yet steeped in religious music. Jackson found this in Mildred Falls (1921–1974), who accompanied her for 25 years. Falls is often acknowledged as a significant part of Jackson's sound and therefore her success. She was born Mildred Carter in [[Magnolia, Mississippi]], learning to play on her family's upright piano, working with church choirs, and moving to California with a gospel singing group. A broken marriage resulted in her return to Chicago in 1947 when she was referred to Jackson who set up a brief training with [[Robert Anderson (singer)|Robert Anderson]], a longtime member of Jackson's entourage.<ref name="goreau 113-123"/> Falls  accompanied her in nearly every performance and recording thereafter.<ref>Burford 2020, pp. 187—188.</ref>

Always on the lookout for new material, Jackson received 25 to 30 compositions a month for her consideration. Falls played these so Jackson could "catch the message of the song".<ref>Burford 2020 p. 51.</ref> Once selections were made, Falls and Jackson memorized each composition, though while touring with Jackson, Falls was required to improvise as Jackson never sang a song the same way twice, even from rehearsal to a performance hours or minutes later. Falls found it necessary to watch Jackson's mannerisms and mouth instead of looking at the piano keys to keep up with her. At the beginning of a song, Falls might start in one key and receive hand signals from Jackson to change until Jackson felt the right key for the song in that moment. Falls remembered, "Mahalia waited until she heard exactly what was in her ear, and once she heard it, she went on about her business and she'd tear the house down."<ref>Burford 2002, p. 188.</ref>

Studs Terkel compared Falls to [[Paul Ulanowsky]] and [[Gerald Moore]] who played for classical singing stars [[Lotte Lehmann]] and [[Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau]], respectively.<ref>Burford 2020, p. 81, 90.</ref> Ralph Ellison called Falls and Jackson "the dynamic duo", saying that their performance at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival created "a rhythmical drive such as is expected of the entire Basie band. It is all joy and exultation and swing, but it is nonetheless religious music." Falls' right hand playing, according to Ellison, substituted for the horns in an orchestra which was in constant "conversation" with Jackson's vocals. Her left hand provided a "walking bass line that gave the music its 'bounce{{'"}}, common in [[Stride (music)|stride]] and [[ragtime]] playing.<ref name="jabir"/> Similarly, television host Dinah Shore called Falls' left hand "the strongest thing in the whole world", giving Jackson's music a prominent beat usually missing from religious music. When Shore's studio musicians attempted to pinpoint the cause of Jackson's rousing sound, Shore admonished them with humor, saying: "Mildred's got a left hand, that's what your problem is."<ref>Goreau, p. 227.</ref> Anthony Heilbut explained: "By Chicago choir standards her chordings and tempos were old-fashioned, but they always induced a subtle rock exactly suited to Mahalia's swing."<ref name="Heilbut, p. 68">Heilbut, p. 68.</ref>