BOOGIE WOOGIE & BARRELHOUSE ★ Piano Volume 1 • 1928-1932 — The Complete Recorded Works of PINE TOP SMITH, CHARLES AVERY, FREDDIE "REDD" NICHOLSON, "JABO" WILLIAMS | DOCD-5102 (1992) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Boogie Woogie & Barrelhouse Piano, Vol. 1 (1928-1932) contains a selection of material from the classic early blues pianists Pine Top Smith, Charles Avery, Freddie Nicholson and Jabo Williams. For specialists and academics, there is some very interesting music here -- Pine Top Smith's tracks are pretty terrific -- but most casual listeners will find that the exacting chronological sequencing, poor fidelity (all cuts are transferred from original acetates and 78s) and similar-sounding performances make this collection of marginal interest. Thom Owens

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. More is known about Pine Top Smith than the rest of the pianists here put together, so it’s ironic there should have been so many conflicting accounts of his life and death. According to Sarah Horton, whom he married in 1924, it was in Pittsburgh he first started playing Pine Top’s Boogie Woogie. Cow Cow Davenport claimed to have originated the term, “boogie woogie”, when he met Pine Top in a joint in Pittsburgh’s Sachem Alley and told him, “You sure have got a mean boogie woogie”. Davenport, acting as talent scout, recommended Pine Top to J. Mayo Williams of Brunswick / Vocalion records and Smith moved to Chicago in the summer of 1928. Possibly Williams wasn’t sure how best to present his new artist – the first unissued sessions had him accompanied by jug and kazoo and teamed in a vocal duet but his first issued sides were two impeccable watershed performances. This was the first time “boogie woogie” appeared on record and seems to be a dance or step. Certainly the limpid grace of Pine Top’s rolling bass and the suspense of the breaks makes it eminently danceable. On his quick return to the studio another six sides mainly focused on his vaudeville repertoire – apart from the precise Jump Steady while I’m Sober Now combined both sides of his background in the serio-comic dialogue and musical mixture of Blues and “sentimental stuff”. One more recording, the unissued Driving Wheel Blues, and Pine Top was gone; a stray bullet in a dance-hall brawl ended his life just two days later, 15 March 1929. Pine Top’s seminal recordings ushered in a very brief but exciting Golden Age of Blues piano recordings of mostly new artists. Charles Avery is a total unknown with one solo, Dearborn Street Breakdown a driving, up-tempo boogie, from October 1929 to his name. He is known, if at all, for his backing Lucille Bogan on one session and his storming accompaniments to Lil Johnson and, perhaps, Willie Harris and, here, to Freddie “Redd” Nicholson another totally unknown singer. From the first Nicholson session Avery’s 63rd Street Stomp was unissued but the titles and his style place him firmly in the mainstream of Chicago piano blues and boogie. Jabo Williams is the odd man out. From his only session in 1932 one title, Pratt City, refers to his Birmingham, Alabama origins as do Fat Mama and House Lady two songs later recorded by Birmingham’s Walter Roland while Polock Town celebrates a section of East St Louis. Jab’s music is barrelhouse piano blues of a very high order – rolling basses and attacking treble, melodic themes and even one semi-ragtime piece in Pratt City. The double-sided Kokomo is interesting as the earliest (1932) mature version of the theme that would provide James Kokomo Arnold with a recording sobriquet and Robert Johnson with the basis for ‘Sweet Home Chicago’. DOCD-5102
