5 comments about The Definitive Blind Willie McTell.

1. This is Columbia's McTell 2-CD boxed set. The text on the back of the box tells us that the collection is complete, but doesn't specify what they means by "complete". It lacks Statesboro Blues, which means the collection is neither complete nor definitive. Typical of Columbia remastering of old blues or jazz recordings, the surface noise is minimized at the expense of depth of the actual recording. McTell's booming 12-string sounds rather thin on these Colombia remasterings.
   
   For better alternatives, there's a new Yazoo "best-of" collection which will probably be the CD of choice if you want a one-CD collection. These guys are reliably excellent with digital remastering of early blues recordings. Then there's JSP's boxed set (5-CDs) of complete early recordings up to 1940. The JSP includes Statesboro and all of his early classics, in excellent sound. And it can be had for $20 to $30, so it might steal 1st choice from Yazoo, unless you're short of storage space. Whichever you choose, McTell is one of the great singers of his age, plus he had a fair hand with the guitar. An essential acquisition if you're building an early blues collection.



2. If you're only going to add one Willie McTell-album to your collection, pass this one by. It is a very good overview of William Samuel McTell's excellent Columbia and Okeh sides, but you won't find any of his classic Victor singles here, and that's a pity, because it was at Victor that McTell recorded "Statesboro Blues", "Dark Night Blues", "Writing Paper Blues", "Stole Rider Blues", and "Mama T'Ain't Long 'Fo Day".
   But add this one and "The Early Years 1927-1933" to your shopping basket, and you'll have a very fine overview of Blind Willie McTell in his prime.
   Or you could just get the handsomely packaged box set "The Definitive Blind Willie McTell", or the exhaustive (and very reasonably priced) "The Classic Years 1927-1940"....



3. Before I got this CD, I had never listned to a recording of Blind Willie McTell. The reason I got this was that I knew that the White Stripes, my favorite band, were inspired by his music and I loved there cover of McTell's "Southern Can Is Mine". The music on this CD is great. McTell was very very good on the 12-string guitar and that is apparent on this album. The liner notes are also very good (especially if you're a new-comer to pre-war blues). The only thing discouraging about the CD is the quality of many of the songs-- not very good, but if you can get over that then I'd recommend this to anyone interested in Blind Willie McTell.



4. This set is titled "The Definitive BWM" and the liner notes say -- twice -- that it includes "all his known recordings."

   However, there's nothing here from his 1927 Atlanta session, his 1928 Atlanta session, his 1932 Atlanta session (as "Hot Shot Willie"), his 1935 Chicago sessions with Ruth Day, his 1936 Augusta session (as "Red Hot Willie Glaze"), his well-known 1940 session for John Lomax, his 1949 Atlanta session (as "Pig & Whistle Red") or his famous last session, 1956 in Atlanta for Ed Rhodes. How can they claim this is a "definitive" set?

   The sound quality, as another reviewer mentioned, is somewhat mangled from ham-fisted noise reduction. I wouldn't go so far as to agree, however, that the originals were in "pretty good shape." To modern ears, these old 78's are pretty beat-up.

   In spite of all this however, I give it 4 stars for McTell's sterling presence. Until a better set comes along, this'll have to do.




5. My moods change and I listen to lots of different styles of music but when it comes to pre-war blues, did anyone have a better guitar-tone than Blind Willie McTell?? Generally speaking, I rarely listen to anyone directly after I listen to McTell simply because the depth and richness of his tone makes other guitarists playing sound..well, not as rich. That's not to take anything away from the other masters like Lonnie Johnson (whom I LOVE), etc... it just speaks to how truly huge McTell's sound was. And yes part of it is just the 12-string factor, but I'd even choose McTell over other 12-stringers.

   If you're unfamiliar with McTell, I think I would say that in certain aspects, some of his songs make me think of Woody Guthrie. If you don't like Woody then PLEASE don't let that scare you away from this great box-set. McTell had a better voice, he was an infinitely better guitarist, and his songs never have the political focus that Woody's have, but some of McTell's folkier talking-blues tunes do make me think of Woody a bit. And let it be known that I easily prefer McTell over Woody in terms of "performance ability". Plus, many of his songs don't make me think of Woody at all, such as Talking To Myself for instance. This is one of my favorite songs in all of pre-war blues. Really unique and wonderful, I've yet to hear anything like it by anyone else. You'll also notice that Robert Johnson was obviously familiar with McTell, as Robert's They're Red Hot is almost rhythmically identical to a couple of McTell's tunes on this set.

