LOUIS ARMSTRONG - Louis Armstrong Plays W. C. Handy (1954-1999) SACD / DSF-WV STEREO

This recording was not only Louis Armstrong's finest record of the 1950s but one of the truly classic jazz sets. Armstrong and his All-Stars (trombonist Trummy Young, clarinetist Barney Bigard, pianist Billy Kyle, bassist Arvell Shaw, drummer Barrett Deems, and singer Velma Middleton) were clearly inspired by the fresh repertoire, 11 songs written by W.C. Handy. Their nearly nine-minute version of "St. Louis Blues" -- with witty vocals, roaring Young trombone, and a couple of long majestic trumpet solos -- is arguably the greatest version of the oft-recorded song. Other highlights include "Loveless Love," "Beale Street Blues," and a romping version of "Ole Miss Blues." Essential music for all serious jazz collections. [Some reissues also include rehearsal versions of three songs, Louis Armstrong telling a joke, and a brief George Avakian interview with W.C. Handy.] by Scott Yanow 
Tracklist:
1. St Louis Blues 8:52
W.C. Handy 

Vocals – Louis Armstrong, Velma Middleton

2. Yellow Dog Blues 4:17 

Vocals – Louis Armstrong

W.C. Handy 

3. Loveless Love 4:29 

Vocals – Louis Armstrong, Velma Middleton

W.C. Handy 

4. Aunt Hagar’s Blues 4:58
Tim Brymn / W.C. Handy 
5 .Long Gone (From Bowling Green) 5:10
W.C. Handy / Chris Smith 
6. The Memphis Blues (Or Mister Crump) 3:00
W.C. Handy / George Norton 
7. Beale Street Blues 4:57

Vocals – Louis Armstrong

W.C. Handy 

8. Ole Miss Blues 3:26 

Vocals – Louis Armstrong

 W.C. Handy 

9. Chantez Les Bas (Sing ‘Em Low) 4:49

Vocals – Louis Armstrong

W.C. Handy 

10. Hesitating Blues 5:21 

Vocals – Louis Armstrong, Velma Middleton

W.C. Handy 

11. Atlanta Blues (Make Me One Pallet On Your Floor) 4:34 

Vocals – Louis Armstrong

David Elman / W.C. Handy 

12. George Avakian’s Interview With W.C. Handy 2:45
David Elman / W.C. Handy 
13. Loveless Love (rehearsal sequence) 5:56

W.C. Handy 

14. Hesitating Blues (rehearsal sequence) 5:40 

W.C. Handy 

Vocals – Louis Armstrong, Velma Middleton

15. Alligator Story 0:47 

16. Long Gone (From the Bowlin' Green)

W.C. Handy / Chris Smith

Credits:

Bass – Arvell Shaw

Clarinet – Barney Bigard

Drums – Barrett Deems

Piano – Billy Kyle

Trombone – Trummy Young

Trumpet, Vocals – Louis Armstrong

Vocals – Velma Middleton

LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND THE DUKES OF DIXIELAND - The Complete Louis Armstrong and the Dukes of Dixieland (2007) 3xCD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist 1:
1 Bourbon Street Parade 3:08
Paul Barbarin
2 Back O' Town Blues 4:02
Louis Armstrong / Luis Russell
3 Sweethearts On Parade 4:28
Carmen Lombardo / Charles Newman
4 Dippermouth Blues 2:32
King Oliver
5 Riverside Blues 4:28
Tommy Dorsey / Richard M. Jones
6 Bill Bailey 2:54
Traditional
7 Someday You'll Be Sorry 4:04
Louis Armstrong
8 Struttin' With Some Barbecue 5:10
Louis Armstrong / Lil Hardin / Don Raye
9 I Ain't Gonna Give Nobody None of My Jelly Roll 4:44
Clarence Williams / Spencer Williams
10 Cornet Chop Suey 2:14
Louis Armstrong
11 The Bucket's Got a Hole In It 2:14
Clarence Williams
12 Muskrat Ramble 4:06
Kid Ory
13 Bye and Bye 3:20
Traditional
14 Nobody Knows the Troubles I've Seen 4:45
Traditional
Tracklist 2:
1 South 3:36
Dick Charles / Thamon Hayes / Bennie Moten
2 Washington and Lee Swing 3:48
Thornton Allen / C.A. Robbins / Mark Sheafe
3 Avalon 4:48
Buddy DeSylva / Al Jolson / Vincent Rose
4 New Orleans 3:02
Hoagy Carmichael
5 That's a Plenty 3:50
Ray Gilbert / Lew Pollack
6 Just a Closer Walk With Thee 4:20
Traditional
7 Dixie 3:52
Traditional
8 The Sheik of Araby 3:26
Louis Armstrong / Louis Armstrong and the Dukes of Dixieland
9 Wolverine Blues 4:18
Jelly Roll Morton / Franklin Spikes / John Spikes
10 Sweet Georgia Brown 3:58
Maceo Pinkard
11 Limehouse Blues 4:42
Philip Braham / Douglas Furber
12 Bourbon Street Parade 3:18
Paul Barbarin
13 Back O' Town Blues 3:58
Louis Armstrong / Luis Russell
14 Sweethearts On Parade 5:28
Carmen Lombardo / Charles Newman
15 Dippermouth Blues 2:30
King Oliver
16 Riverside Blues 4:23
Tommy Dorsey / Richard M. Jones
Tracklist 3:
1 Bill Bailey 2:58

Traditional

2 Someday You'll Be Sorry 4:06
Louis Armstrong
3 I Ain't Gonna Give Nobody None of My Jelly Roll 4:48
Clarence Williams / Spencer Williams
4 Cornet Chop Suey  2:16
Louis Armstrong
5 The Bucket's Got a Hole In It 2:18
Clarence Williams
6 South 3:40
Dick Charles / Thamon Hayes / Bennie Moten
7 Avalon 6:24
Buddy DeSylva / Al Jolson / Vincent Rose
8 New Orleans 2:56
Hoagy Carmichael
9 That's a Plenty 3:52
Ray Gilbert / Lew Pollack
10 Just a Closer Walk With Thee 4:28
Traditional
11 Dixie 3:46
Traditional
12 The Sheik of Araby 3:30
Louis Armstrong / Louis Armstrong and the Dukes of Dixieland
13 Wolverine Blues 4:20
Jelly Roll Morton / Franklin Spikes / John Spikes
14 Sweet Georgia Brown 4:02
Maceo Pinkard
15 Limehouse Blues 5:09
Philip Braham / Douglas Furber
Credits:
Banjo – Fred Assunto, "Papa" Jac Assunto
Clarinet – Jerry Fuller
Drums – Red Hawley (tracks: 1-2 to 1-14, 2-13 to 2-16, 3-1 to 3-5), Owen Mahoney (tracks: 1-1, 2-1 to 2-12, 3-6 to 3-15)
Helicon, Bass – Richard Matteson (tracks: 1-1, 2-1 to 2-12, 3-6 to 3-15)
Piano – Stanley Mendelsohn
Trombone – "Papa" Jac Assunto (tracks: 1-1, 2-1 to 2-12, 3-6 to 3-15)
Trumpet, Vocals – Frank Assunto, Louis Armstrong
Tuba – Lowell Miller (tracks: 1-2 to 1-14, 2-13 to 2-16, 3-1 to 3-5)

LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS ALL STARS - Ambassador Satch (1955-2000) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