Tracklist :
1    Pine Top Smith–    Pine Top's Blues (Take A)    2:52
2    Pine Top Smith–    Pine Top's Blues (Take B)    2:43
3    Pine Top Smith–    Pine Top's Boogie Woogie (Take A)    3:19
4    Pine Top Smith–    Pine Top's Boogie Woogie (Take B)    3:08
5    Pine Top Smith–    I Got More Sense Than That    2:47
6    Pine Top Smith–    I'm Sober Now    3:07
7    Pine Top Smith–    Big Boy They Can't Do That    3:32
8    Pine Top Smith–    Jump Steady Blues (Take A)    3:16
9    Pine Top Smith–    Jump Steady Blues (Take B)    3:15
10    Pine Top Smith–    Now I Ain't Got Nothing At All    2:45
11    Pine Top Smith–    Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out    2:43
12    Charles Avery–    Dearborn Street Breakdown    3:14
13    Freddie "Redd" Nicholson–    The Roller's Rub    3:15
14    Freddie "Redd" Nicholson–    Dirty No Gooder    2:56
15    Freddie "Redd" Nicholson–    You Gonna Miss Me Blues    2:58
16    Freddie "Redd" Nicholson–    I Ain't Sleepy    2:42
17    Freddie "Redd" Nicholson–    Freddie's Got The Blues    3:11
18    "Jabo" Williams–    Ko Ko Mo Blues - Part 1    3:14
19    "Jabo" Williams–    Ko Ko Mo Blues - Part 2    3:05
20    "Jabo" Williams–    House Lady Blues    3:29
21    "Jabo" Williams–    Jab Blues    3:15
22    "Jabo" Williams–    My Woman Blues    3:27
23    "Jabo" Williams–    Polock Blues    3:17
24    "Jabo" Williams–    Pratt City Blues    3:13
25    "Jabo" Williams–    Fat Mama Blues    3:13

TAMPA RED — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order ★ Volume 2 • 1929 | DOCD-5074 (1991) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The second volume in Document's series of Complete Recorded Works covers barely six months in the career of Tampa Red, though the range of material is quite wide. The slide guitar legend recorded a few guitar solos, led the Hokum Boys through several songs, did two sides of gospel, and invited high-profile guests including Georgia Tom, Frankie "Half Pint" Jaxon, and Lil Johnson. Thom Owens

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. The first session included here is a remake of a session that took place in December 1928. Why the original titles were not released, is not quite clear. Anyway, the January 1929 session showed a mixture of straight, low down blues and so-called “hokum blues”. This was to become Tampa Red’s trademark for the next three or four years. Following the success of “It’s Tight Like That”, Tampa Red and Georgia Tom recorded a couple of titles in mid-tempo with a refrain and double-entendre lyrics, often combined with a tongue-in-cheek-way of looking at things. (What about this as a definition for “hokum”?) On five titles we also hear Frankie “Half-Pint” Jaxon, an enigmatic singer, who fits perfectly in Tampa’s hokum concept. A good example for Tampa’s guitar style is the aptly titled Voice Of The Blues. Georgia Tom handles the vocals here, and Tampa Red can concentrate on his guitar playing. His delicate slide playing, full of subtleties, conveys the right atmosphere for a real low down blues. It becomes evident that Tampa could get across much more of his feelings to the listener by his slide than by his singing (he never was much of a singer). The last session on this album displays another specialty of Tampa Red. Under the name of “The Guitar Wizard” that was to reappear time and again in his long career, he demonstrated all his abilities as a solo guitarist. And a true “guitar wizard” he was indeed!. DOCD-5074
Tracklist :
1    Tampa Red "The Guitar Wizard" With Georgia Tom–    It's Tight Like That No. 3 2:48