   All in all, there's nothing that can really be said except "Buy this set!". It's inexpensive and it's one of the best collections of one of the best blues musicians that ever lived. Oh! One more thing, yes the title is indeed misleading if you didn't know anything about McTell before reading this. This is not a "definitive collection of everything Blind Willie McTell recorded". It is only the definitive collection of everything he recorded for the Columbia, Okeh, and Vocalion family of labels.

   Worth every penny.

3 comments about Before The Blues: The Early American Black Music Scene, Vol. 1.

1. Love the music - had duplicates of some tracks from the Harry Smith set & elsewhere, but much was new to me, especially the non-blues string band tunes. Highlight might be 'Deep Blue Sea Blues,' which I'd of course always associated with Muddy's 'Catfish Blues' from later; terrific version included here.
   Only negative comment on the liner notes is the clear aim to present an argument that white music had a bigger influence on early black music than frequently allotted. Not that I disagree with the point, but the way it's brought home made me feel a bit like they were pointing out _every time_ a black performer sounded 'white,' but in the case of the white performers, their race is almost never mentioned.
   All in all though made me rethink my ideas on the origins of blues music, on how blues went from being a song form to a genre, on the influence of 'country' on blues, and the co-existence of blues along with various other less celebrated black traditions in the 1920s.



2. In their usual meticulous way, the good people at Yazoo have brought to light a (mostly) forgotten collection of old tunes that shine a light on where we've been.

   What we get is a generous, thought-provoking mosaic of our musical heritage. As has been stated before, in the early days, there wasn't much discernible difference between how blacks and whites presented their music. This three-volume set of CD's stuffed near to overflowing with carefully restored songs, takes us back to that time and in doing so reminds us that no matter how richly varied the branches may be our roots are the same. Musical variety is truly a spice of life, which can best be appreciated when the universal foundation of our brother- and sisterhood is kept squarely in sight. A very grateful thank you to Yazoo for tending the flame.




3. This collection is almost more folk than blues, or perhaps it is a collection of blues songs when the genre was defined differently; in either case, it's something that anyone really interested in the history and progression of blues music should check out. Maybe listen to old-school John Lee Hooker (The Complete 50's Chess Recordings, for example) or a Lead Belly album to get more of an idea what this is like, much more Delta-blues-sounding than Chicago. If for no other reason, pick this up for the great track buy Mississippi John Hurt, one of my personal favorites.

3 comments about Black Appalachia: String Bands, Songsters and Hoedowns (Deep River of Song).

1. Too much of the general view of socalled old time music comes from the suburban, middle class people, who retreat to it thinking they are getting to something so white, so "celtic" that culturally they are making the same flight from Black people musically that they have made residentially.
   
   However, we pervade. This is real old time music, the Black music that is at the core and foundation of Southeastern American traditional music. You see it, you feel it, in all its glory right here.
   
   This is the Black old time string band and dance music that was ignored by record companies that only wanted blues out of Black artists and by most folklorists who by an large were only interested in blues, work songs, or songs they in their narrow point of view could directly pin as African Survivals. This is a great broad survey to open you up to the music. After you see this, you will be impelled to search for more. A good help is my own listmania list on Old Time music from a Black point of view.
   
   Last week, I kept just the first selection, Jimmy Strother's "Cripple Creek" repeating on my CD for a couple hours. It was not just the great banjo playing, but the lyrics with real meaning: "Read and Run, Read and Run, don't let the sundown catch you here," Strothers sings from inside a Virginia prison.
   
   Syd Hemphil's recordings here are very important. Hemphil is not just a fiddler, a blues artist, a font of Mississippi folk tradition, but he was a leader in the African quills and drums, Mississippi Hill Country, fife and drum band tradition. Here Hemphil PlayS in a band of fiddle, banjo, guitar AND DRUM! Despite the attempts of the slave masters to surpress the drums for fear they would call us to rebellion, the drum remains integral to this music.
   
