I Blueskvarter: Chicago 1964 Vol. 1

 (Jefferson)

   The title is Swedish for "In Blues Quarters" and judging from the contents those quarters where packed with great bluesmen. These recordings were made by Olle Helander, a radio host for the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation who traveled to Chicago in 1964 for the express purpose of recording the blues. In addition there were trips to New Orleans and Memphis all of which were the raw material for the 21 part documentary radio series I Bluekvarter which first aired on Swedish Radio in the Autumn of 1964.

  That these recordings have sat on the shelf for over thirty years is amazing considering the quality of the music and the legendary status some of these artists attained. Included in this 2Cd set, Volume 1 of a projected series, are sides by Willie Mabon, James Brewer, Eddie Boyd, Yank Rachell, Johnny Young, Sunnyland Slim, Walter Horton and a young Mike Bloomfield. After six seperate sessions with fourteen musicians, Olle Helander and his engineer left Chicago with a total of ninety-nine sides. Thirty five of these can be found on this collection in addition to four interviews.

  Willie Mabon is probably best known for his smash "I Don't Know" which topped the R&B charts for eight weeks in 1952 for Chess Records. At the time of this session Mabon's Chess days were over and just prior to these recordings he had recorded for USA and Mad. Mabon's five cuts are an equal mix of R&B and straight blues with his wonderful plaintive vocals. Highlights are the aforementioned "I Don't Know", the Fats Domino influenced  "Michelle" and the swaggering "I'm the Fixer." The real standout is the poignant, weary blues of "I'm Hungry" which starts out with one of the most downtrodden blues lines ever- "My life is bare, I see pork chops in the air!"

  Moving from the modern sounds of Willie Mabon are the traditional Mississippi blues of James Brewer. Brewer is certainly the least known of the bunch and unlike the others had never recorded any commercial singles. Brewer traveled extensively before settling in Chicago in 1940 and had been playing at a local coffeehouse prior to these recordings. Brewer's music draws heavily from Mississippi artists who recorded in the 20's and 30's. Included here are versions of Tommy Johnson's "Big Road Blues", Big Maceo's "Poor Kelly Blues" as well as a number of fine originals.

  Eddie Boyd is best know for his immortal classic "Five Long Years" but he scored a number of other hits in addition to being a fine songwriter and pianist. Boyd's five cuts find him in solid form helped out with some very effective slide by Mike Bloomfied. Included are a fine version of his signature tune, the jumping instrumental "Early Grave" and a lowdown version of another Boyd original, "The Big Question."

  Sunnyland Slim is the third piano player featured on this set and representing a time when the piano played a much more prominent role in the blues. Slim was a true patriarch of the Chicago blues scene playing with just about everyone in a recording career that spanned from the 40's through the 90's. These sides find Sunnyland at the peak of his powers running through a number of fine covers. Sunnyland pays homage to his friends with spoken introductions to a number of covers including Mercy Dee's "One Room Country Shack" and Big Bill's "Rock Me." Sunnyland's wall rattling vocals and rumbling piano are very effective particularly on the stomping instrumental "Sunnyland Jump." Bloomfield is on hand providing sympathetic support.

  The mandolin is not usually thought of as a blues instrument but this collection brings together two of the finest players, Yank Rachell and Johnny Young. Rachell's carreer spans an amazing  60 plus years playing with such legends as Sleepy John Estes, Sonny Boy Williamson I, Big Joe Williams and many others. On these recordings he's helped out by John Lee Granderson on guitar and the versatile Mike Bloomfield on piano. 

  Johnny Young was a brilliant guitarist and mandolin player who was very much under-recorded during his lifetime. Young's sound reflects a more contemporary sound than Rachell's blending his mandolin skillfully with the modern Chicago sound. On these recordings he's backed by a full band including Otis Spann, arguably the finest of the post-war piano players, Robert Whithead on drums and Slim Willis a superb harmonica player who surprisingly recorded very little. These sides rank as some of the best Young has recorded.

  Speaking of great sides, Walter Horton's six tracks have to rank as some of his best work as leader. Horton first recorded under his own name in 1951 but much of his best work was as a sideman. On these six tracks he's backed by the brilliant slide guitarist Robert Nighthawk who unfortunately only plays backup displaying none of his amazing technique. Horton has rarely sounded better coaxing some amazing sounds out of his harmonica and it's no wonder many considered him one of the instruments greatest practitioners. Horton sounds great on the uptempo "Let's Have a Good time" and "I'm in the Mood" but really shines on the eerie, atmospheric instrumental reading of "Trouble in Mind" which is truly spine tingling.