As Louis Armstrong traversed the globe, bringing jazz to every corner of it, live recordings became the norm. This reissue brings together 1955 concert recordings with the All-Stars from Milan and Amsterdam, buffeted with three previously unreleased bonus studio tracks recorded in New York and Hollywood. Both Satchmo and the All-Stars are in top-notch form here, playing with a real spirit of abandon. Another real good one to add to the collection. by Cub Koda
Tracklist:
1 Royal Garden Blues 5:10
Clarence Williams / Spencer Williams
2 Tin Roof Blues 4:30
George Brunies / Georg Brunis / Paul Mares / Walter Melrose / Ben Pollack / Leon Roppolo / Mel Stitzel / Melville Stitzel
3 The Faithful Hussar 6:11
Heinrich Frantzen / Hawkey Franzen
4 Muskrat Ramble 5:43
Ray Gilbert / Kid Ory
5 All of Me 4:16
Gerald Marks / Seymour Simons
6 Twelfth Street Rag 4:59
Euday L. Bowman / J.S. Sumner
7 Undecided 3:41
Sydney Robin / Charlie Shavers
8 Dardanella 2:59
Felix Bernard / Johnny Black / Johnny S. Black / Fred Fisher
9 West End Blues  4:16
King Oliver / Clarence Williams
10 Tiger Rag 3:37
Harry Da Costa / Eddie Edwards / Nick LaRocca / Henry W. Ragas / Tony Sbarbaro / Larry Shields
- Bonus Tracks -
11 Clarinet Marmalade 2:14
Eddie Edwards / Nick LaRocca / Henry W. Ragas / Tony Sbarbaro / Larry Shields
12 Someday You'll Be Sorry 4:26
Louis Armstrong
13 When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along 2:05
Harry Woods
Credits:
Bass – Arvell Shaw
Clarinet – Edmond Hall
Drums – Barrett Deems
Piano – Billy Kyle
Trombone – Trummy Young
Trumpet, Vocals – Louis Armstrong

BIX BEIDERBECKE - The Classic Years of Bix Beiderbecke (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist:
1. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Rhythm King 3:19
2. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - Riverboat Shuffle 3:08
3. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - There'll Come A Time 2:52
4. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Jazz Me Blues 3:01
5. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang At The Jazz Band Ball 2:50
6. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - Take Your Tomorrow 2:59
7. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - I'm Coming Virginia 3:10
8. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - I Like That 2:58
9. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Wa-Da-Da 3:00
10. The Wolverine Orchestra - Copenhagen 2:28
11. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Royal Garden Blues 3:00
12. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Goose Pimples 3:14
13. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Since My Best Girl Turned Me Down 3:03
14. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - Ostrich Walk 3:06
15. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Sorry 2:52
16. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - Crying All Day 3:02
17. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - Way Down Yonder In New Orleans 2:50
18. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - Clarinet Marmalade 3:14

FATS WALLER AND HIS RHYTHM - Breakin' the Ice : The Early Years, Part 1 (1934-1935) 2CD / RM (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This two-CD set has the first 42 recordings of Fats Waller with his Rhythm. The brilliant stride pianist/vocalist/ composer/personality became very popular due to these 1934-35 recordings which feature either Herman Autrey or Bill Coleman on trumpet, Gene Sedric, Ben Whitted, Mezz Mezzrow or Rudy Powell on reeds, guitarist Al Casey and a rhythm section. All of Waller's Victor recordings have been reissued on CD and this two-fer (which includes such memorable numbers as "A Porter's Love Song to a Chambermaid," "Serenade for a Wealthy Widow," "How Can You Face Me," "Honeysuckle Rose," "Believe It, Beloved," "I Ain't Got Nobody," "Oh Suzannah Dust Off That Old Pianna" and "You've Been Taking Lessons in Love") is a perfect place to start. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist 1:
1 A Porter's Love Song to a Chambermaid 3:19
2 I Wish I Were Twins 2:38
3 Armful O' Sweetness 3:00
4 Do Me a Favor 3:08
5 Georgia May 2:35
6 Then I'll Be Tired of You 3:08
7 Don't Let It Bother You 2:48
8 Have a Little Dream on Me 2:43
9 Serenade For a Wealthy Widow [Instrumental] 2:35
10 How Can You Face Me? 2:44
11 Sweetie Pie 3:03
12 Mandy 2:29
13 Let's Pretend There's a Moon 3:26
14 You're Not the Only Oyster in the Stew 3:10
15 Honeysuckle Rose 2:36
16 Believe It, Beloved 2:39
17 Dream Man (Make Me Dream Some More) 2:57
18 I'm Growing Fonder of You 3:17
19 If It Isn't Love 2:53
20 Breakin' the Ice 3:14
21 I'm a Hundred Percent For You 3:04
22 I'm a Hundred Percent For You [Instrumental]
Tracklist 2:
1 Baby Brown 3:10
2 Baby Brown [Instrumental] 2:31
3 Night Wind 3:20
4 Because of Once Upon a Time 3:11
5 I Believe in Miracles 2:52
6 You Fit Into the Picture 2:27
7 Louisiana Fairy Tale 3:26
8 I Ain't Got Nobody (And Nobody Cares For Me) 2:47
9 I Ain't Got Nobody [Instrumental] 2:49
10 Whose Honey Are You 2:35
11 Whose Honey Are You [Instrumental] 3:05
12 Rosetta 2:57
13 Rosetta [Instrumental] 2:46
14 Pardon My Love 3:04
15 What's the Reason (I'm Not Pleasin' You) 2:48
16 What's the Reason [Instrumental] 2:47
17 Cinders 2:57
18 Dust Off That Old Pianna, (Oh Suzannah) 2:32
19 Lulu's Back in Town 2:35
20 Sweet and Slow 3:29
21 You've Been Taking Lessons in Love (From Somebody New) 3:05
22 You're the Cutest One 3:21