   More well known because of the Altamont recordings is the John Lusk band one of the wildest, great string bands, Black and white of all time. I could go on and and on about every one of these selections. However, rather than reading more of my words, you need to listen to more of this music!
   
   Many, including myself, have written about the limitations of John and Alan Lomax in their collection and writing and shaping of American traditional music through lenses they want it to be seen with. However,the more important point is they went out and found this music, recorded this music, made it breathe out to the public by their connection with the initial 1930s folk song movement, and Alan continued that association to his death a few years back!



2. I like the Lomax disks, I like real folk, country, and bluegrass music, and I usually like less polished music by early, uncommercial artists. Nevertheless, I don't listen to this disk much. The problem isn't the quality of the music, which is high. But it's not just less polished, it's totally unpolished. I think you really have to be searching for the roots of just this type of music to appreciate this disk.



3. This Cd represents a treasure of american music and lets one know that what this music really is is a mixture of european and african influences.

3 comments about Masters of the Country Blues - Fred McDowell and Big Joe Williams.

1. This is an excellent dvd. Big Joe Williams and Fred McDowell could not be more different when it comes to their styles. Williams cuts many of his songs short in order to fit as much music as possible into his set. McDowell, on the other hand, lets the songs develop more. This gives us a feel for what seeing these men live in concert must have been like. To the other reviewer- your imagination is running wild. Fred McDowell's performance here has nothing to do with race. The fact that this performance was recorded during the height of the Civil Rights movement by white cameramen is totally superfluous. McDowell does not seemed threatened at all by anyone of any color during his performance. "Different ethnic setting"? You must be joking. Blacks have been in this country longer than most whites. The setting McDowell was performing in was not alien to him at all. Since his "discovery" by Lomax, he had played for many whites. Furthermore, McDowell is not a Delta musician. He is from the Mississippi Hill Country, and his style is different than Delta muscians'. The other dvd you're suggesting, "Deep Blues", features some truly lousy "Blues" music, except for Lonnie Pitchford's excellent performance towards the end of the dvd. "Deep Blues" shows us that almost all of the great Bluesmen were gone by the early 1990's, when the dvd was made. I can tell that you are someone who isn't able to distinguish between good Blues and "Blues". Your five star review of the "Blues Story" dvd also hammers this point home. Your comment about Big Joe Williams being "raw" and the naked remark show that you are looking upon him as a "Negro savage", which is insulting, especially considering how you're trying to champion McDowell's conquest of racism earlier in your interview.



2. The other review is all fact.. but in the context of delta music, the show IS watching and listening to the player usually sitting, keeping beat with his foot, in this DVD, Fred Mcdowell, seems a little uncomfortable within a different ethnic setting which reading between the lines is history as its happening. A delta musician in a white mans world at a time in history when chances are he's a little on edge.. this is not my imagination, watch, judge for yourself, however he found security in his trademark style. I have played the DVD over and over mostly in slow motion to TRY and replicate his simple looking but complex technique.. Then there's BIG JOE WILLIAM'S, bow tie hanging to one side, he was by all account's a rough tough bluesman, 5'5, 275lbs.. he couldn't care less where he was, he was no stranger to violence, the only way his contribution could be more raw would be if he was naked with only his trade mark bow tie. May I humbly suggest purchasing all the "Masters" collection.. that is if your fanatical about early blues either as a player or a lover of this style music, while your at it, "DEEP BLUES" should be included featuring my good friend Jessie Mae Hemphill and the late great R L Burnside and many others.. Junior Kimbrough at his juke joint is a something you won't soon forget... great DVD/DVD's



3. The performances shown here of Fred McDowell and Big Joe Williams seem aimed at guitarists- many closeups of both men's guitar playing style. McDowell plays electric, and makes it look effortless, with his trademark bottleneck style and alternating bass. Williams plays his one of a kind 9 string and while he's not as mannered and precise as McDowell, he is certainly an experience. The only reason this dvd doesn't get 5 stars is the fact it's under an hour, but for whats here, it doesn't get any better.

No comments about Essential Blues Guitar.

5 comments about Shake 'Em on Down.