  I Blueskvarter belongs in every blues collection as an essential document of Chicago blues in it's heyday. While most think of Chess records representing the Chicago sound this collection provides a broader and truer sense of the scope of post-war Chicago blues. In addition to the wonderful music the set comes with a well written and informative 32 page booklet that also has some excellent photos. The good news is that more volumes will be coming out but in the meantime this should keep blues fans more than satisfied.

(Jeff Harris)

Lightnin' Hopkins: Straight Blues 

Reverand Gary Davis: A little More Faith 

Pink Anderson: Medicine Man Show 

Sonny Terry and His Mouth Harp 

Driftin' Slim: Somebody Hoo-Doo'd the Hoo-Doo Man 

  Fantasy Records continues to mine their deep blues vaults with these five reissues. These are all under the Original Blues Classics  umbrella which include recordings from the Prestige/Bluesville, Riverside and Milestone labels. With the exception of the Sonny Terry disc, which was cut in the 50's, these recordings come from the 60's and were aimed squarely at the growing folk boom. Bluesville and Riverside, both subsidiaries of Prestige, were some of the earliest labels to record rural blues which was beginning to be taken more seriously by white folk fans.  

  Sonny terry is best known for his work with his long time partner Brownie McGhee. Sonny Terry and His Mouth Harp  comes from a 1953 date backed sparsely by guitarist Alec Seward. Terry runs through a mostly familiar set of standards including a spirited reading of "Move to Kansas City", "John Henry" and "Red River" among others. Terry's joyous, whooping harp is heard to good effect particularly on the frantic "Fox Chase" and the risqué' "Custard Pie." "Goodbye Leadbelly" is a moving original dedicated to Terry's friend who had passed four years earlier. Perhaps not as dynamic as the recordings he did with his partner this is still a strong set of blues and folk music.

  The music of Pink Anderson represents a broader strain of black music then simply blues. Anderson had played in medicine shows for close to thirty years and was as much an entertainer and showman as he was a musician. On this record Anderson displays an excellent finger picking style as he rolls through a repertoire of blues, rags, and folk music. Medicine Show Man is the second of three fine records he cut for the Prestige/Bluesville label in 1961. Anderson's gentle Piedmont blues is good time music and showcases his fine sense of  humor especially on the mouth watering "Greasy Greens" and "I Got Mine."

 Lyrically the music of Reverend Gary Davis may be religious but musically it's firmly grounded in the blues. Davis had first cut sides in 1935 which were a mixture of blues and gospel songs. Soon after he quit playing that Devil's music to serve the Lord. Davis ragtime guitar style is truly astonishing displaying amazing speed and dexterity that few others could match. His vocals are an equally potent force that could scare even the most hardened sinner into going straight. A Little More Faith was recorded in 1961 when Davis was 65 and showed no mellowing with age. These twelve numbers are a beautiful, moving testament to one man's faith and conviction.

  If the blues had a true poet it would be Lightnin' Hopkins who made poetry from the events of everyday life. Hopkins had a seemingly inexhaustible supply of songs often making them up on the spot. Similarly his guitar licks were always surprising and unpredictable whether on boogies like "I Like to Boogie" or on philosophical numbers such as the beautiful "Got No Where to Lay My Head", he always sounded inspired. Straight Blues is taken from sessions cut for Prestige/Bluesville in 1961 and 1964 including a couple of live tracks from an undisclosed location. Hopkins was not only prolific, cutting eleven albums for Prestige/Bluesville and many more for other labels, but also amazingly consistent and this is a typically fine set of blues. Just listening to him weave his wonderfully wise and witty reflections on the live tracks are worth the price of this CD. 

  Driftin' Slim aka Elmon Mickle is likely the least known of these artists. Born in Arkansas in 1919 he learned harmonica from Sonny Boy Williamson I who taught him the rudiments of the instrument. In the flush of the "folk-music boom" of the mid-'60s, Slim was rediscovered and recorded for a number labels  including these sessions for Milestone in 1966 and 1967. In addition to being a fine harmonica player he was also his own one man band playing guitar, harmonica and drums on ten of these fifteen selections. These are stellar examples of country blues including a couple of harmonica showcases on "Mama Blues" and "Jonah" to a pair of charming spoken autobiographical pieces. The real surprise are five band cuts backed by electric guitar and bass that update Slim's sound beautifully particularly on a very modern sounding "Hoo-Doo Man Blues" and the shuffle blues of "Mama Don't Tear My Clothes." This is one not to be missed.

  The music recorded by some of the "blues revival" labels of the 60's is sometimes unfairly judged as period pieces, somehow diluted by the folk music which first drew white audiences to the blues. These reissues prove that much of this music does indeed stand the test of time.

(Jeff  Harris)