BESSIE SMITH – 1927-1928 | The Classics Chronological Series – 870 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

By the spring of 1927 Bessie Smith was making some of the toughest records of her entire career. Whoever lined her up with a sextet led by Fletcher Henderson did the world a great service, for here we get to enjoy Smith's handling of selections directly from the heart of the jazz repertoire. "After You've Gone" takes on all the majesty of Smith's best blues, and she seems to relish providing us with the verse in addition to the familiar chorus. "Alexander's Ragtime Band" is suddenly more substantial than ever before. This woman could sing anything. Even "Muddy Water (A Mississippi Moan)" completely transcends its Tin Pan Alley origins, becoming a fine slow drag without any vestiges of kitsch. "There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight" has been described by military historians as the theme song for the Spanish-American War. Hearing Smith sing it is one of the cardinal experiences in all of traditional music. She made every song into something peculiarly her own. That's Coleman Hawkins back there with a clarinet. On the following day, March 3 1927, Smith teamed up with her tried-and-true Blue Boys. "Trombone Cholly" is a tribute to Charlie Green, also known as "Big Green." His well-timed interactions with the singer's powerful voice, supported by the cornet of Joe "Fox" Smith and Fletcher Henderson's piano, are a wonder to behold. Green lovingly nudges her along through the verses of "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair," a harrowing tale of knife-inflicted double homicide. "Them's Graveyard Words" carries a similar murderous current, something Smith was always happy to convey. Few vocalists have ever been able to express honestly troubled feelings with this blend of gravity and humor. April 1, 1927 found the singer once again in the distinguished company of pianist James P. Johnson. Bessie Smith specialized in the artful portrayal of the pissed-off woman archetype. "Lock and Key," a hilarious indictment of a cheater, has Smith stripping her unfaithful man of nearly every article of clothing she bought him. At one point the scenario is garnished with a colorful threat: "I'll shoot them off if I hear you cough!" This is one of Smith's very best pieces of theatrical entertainment, especially on account of her excellent working relationship with James P. Johnson. "Mean Old Bed Bug Blues" takes things down to a funkier texture of piano and glib blues guitar. Smith's reading of "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" might be the most soulful version ever caught on record. "Homeless Blues," dealing specifically with Mississippi floodwater disaster, is an extension of "Back Water Blues." Even as her accompaniments change from date to date, Smith's blues are consistently fine, as when Tommy Ladnier's trumpet finds common ground with the tuba of June Cole. It simply doesn't get much better than this. arwulf arwulf  
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