1. This album is one of the greatest post-World War II Country Blues recordings. There is not a bad track on this cd. Furry's version of "John Henry" is the definitive take on the hundred-plus year old song. There is a beautiful echo present on this cd that I haven't heard on any other disc. The slide playing is impeccable and the lyrics are of great meaning. This album, "The Complete Recordings of Robert Johnson", and the JSP Blind Willie McTell box set are three of the best items a Blues fan can buy.



2. Good, old fashion down-home Memphis-style blues. Being a native Memphian, I really appreciate his music. However, the quality was not what I expected for a CD.



3. Furry Lewis and Mississippi John Hurt are the absolute high points of the blues discoveries of the 1960`s.Furry`s early sides are good but these recordings from 1960 are some of the best blues sides ever produced.An almost hypnotic scense of playing combined with simple but pungent lyrics make these sides into something more than a song.....they are like feelings caught on tape for the whole world to hear.
   It doesn`t disappoint,all the songs are priceless delivered by a giant among men and one of America`s best kept secrets.You say you love the blues then why don`t you own it yet?
   One man,one guitar and a song or two to share make for great listening....make it part of your life.



4. Wow! what can I say this albumn is truly amazing i cant believe ive only just discovered Furry Lewis he has to be one of the most purest blues men I have ever heard , He brings his own elements to the blues the likes I have never heard . That bottleneck he employs seems to make the hairs on my neck stand up. I command all blues lovers to get this albumn you want be dissapointed.



5. Furry Lewis was a Memphis blues guitarist who helped define the so-called "Memphis Sound" of the late 20's. As with so many of the old bluesmen, Furry enjoyed two distinct and brief periods of success. The first in the 1920's when he was around 25 years old and then again in the 1960's when he was in his mid to late 60's. This CD is actually a compilation of two previous recordings from the 1960 period, "Back On My Feet Again" and "Done Changed My Mind". Both were a good representation of Furry's guitar work and vocal capabilities and it's good to have both available on one disc. As a guitarist, Furry was equally comfortable working in broad strokes or intricate detail and everything he played shared a rhythmic strength that was all his own. As a vocalist, Furry's style is soft and easy listening. If you are interested in some country blues you will have to search long and hard to beat Furry.

5 comments about Founder of the Delta Blues.

1. Before Robert Johnson there was an older generation of Delta blues musicians of which Charlie Patton was a part. Patton, with his rough voice and primitive sound, may take getting used to for some. But I find him to be among the most poweful of all the bluesmen. His music is rhythmically charged and his lyrics are funny, emotional and very smart. He cleverly takes on the role of a bo weavil addressing his wife in "Bo Weavil Blues" and the desperate voice of a drug addict in "A Spoonful Blues". But my favorite has to be "Down The Dirt Road Blues", where he travels with his woman to the "Indian Nation" in Oklahoma. Patton was apparently 1/4 Cherokee and hoped to obtain a place on the reservation. But instead he ends up alone and full of despair.
   
   Every day seem like murder here
   My God, I'm no sheriff
   Every day seem like murder here
   I'm gonna leave tomorrow, I know you don't bid my care
   
   When it comes to the blues no one is more passionate and intense than Charlie Patton. This is definitely a must for anyone that loves soul filled blues music.



2. My friend Christopher was very pleased with his birthday gift. It was exactly what he had asked for.



3. This must be the best single disk collection of Patton's music I've heard, and the 'historic recording' sound has mostly been refurbished with much loving care. Most of his signature tunes are here. Patton's recorded legacy catches a unique musical personality at work, perhaps the best example of 'primitive genius' that the pre-war Delta region produced. Son House and many other blues playing Delta contemporaries didn't care much for Patton as a person and denigrated his talent as a blues performer. OK, he was a truly rotten guy, a jerk at best, his music expresses this perfectly and with a level of inspiration that generally outclasses that of his detractors. I can hear where Son House might be envious, and this CD lets you hear it, too. If money is not an issue, for only a little more, used, go for the JSP box, with good sound, and which just about has it all.



4. If you are looking to begin a pre-war blues collection, this should be one of the first cd's (if not the first) you should buy. There are many other great pre-war blues artists, but Charlie Patton is one notch above them all. "Founder of the Delta Blues" collects all of Patton's best recordings, and unlike many of his contempories who created new songs by simply changing the lyrics of a recycled melody, most of Patton's work was varied, giving the listener something new to hear on each track.
   