Piano – Thomas A. Dorsey (Georgia Tom)
Vocals, Guitar – Tampa Red
2    Tampa Red "The Guitar Wizard" With Georgia Tom–    Uncle Bud (Dog-Gone Him) 2:37
Vocals, Guitar – Tampa Red
Vocals, Piano – Thomas A. Dorsey (Georgia Tom)
3    Tampa Red "The Guitar Wizard" With Georgia Tom–    Train Time Blues (Matrix TC-2792-A) 3:28
Piano – Thomas A. Dorsey (Georgia Tom)
Vocals, Guitar – Tampa Red
4    Tampa Red "The Guitar Wizard"–    How Long, How Long Blues 3:03
Guitar – Tampa Red
5    Tampa Red "The Guitar Wizard"–    It's Tight Like That 2:48
Guitar – Tampa Red "The Guitar Wizard"
6    The Hokum Boys–    Selling That Stuff (Matrix 21156-1) 2:50
Guitar – Tampa Red
Piano – Georgia Tom Dorsey
7    Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band–    Mess, Katie, Mess 2:56
Bass – Bill Johnson
Guitar – Tampa Red
Horn [Jazzhorn], Jug – Carl Reid
Piano – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Frankie Jaxon
Washboard – Herman Brown
8    Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band–    Sho' Is Hot 3:10
Bass – Bill Johnson
Guitar – Tampa Red
Horn [Jazzhorn], Jug – Carl Reid
Piano – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Frankie Jaxon
Washboard – Herman Brown
9    Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band–    Boot It Boy 2:56
Bass – Bill Johnson
Guitar – Tampa Red
Horn [Jazzhorn], Jug – Carl Reid
Piano – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Frankie Jaxon
Washboard – Herman Brown
10    Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band–    My Daddy Rocks Me (With One Steady Roll) 3:28
Bass – Bill Johnson
Guitar – Tampa Red
Horn [Jazzhorn], Jug – Carl Reid
Piano – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Frankie Jaxon
Washboard – Herman Brown
11    Tampa Red And Georgia Tom–    Givin' It Away 3:04
Piano – Georgia Tom
Vocals, Guitar – Tampa Red
12    Tampa Red And Georgia Tom–    What You Gonna Do? 2:52
Piano – Georgia Tom
Vocals, Guitar – Tampa Red
13    Tampa Red And Georgia Tom–    It's So Nice 3:17
Vocals, Guitar – Tampa Red
Vocals, Piano – Georgia Tom
14    Tampa Red And Georgia Tom–    Voice Of The Blues 3:00
Guitar – Tampa Red
Vocals, Piano – Georgia Tom
15    Gospel Camp Meeting Singers–    Come And Go To That Land 2:50
Guitar – Tampa Red
Piano [Poss.] – Georgia Tom Dorsey
Vocals [Vocal Group] – Unknown Artist
16    Gospel Camp Meeting Singers–    Hold To His Hand 2:57
Guitar – Tampa Red
Piano [Poss.] – Georgia Tom Dorsey
Vocals [Vocal Group] – Unknown Artist
17    Tampa Red, Georgia Tom–    The Duck Yas-Yas-Yas 2:52
Vocals, Guitar – Tampa Red
Vocals, Piano – Georgia Tom
18    Tampa Red, Georgia Tom–    Pat That Bread 2:37
Vocals, Guitar – Tampa Red
Vocals, Piano – Georgia Tom
19    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon–    It's Heated 3:27
Guitar – Tampa Red
Piano [Prob.] – Georgia Tom Dorsey
Vocals, Scraper – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
20    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon–    Jive Man Blues 2:48
Guitar – Tampa Red
Piano [Prob.] – Georgia Tom Dorsey
Vocals, Scraper – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
21    Tampa Red–    What Is It That Tastes Like Gravy? 2:48
Piano – Georgia Tom
Vocals, Guitar – Tampa Red
22    Tampa Red–    You Better Tighten Up On It 2:44
Piano – Georgia Tom
Vocals, Guitar – Tampa Red
23    Tampa Red "The Guitar Wizard"–    Prison Bound Blues 3:26
Guitar – Tampa Red "The Guitar Wizard"
24    Tampa Red "The Guitar Wizard"–    You Got To Reap What You Sow 3:17
Guitar – Tampa Red "The Guitar Wizard"
25    Lil Johnson–    House Rent Scuffle 2:47
Guitar – Tampa Red
Piano – Charles Avery
Vocals – Lil Johnson