CHARLES BROWN – 1944-1945 | The Classics Chronological Series – 894 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This Classics CD features pianist/vocalist Charles Brown on his first 22 recordings, when he was a sideman with guitarist Johnny Moore's Three Blazers. Brown already sounded quite distinctive, and as it turned out, the 21st song ("Drifting Blues") was his biggest hit. The music, due to the instrumentation (a trio/quartet with bassist Eddie Williams and sometimes Oscar Moore on second guitar), is a bit reminiscent at times of the Nat King Cole Trio, but it had a special soul and feeling of its own. Frankie Laine makes a couple of early appearances, but Brown takes care of the bulk of the vocals, and there are also eight excellent instrumentals. Recommended. Scott Yanow
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CHARLES BROWN – 1946 | The Classics Chronological Series – 971 (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

With the great success of the slow blues ballad "Driftin' Blues," Johnny Moore's Three Blazers emphasized laidback material on record after record in 1946, looking for another hit. Ironically the main star of virtually all of the records, pianist-vocalist Charles Brown, was given second billing if he was mentioned at all, while guitarist Moore (who is joined by bassist Eddie Williams) was often mistaken as the singer. Brown would stick with Moore into 1947 and was largely responsible for the group's success. The second Classics CD to reissue all of the trio's recordings includes 23 enjoyable titles that mostly have a sameness to them in tempo and mood. All are vocal showcases for Brown except for the two-part "Warsaw Concerto" and "Nutmeg," the lone instrumentals. A worthwhile set but not as essential a release as the earlier volume in this series. Scott Yanow
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CHARLES BROWN – 1946-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1088 (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The 24 selections on this Classics CD (their third Charles Brown release) were all recorded by Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, a trio consisting of guitarist Moore, bassist Eddie Williams, and the real star, pianist-vocalist Charles Brown. The final three numbers add Moore's brother, Oscar Moore (formerly with the Nat King Cole Trio), on second guitar. Unlike with their earlier pre-"Driftin' Blues" material, the emphasis is generally on slower tempos with Brown having a vocal on every selection. Most notable is the hit version of "Merry Christmas Baby"; other highlights include "Was I to Blame for Falling in Love With You," "Huggin' Bug," "St. Louis Blues," "Juke Box Lil," and "New Orleans Blues." The Blazers' style, a more bluish version of the Nat King Cole Trio, is always pleasing. However, since Charles Brown was getting very little recognition for his talents (audience members often thought that he was Johnny Moore!), he would not be sticking around in the group much longer. Scott Yanow
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CHARLES BROWN – 1947-1948 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1147 (2000) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Although the 24 selections on this CD have been reissued under pianist/vocalist Charles Brown's name, he is actually the featured sideman with Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, a band also including guitarists Johnny Moore and Oscar Moore, plus bassist Eddie Williams. However, putting it under Brown's name is only fitting because he has vocals on all but one of the selections (the instrumental "Scratch Street") and is the most impressive soloist. These performances, cut for the small Los Angeles-based Exclusive label, are mostly little-known (making them formerly rare collector's items), and the set overall has more tempo and mood variation than the earlier classics; the band was not trying as hard to duplicate the success of "Driftin' Blues." Recommended. Scott Yanow
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CHARLES BROWN – 1948-1949 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1210 (2001) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Pianist/singer Charles Brown left Johnny Moore's Three Blazers in 1948 since Brown's vocals were chiefly responsible for the group's success, but he was receiving no credit; people thought that he was Johnny Moore. His first 24 records as a leader, with Chuck Norris or Tiny Mitchell on guitar and bassist Eddie Williams, are reissued on this disc. The music was all recorded for the Aladdin label and nine of the selections were previously unreleased. "Trouble Blues" and "Get Yourself Another Fool" were minor hits. The main problem with the music is that virtually every song is at the same medium-slow tempo, so listening to this set straight through can be a little tedious. But it is very good to have this formerly rare material available in such comprehensive form. Scott Yanow
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CHARLES BROWN – 1949-1951 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1272 (2000) FLAC (tracks), lossless

With an elegant piano style and a smooth voice that made him sound a little bit like a gruffer Nat King Cole, Charles Brown's jazz-tinged blues is the perfect music for a late-night wind-down. Unfortunately, as this disc of late sides cut for Aladdin Records shows, much of his material worked from the same template, an unhurried tempo that, although effective in small doses, just sort of blends together over the long haul, so much so that when the midtempo "Gee!" hits here at the middle of the set, it almost feels like speed metal. Still, this is a worthwhile compilation, because what Brown did well, he did very well, and underneath everything was that wonderful, jazzy piano style, which was central to the sound of West Coast blues. Steve Leggett
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