   Patton was a fantastic slide guitar player, showcasing these skills in Mississippi Boll Weavil Blues, Spoonful Blues, and I't Won't Be Long. You'll hear him slapping the guitar body on "Down the Dirt Road Blues" to create his own percussion section. He teams up with Willie Brown on second guitar (the Willie Brown of Eric Clapton and Robert Johnson's Crossroads Blues) and old time fiddle player Son Sims on a number of tracks as well. The music is as honest and as raw as it gets, providing a good feel for the music scene in rural black America before the Great Depression.
   
   As a singer, Patton's gravelly and often uncomprehensive voice may scare some first time listeners away. Stick with it, though. Listen to him 4 or 5 times; you'll get past the scratches/pops of the lousy original 78's and learn to love the music. If I was stranded on a desert island and could choose only 5 pre-war blues cd's to take along, I think this one would be at the top of the list.



5. This one was considered THE Charlie Patton-compilaton for many long years. And they spell his name right, too!
   Originally released in 1969, "Founder Of The Delta Blues" includes almost all of Patton's best songs, from "Pony Blues" to "High Sheriff Blues", and it is still a very fine overview of Charlie Patton's recording career. But it has now been overtaken, fidelity-wise, by the magnificent JSP box set "The Complete Recordings 1929-34", and the single-disc retrospective "Pony Blues: His 23 Greatest Songs" from the Austrian Wolf label, as well as a couple of other recent compilations.

No comments about What You See.

4 comments about That's All Right Mama.

1. Indeed, forget Hadley's sniveling condescension. Ripped off mightily by life and the music industry suits who stole almost every blues artist's work, dignity and money, Arthur Crudup came to my attention 45 years ago on John Hammond's first Vanguard Album. Jeep reminded me of its full lyrics a few weeks ago, and I went to seek Big Boy's original.
   
   Those who understand and "get" the blues would do well to listen, and learn. We are the inheritors of an irreplaceable piece of cultural heritage. Support the new generation of young blues artist who are working today to keep this music alive.
   
   If there is a better anti-war song than Give me a 32-20, let me know. It still raises the hairs on the back of my neck.
   
   Give Me a 32-20
   Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup
   
   I've got my questionaire-ee, and they needs me in the war
   I've got my questionaire-ee, and they needs me in the war
   Now if I be a murderer
   Don't have to break the county law
   
   All I want is a 32-20 made on a 45 frame
   I want a 32-20 made on a 45 frame
   Yes and a red white and blue flag
   Wave that in my right hand
   
   Then you can tell my baby Oh, lord I say wait for me
   Then you can tell my baby Oh, lord I say wait for me
   Tell her I meet her one morning
   Down by that old red sea
   
   Now if I go down with a red white and blue flag in my hand
   Now if I go down with a red white and blue flag in my hand
   Then you can bet your life
   Ol' Cru sent up many a man
   
   Hmmmm... Hero is all I crave
   Hmmmm... Hero is all I crave
   Now when I'm dead and gone
   Cry Hero on my grave



2. No "leavening sense of swing"? The only thing "preening" around these parts is Frank John Hadley's prose. But don't you keep your head where his is at. Instead take a listen to this crucial moment when the blues morph into somethin' rockin' in the hands of a guy just sittin' around strummin' his guitar with its amp cranked way past what its manufacturer intended while his buddy slaps his drums with a shufflin' beat that defies your toes to start tappin' and done caused one skinny white boy to start his pelvis to twitchin' so that none of us were ever the same again.
   
   Listen, first, to "Shout, Sister, Shout." (Or maybe that should have been "Swing, Sister, Swing.") And think about how accelerated cultural evolution was becoming with the "information technology" of records and juke boxes. Why, in these very same years, Count Basie's sides were extending jazz's New Orleans/Chicago/New York journey to Kansas City where it got back a dose of the heartland and started boppin'. And while part of that was becoming the Bird/Dizzy/Miles/Trane lineage, other parts were becoming Louis Jordan ("Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens")...and Johnny Otis ("Willie and the Hand Jive")...and Winonie Harris ("Lovin' Machine")...why, even Nat Cole ("Route 66"). All of these stalwarts were consummate performers.
   