FATS WALLER AND HIS RHYTHM - I'm Gonna Sit Right Down : The Early Years, Part 2 (1935-1936) 2CD /RM (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The second in a series of five CD packages that reissue all of Fats Waller's Victor recordings with his Rhythm, this two-CD set traces the pianist/composer/ vocalist/personality's career during a nine-month period. Among the sidemen are trumpeter Herman Autrey and either Rudy Powell or Gene Sedric on reeds; highlights include the hit version of "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter," a rambunctious "There'll Be Some Changes Made," "Truckin '," "Got a Bran' New Suit" and four performances from a big-band session. All of the Waller Victor recordings are full of joy and infectious swing. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist 1:
1 I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter 3:29
2 Hate To Talk About Myself 2:39
3 Dinah 3:06
4 Take It Easy 3:10
5 You're The Picture 3:36
6 My Very Good Friend The Milkman 3:30
7 Blue Because Of You 2:54
8 There's Going To Be The Devil To Pay 2:26
9 Twelfth Street Rag 2:47
10 There'll Be Some Changes Made 3:06
11 Somebody Stole My Gal 3:27
12 Sweet Sue - Just You (Take 1) 2:52
13 Sweet Sue - Just You (Take 2) 2:54
14 Truckin' 3:18
15 Sugar Blues 2:48
16 As Long As The World Goes Round And Round 3:03
17 Georgia Rockin' Chair 2:42
18 Brother Seek And Ye Shall Find 2:48
19 The Girl I Left Behind Me 3:12
20 You're So Darn Charming 2:42
Celesta – Fats Waller
21 Woe! Is Me 2:55
22 Rhythm And Romance 3:12
Tracklist 2:
1 Loafin' Time 2:27
2 A Sweet Beginning Like This 2:49
3 Got A Bran' New Suit 2:34
4 I'm On A See-Saw 3:00
5 Thief In The Night 2:50
6 When Somebody Thinks You're Wonderful 3:38
7 I've Got My Fingers Crossed 2:37
8 Spreadin' Rhythm Around 2:41
9 A Little Bit Independent 2:54
10 You Stayed Away Too Long 3:10
11 Sweet Thing 3:21
12 Fat And Greasy (Take 1) 3:09
13 Fat And Greasy (Take 2) 3:07
14 Functionizin' (Instrumental) 3:08
15 I Got Rhythm 3:08
16 The Panic Is On 3:15
17 Sugar Rose 3:09
18 Oooh! Look-a There Ain't She Pretty? 2:32
19 Moon Rose 2:53
20 West Wind 3:33
21 That Never-To-Be-Forgotten Night 3:12
22 Sing An Old Fashioned Song (To A Young Sophisticated Lady) 3:21
23 Garbo Green 2:59
Credits:
Bass – Charles Turner
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone – Rudy Powell (tracks: 1-1 to 2-5)
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Gene Sedric (tracks: 2-6 to 2-23)
Drums – Arnold Boling (tracks: 1-3 to 2-5), Harry Dial (tracks: 1-1 to 1-2), Yank Porter (tracks: 2-6 to 2-23)
Guitar – Al Casey (tracks: 1-1, 1-2), James Smith (tracks: 1-3 to 2-23)
Piano – Fats Waller
Trumpet – Herman Autrey
Vocals – Fats Waller (tracks: 1-1 to 2-13, 2-15 to 2-23)

