1 comments about Blues Hoot: Live at the Ash Grove.

1. A bit of an odd choice for SACD remastering, this little-known Hollywood recording always sported excellent sound, especially considering its age. It is tempting to pay a little extra for the SACD sound, but in this case it really isn't necessary unless you're a true audiophile...the original CD version, which is still readly available, is crisp and clear, and most listeners will have no use for an SACD reissue.
   
   Oh, you just wanted to know about the music? Well, here goes:
   
   Not even remotely unique, "Blues Hoot" joins a l-o-n-g list of club recordings by Lightnin' Hopkins and by Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee.
   But the performances are quite spirited...Lightnin' Hopkins plays four solo numbers, including a soulful "Stool Pigeon Blues", after which he is joined by Terry and McGhee, and Big Joe Williams sits in on the excellent "Blues For Gamblers", an up-tempo "Right On That Shore", and the CD-only bonus track "Early Morning Blues", an ominous slow country blues sung by Big Joe Williams and Hopkins.
   
   The last half of the disc is dedicated to Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, sans Hopkins and Williams. All seven songs are superbly played and sung, including the highlights "Walk On", "Po' Boy", the instrumental "Blues For The Lowlands", and a joyous "Down By The Riverside".
   (The final two tracks are for some strange reason not from this August, 1961 performance at all, but are recorded at the Troubador, and I'm sure I've heard this particular rendition of "Walk On" before, too, but I can't figure out where!)
   
   This is fine acoustic blues played by five of the masters of the genre. An hour well spent, even if it is difficult to find anything to distinguish this set from the other folk club recordings that Hopkins, Terry and McGhee left behind on various other labels.
   3 3/4 stars.

4 comments about Chicago: The Living Legends.

1. I think Little Brother Montgomery,Roosevelt Sykes and Otis Spann are the best blues piano players ever.This is a performance of the first of them,at his best.I've bought recently this CD (Newbury _Comics).The price was incredibly low,the music wonderful.Thanks NC!



2. This disc is simply fantastic. Every song is fun, engaging, and well-articulated. Little Brother's vocals are also a perfect fit for the music. This disc is a mixture of old Blues and Jazz tunes, and is performed with great knowledge and sensitivity. I can't recommend this album enough, especially considering its extremely cheap price on Amazon.com. The liner notes are a bit skimpy, but I could not have been more pleased with this cd.



3. I'm biased, I just love the late great Little Brother Montgomery. My favourite piano player, even ahead of Pete, Slim, Roosevelt, Jack, et al. A very fine player, and here with a small combo of good buddies on horns, banjo, etc. An intimate album with a great feeling, and his singing hits the spot as much as his playing. My favourite post-war recordings by LBM.



4. Pure piano blues played wonderfully with soulful vocals by a physically small man whose talents were gigantic. I can't enough of the music in this cd.

No comments about Hootie!.

No comments about Up & Down the Highway Live: 1986.

No comments about The Rising Sun Collection.

1 comments about Live on the Creole Queen.

1. I HAD THE PLEASURE TO SEE ROLLAND PREFORM LIVE MANY TIMES.HE IS NOT ONLY A GREAT ARTIST AND PREFORMER HE WAS A SHOWMAN.BEING FROM NEW ORLEANS I WAS BROUGHT UP IN THE BEST YEARS IN THAT BEAUTIFUL CITY.ON THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY AND SUNDAY THE HOT CLUBS WERE THE SANDS THE WALNUT ROOM MASQUE LOUNGE SABU CLUB SAY WHEN CLUB NATILS CLUB DIXIES ON BOUBORN AFTER 12PM THE STRIP CLUBS ON BOUBORN WOULD HAVE JAM SESSIONS 12 PM TILL 6 AM ROLLAND WOULD SING AT THE CLUBS.HE WAS A GREAT SINGER WHO DIED TOO YOUNG BUT THEY TELL ME HEAVEN HAD A HELLAVA BAND.RIP MY FRIEND DIAMONDHEAD DENNIS

5 comments about Live at Ann Arbor & In Chicago.

1. sound quality - not so good. everything else about this disc -excellent. actually the sound makes it sound like getting your hands on a blues album, getting it down to your old turntable, and playing it trying to pick up any thing you can from it. he is definitely magic.



