JOE TURNER – 1941-1946 | The Classics Chronological Series – 940 (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The original blues shouter found a way to meld some of Jimmy Rushing's rambling jazz phrasing with the low-down tone he naturally bellowed out to Kansas City audiences -- sometimes while behind the bar serving drinks. And before hitting the charts with several early rock & roll hits, Big Joe Turner did bedrock work with such fine stride and boogie-woogie pianists as Pete Johnson, Freddie Slack, and Willie "The Lion" Smith. On Classics' 1941-1946 chronological sampler of Turner's early prime, these and other luminaries of the after-hours fraternity sympathetically back Turner over the course of 22 gems. A good chunk of the material finds Turner ideally framed by just a piano trio, with highlights including "Nobody in Mind" (Sammy Price is at the keys for this cut), "Little Bittie Gal's Blues," and "Blues on Central Avenue." As the last title indicates, this and several other numbers were recorded during Turner's wartime stay in L.A., where many blues and R&B performers first made it big. Piano trios and geographical considerations aside, there are also fine cameos from tenor great Don Byas and trumpeter Frankie Newton to expand the sonic landscape. A fine collection for listeners wanting to check out Turner's early work before the Atlantic party that was "Shake, Rattle & Roll." Stephen Cook  
Tracklist :
1     Nobody in Mind 2:52
J. Mayo Williams
2     Somebody's Got to Go 2:53
Lonnie Johnson
3     Ice Man 2:53
Louis Jordan
4     Chewed up Grass 2:32
J. Mayo Williams
5     Rocks in My Bed 3:12
Duke Ellington
6     Blues on Central Avenue 2:36
Joe Turner
7     Goin' to Chicago Blues 2:58
Count Basie / Jimmy Rushing
8     Sun Risin' Blues 2:47
Joe Turner
9     Blues in the Night 2:26
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
10     Cry Baby Blues 2:51
Sam M. Lewis / Joe Young
11     It's the Same Old Story 2:56
Joe Turner
12     Rebecca 2:40
Big Joe Turner
13     Little Bitty Gal's Blues 3:19
Joe Turner
14     I Got a Gal (For Every Day in the Week) 3:00
Joe Turner
15     S.K. Blues, Pt. 1 2:58
Saunders King
16     S.K. Blues, Pt. 2 2:55
Saunders King
17     Johnson and Turner Blues 2:59
Joe Turner
18     Watch That Jive 2:56
Joe Turner
19     Howlin' Winds 2:50
Joe Turner
20     Doggin' the Blues (Low Dog Blues) 3:04
Joe Turner
21     Miss Brown Blues 3:02
Joe Turner
22     I Got My Discharge Papers 2:40
Joe Turner