FATS WALLER AND HIS RHYTHM - Fractious Fingering : The Early Years, Part 3 (1936) 2CD / RM (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

With the release of this two-CD set in 1997, it became possible for the first time ever to easily acquire all of pianist/composer/vocalist Fats Waller's Rhythm recordings of 1934-43. They are available in their entirety on three double-disc and three triple-disc sets, 15 discs in all. The 41 selections on this set feature Waller with trumpeter Herman Autrey, Gene Sedric on clarinet and tenor, guitarist Al Casey, bassist Charles Turner and either Yank Porter or Slick Jones on drums. The rarest performance ("Stay") has Elizabeth Handy (W.C.'s daughter) joining Fats for a duet vocal, and there are also five alternate takes (all previously released) of various tunes. This hard-swinging music is quite enjoyable (especially in small doses), with the most memorable selections including "All My Life," "Christopher Columbus" (with its hilarious lyrics), "Black Raspberry Jam," "Fractious Fingering," two run-throughs on "The Curse of an Aching Heart," the jubilant "Floatin' Down to Cotton Town," and two classic versions of "Swingin' Them Jingle Bells." This music is impossible not to like, and, as is always true of Fats Waller, it is touched with genius. by Scott Yanow  
Tracklist 1:
1 All Of My Life 2:44
2 Christopher Columbus (A Rhythm Cocktail) 2:50
3 Cross Patch 3:26
4 It's No Fun 2:45
5 Cabin In The Sky 3:24
6 Us On A Bus 2:38
7 Stay 2:54
Vocals – Elizabeth Handy
8 It's A Sin To Lie 2:54
9 The More I Know You 2:19
10 You're Not The Kind 3:04
Celesta – Fats Waller
11 Why Do I Lie To Myself About You? 2:50
12 Let's Sing Again 2:17
13 Big Chief De Sota 2:51
14 Black Raspberry Jam (Instrumental) 2:36
15 Bach Up To Me (Instrumental) 2:37
16 Fractious Fingering (Instrumental) 2:39
17 Paswonky (Instrumental) 2:32
18 Lounging At The Waldorf (Instrumental) 2:55
19 Latch On (Instrumental) 3:03
20 I'm Crazy 'bout My Baby (And My Baby's Crazy 'bout Me) 2:16
21 I Just Made Up With That Old Girl Of Mine 2:50
Tracklist 2:
1 (It Will Have To Do) Until The Real Thing Comes Along 3:22
2 There Goes My Attraction 2:11
3 The Curse Of An Aching Heart (Take 1) 2:28
4 The Curse Of An Aching Heart (Take 2) 2:25
5 Bye Bye, Baby 2:18
6 S'posin' 2:50
7 Copper Colored Gal 2:51
8 I'm At The Mercy Of Love 3:02
9 Floatin' Down To Cotton Town 2:18
10 La-De-De La-De-Da 2:58
11 Hallelujah! Things Look Rosy Now 2:40
12 Hallelujah! Things Look Rosy Now (Instrumental) 2:37
13 'Tain't Good (Like A Nickel Made Of Wood) 2:19
14 'Tain't Good (Like A Nickel Made Of Wood) (Instrumental) 2:17
15 Swingin' Them Jingle Bells 2:55
16 Swingin' Them Jingle Bells (Instrumental) 2:55
17 A Thousand Dreams Of You 2:52
18 A Thousand Dreams Of You (Instrumental) 2:55
19 A Rhyme For Love 2:40
20 I Adore You 2:46
Credits:
Bass – Charles Turner
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Gene Sedric
Drums – Slick Jones (tracks: 1-20 to 2-20), Yank Porter (tracks: 1-1 to 1-19)
Guitar – Al Casey
Piano – Fats Waller
Trumpet – Herman Autrey
Vocals – Fats Waller (tracks: 1-1 to 1-13, 1-20 to 2-11, 2-13, 2-15, 2-17, 2-19, 2-20)