2. Live at Ann Arbor and In Chicago does not have the greatest sound. This fact would be admitted by anyone. Any concert taped by a tape recorder can only be remastered so much, if at all. So understand that the sound on this recording is not the best.
   
   But when you consider that Magic Sam Maghett was one of the great blues guitarists ever, that he has influenced every generation of blues musicians since his arrival on the scene, and when you remember that when he died in 1969 at the age of 32 with only two recorded albums, you should be willing to give a little to get a whole lot back.
   
   And these recording do give a lot. They show the Magic Sam we know and love from West Side Soul and Black Magic, the skilled guitarist, the compelling, pleading voice, and gifted songwriter. But they also show a Sam Maghett we would encounter only a live show - a master showman who knew how to engage his audience, a performer who might show up to a gig without a guitar or a band, but who could dig up a guitar and a band, and sound as if they had rehearsed for days.
   
   This live recording is a valuable document for all blues and Magic Sam lovers. Don't miss out because of understandable imperfections.



3. Currently, I'm goin' through the 'Rough Guide to the Blues' matching my own blues collection w/ the recommendations in the book - hoping to refine and add to my current discs; this 'live' disc is a top recommendation - personally, I do not own this CD, but I have had 'West Side Soul' & 'Black Magic' for many years - great albums; thus, I probably will not buy this 'live' compilation but its reputation and the writings of others certainly warrants a higher rating, despite the poor sound, often a 'victim' of these outings.



4. SO HERE HE IS...MAGIC SAM...LIVE...AS WELL AS NOT LIVING...ANYWAY YOU HAVE HIM HE IS A GREAT MAN OF THE BLUES...SO WHAT IF SOME OF THE TRACKS ARE NOT PRODUCED UP TO THE LEVEL OF OTHER RECORDINGS....THEY ARE THE BLUES....AND THAT IS WHAT IT IS....THE BLUES IS A FEEL...LIKE A BLESSING FROM HEAVEN....BLUES COMING THROUGH MAGIC SAM IS A WONDERFUL THING TO BE AROUND....DIG HIS LIVE TRACKS...IT SAYS IT ALL...RAW ...ROLLICKING...AND REAL...THAT IS WHAT THE BLUES IS ...WAS....AND WILL ALWAYS BE....THANK YOU MAGIC SAM...YOU ARE MUCH MORE THAN MAGIC...YOU ARE A MIRACLE...HOLLYWOOD JOE http://www.hollywoodjoe.com http://www.hollywoodjoe.8m.com hollywoodjoe@usa.com 212-989-6193



5. Magic Sam was magic.One of the greatest blues talents ever.This was one hell of a show,great guitar and great vocals.The setlist was also very good.The only problem is the sound,it's really bad.Save your money and buy one of his studio albums.I suggest either West side soul or Black magic.You won't be sorry.

1 comments about Montreux Festival.

1. Are you cool with putting on a CD and listening to only 1 or 3 songs? If not, pass on Montreux Festival and go buy one of the many excellent CD's that are available by Albert King, Little Milton & Chico Hamilton!

   The 3 Albert tracks here are outstanding - Albert in all his funky, string-bending, stage-bantering glory. But if you're buying it for the Albert tunes, you're only getting about 17 minutes of music.

   Little Milton is a blues stud in his own right, but not when you can't hear his guitar. What you can hear on this disc is him screaming to the sound guys "gimme some mike!" Unfortunately, he never gets it. The drums, bass, horns, and vocals are there, but that doesn't cut it. Little Milton without the guitar work is Little Milton you can do without! If you're interested, I recommend the albums Little Milton Sings Big Blues ('66) or Grits Ain't Groceries ('69).

   Chico Hamilton is an extremely talented jazz drummer and was influential on pyschedelic rockers such as Carlos Santana. Some of his music was on the bluesy side of what label-slingers call "soul jazz" and could work alongside some of Albert's stuff. In View is a good 12-minute jam of mostly drums, saxophone, and bass, but it isn't really bluesy and makes me wonder why it was chosen for inclusion on this album.

   If you're already into these guys, stay away from this one. If you're not, I highly recommend all 3 of them as musicians, but go with a different album.

No comments about In Concert.

No comments about Howlin': Blues Alive & Well.