   Not so Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup. Just a guy playin' for himself. But so kinetic. So much channeling through nervy rhythm of what cannot be said through words that don't exist. You can just imagine how intoxicating this music must have been to teens, whether through jukeboxes or heard in the dark late at night over some 50,000 watt AM station booming out from big cities to small towns (Elvis) or indeed broadcast (in the Elvis rendition) from some ship off the eastern coast of England (John, Paul, George and Ringo).
   
   So, check it out. Never mind the sniffing half-praise of Mr. Hadley. Your hips will be glad you did.



3. Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup is probably best known today as the writer and original singer of Elvis Presley's first record, "That's All Right". But during his heyday, Crudup was a fairly popular blues singer in his own right. He rarely performed live, because he suffered from stage fright, but he did make a lot of records that sold pretty well. He played the country blues in a hard-driving style that was quite appealing. Most of his best known songs are included here. I would recommend this CD to all fans of old time blues.



4. Worth buying if it was just "So Glad You're Mine" 22 times. As it is, the other 21 cuts are the icing on this cake, including the remarkable "I'm Gonna Dig Myself A Hole," the original version of the famous "That's All Right, Mama," and the first popular recording of the standard "Mean Old Frisco." Although occasionally briefly profound, as in "Cool Disposition," Crudup's music is mainly rockin' fun with a beat that will make you bounce and bop, as it did for the people who made these records juke box hits in their day. The tone of his groundbreaking electric guitar achieves what for many is the ideal blues sound, especially effective when accompanied by just drums. Although not considered essential in blues history terms, Arthur Crudup could easily become any blues fan's favorite singer.

4 comments about From Spirituals To Swing.

1. To me all the gold is in the prewar Count Basie Orchestra and this is the glue that holds together these recordings. Purely from the standpoint of Basieism, this is a crucial and important record.
   
   
   The way that the sound has been remastered and recorded in this edition of the recordings, gives us the best real view of the Basie Orchestra on any live album I have ever heard that was cut before WWII, and better sound than some postwar live shots. Part of this is because of the superb natural acoustics of Carneige Hall. Part of this is that these concerts were recorded with actual recording equipment, while all the other live prewar Basie I know of are home wire recorder recordings of radio broadcasts.
   
   
   We get to hear the full extent of Joe Jones' hard drumming with the band, something that doesn't come through even on studio recorded Decca and Columbia sides during the 1930s and 1940s. Joe's reputation as little more than a time keeper playing in unison with the rhythm section will die after you here the full Basie band selections on this CD. He is constantly dropping bombs and beating the heck out of the bass drum, without spoiling the perfect swinging time, he is famous for.
   
   I really love the great solos by Lester Young on the big band pieces and am glad that we have a full version of One O'clock Jump, as most live versions of the tune are short sections of the tune that Basie used as an introduction or a sign off.
   
   A lot of the richness here is in the mixtures of Baseities and the other musicians. We hear Helen Humes singing with James P. Johnson, whom she had recorded with in the 1920s, accompanied by Basieites. Likewise, veterans of the band filling out a band for the great Sydney Bechet.
   
   The treat here is the selection of small group Basie tunes both from the Spiritual to Swing concerts and from recordings John Hammond Sr. falsely put on the previous two-lp version of Spirituals to Swing that Vanguard issued in the 1950s. The actual concerts included the Kansas City Six, a small band of Basieites and electric guitar wizard Charlie Christian. Christian, from Tulsa, had broken into Jazz in Kansas City and in his native home of Tulsa Oklahoma. He'd known the Kansas City rhythmns and some of these musicians for years. He picked up electric guitar from Eddie Durham, who played standard guitar, National steel guitar, and trombone for the Bennie Moten Orchestra, Jimmy Lunceford, and for Basie.
   
   In fact during this period, Bennie Goodman tried to discourage Christian's jamming with the guys from Basie's band, because he was afraid he would leave Goodman's band and join his old compatriots. Goodman used Christian, and other black musicians such as Lionel Hampton and Fletcher Henderson recorded in his small jazz combo which you hear on these recordings. Goodman kept his big band all white to make segregated movie and hotel engagements that would not have permitted a mixed band at the time.
   
   A less glorious legacy here are the Kansas City Five recordings. These are three studio recordings John Hammond made of members of the Basie Band led by Lester Young, probably in early 1938 when the Baseites were still under contract to Decca and not Columbia where Hammond was an A & R man. In an LP version of these concerts in the 1960s, Hammond added some of these KC 5 recordings as being part of the concerts complete with a faked introduction with his voice electronically alterted to sound young and fake applause. They are really nice smooth swinging music well recorded.
   
   Someone should have the brains to select both sets of small group Baseite recordings on these CDs, the small group Basie recordings made for Decca and Columbia, and the 1930s small group Kansas City recordings made for Commodore and put out one CD. Hmm, can't may computer make that mix?
   
   Just one note here on a completely different subject. We see the kind of paternalistic stereotyping of Black musicians, especially bluesmen, as primitives, in the introduction of Big Bill Broonzy at these concerts. Broonzy is introduced as an Arkansas farmer who had to buy his first pair of shoes to make it to Carneige Hall. Of course, Broonzy had been making blues recordings in Chicago for about 10 years before the Spirituals to Swing concerts. All the sides he cut for Bluebird's Chicago Blues straw boss Ezra Melrose, all the bar, theater, and house party gigs Broonzy had cut in Chicago must have bought a lot of shoes.



2. Wonderful performances by an all star line up. I agree with the previous reviewers, but would just point out one thing. Stride piano great James P. Johnson gets a lot of exposure here, playing in the Bechet / Ladnier group, guesting with Count Basie, and playing three solos. The performances of "Carolina Shout" and "Mule Walk" are well known and much re-issued, but the performance of "Blueberry Rhyme" has never appeared before on LP or CD. It is one of Johnson's most beautiful pieces, a gentle melodic delight which is given a wonderful reading here, on a par with the 1939 studio performance and better than the 1943 version.

   Recommended to all jazz lovers, and to Johnson fanatics in particular!




3. This 3 CD set includes the two "from spirituals to swing" concerts of Dec.23,1938 and Dec.24,1939 in Carnegie Hall, produced by JOhn Hammond.Just a glance at the artists : Count Basie's orchestra,with Hershell Evans,Lester Young,Buck Clayton,Shad Collins,Harry Edison,Jo Jones,Walter Page,and Hot Lips Page;Helen Humes with the Kansas City Five (Basie,Lester,Jones,Clayton,Page);Albert Ammons,Pete Johnson and Meade Lux Lewis;Big Joe Turner;Sister Rosetta Tharpe;the New Orleans Feetwarmers (Sidney Bechet,Tommy Ladnier,James P.Johnson,Jo Jones,Walter Page);Big Bill Broonzy;Sonny Terry;James P.Johnson;Jimmy Rushing;the Golden Gate Quartet;the Benny Goodman Sextet,with Charlie Christian,Lionel Hampton,Nick Fatool,and Fletcher Henderson !!! Buddy Tate,Ida Cox,and Mitchell's Christian Singers.Even Robert Johnson should have been there,but he died unfortunately shortly before the first concert.There are definitive masterpieces by Basie and his men,by Lester's Kansas City Five,by James P.,Big Bill and Benny Goodman in this set.It includes also a three tracks studio session from June 3,1938 by the Kansas City Five ("mortgage stomp","allez-oop" and "lady be good").2 hours and 51 minutes of very great music,with 23 previously unreleased tracks.Plus and interesting 45 pages booklet, and a fac simile of the Dec.23,1938 program.Let's remember that this 1938 concert was the first one presenting on the prestigious New York scene some of the greatest black musicians of the century.A great date in the history of jazz,and a great moment of music.



4. I owned this in record form in the late 50's when it first appeared, and have been waiting for its CD version for a long time....especially since my vinyls have long since given up the ghost. What a range: from a capella gospel to Basie to Hot Lips Page, this is one tremendous and historic set of music played right before the war: hot, jumpin' jive with some of the biggest names (and some long forgotten, for shame!). It is, as I have proven, MEMORABLE music. If you like the sound of American jazz, from New York to Kansas to New Orleans, get this set! It includes many more cuts than were on the original 2-record LPs. Can't wait to put it on and feel happier each morning!