BESSIE SMITH - The Complete Recordings Vol. 1 (1923-1924) 2CD (1991) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Bessie Smith wasn't the first of the classic blues singers to record, but once she did, she became the form's dominant force, with a voice that combined clear diction, great power, and a unique capacity to convey complex emotions. Weariness gives way to resilience and sorrow to joyous triumph in Smith's performances, and there's nobility in her delivery of even the sometimes tritely comic lyrics she sang. This is the first of five two-CD sets that gather all her known recordings. The first 38 songs, from February 1923 to April 1924, are here. Smith was a presence when she first arrived in the studio: "Downhearted Blues," her first record and already a hit for its composer, Alberta Hunter, would sell nearly 800,000 copies in its first six months of release. It's a riveting performance, but there's greater substance just a couple of months later in the bending notes of "Oh Daddy Blues." There are many majestic performances here, with Smith usually accompanied by just piano, played by songwriter Clarence Williams, her working accompanist Irving Johns, or Fletcher Henderson. When her accompaniments begin to expand, Don Redman makes an appearance on clarinet, but the great band recordings with Louis Armstrong remain in the future. The liner notes, by Smith's biographer, Chris Albertson, are excellent, filled with illuminating background 

Tracklist 1:

1. Down Hearted Blues 3:28

2. Gulf Coast Blues 3:07

3. Aggravatin' Papa 3:19

4. Beale Street mama 3:37

5. Baby Won't You Please Come Home 2:58

6. Oh Daddy Blues 3:07

7. 'Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do 3:29

8. Keeps On A-Rainin' (Papa, He Can't Make No Time) 3:09

9. Mama's Got The Blues 2:58

10. Outside Of That 3:30

11. Bleeding Hearted Blues 3:08

12. Lady Luck Blues 3:09

13. Yodling Blues 3:14

14. Midnight Blues 3:20

15. If You Don't, I Know Who Will 3:38

16. Nobody In Town Can Bake A Sweet Jelly Roll Like Mine 3:34

17. Jail-House Blues 3:16

18. St. Louis Gal 3:30

19. Sam Jones Blues 2:47

Tracklist 2:

1. Graveyard Dream Blues 2:46

2. Cemetery Blues 3:31

3. Far Away Blues 3:02

4. I'm Going Back to My Used to Be 2:56

5. Whoa, Tillie, Take Your Time 3:12

6. My Sweetie Went Away 3:13

7. Any Woman's Blues 3:28

8. Chicago Bound Blues 3:18

9. Mistreating Daddy 3:19

10. Frosty Morning Blues 3:16

11. Haunted House Blues 3:31

12. Eavesdropper's Blues 3:13

13. Easy Come, Easy Go Blues 3:11

14. Sorrowful Blues 3:19

15. Pinchbacks - Take 'Em Away 3:17

16. Rocking Chair Blues 3:16

17. Ticket Agent, Ease Your Window Down 3:20

18. Boweavil Blues 2:54

19. Hateful Blues 3:09

BESSIE SMITH - The Complete Recordings Vol. 2 (1924-1925) 2CD (1991) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Bessie Smith, even on the evidence of her earliest recordings, well deserved the title "Empress of the Blues" for in the 1920s there was no one in her league for emotional intensity, honest blues feeling, and power. The second of five volumes (the first four are two-CD sets) finds her accompaniment improving rapidly with such sympathetic sidemen as trombonist Charlie Green, cornetist Joe Smith, and clarinetist Buster Bailey often helping her out. However, they are overshadowed by Louis Armstrong, whose two sessions with Smith (nine songs in all) fall into the time period of this second set; particularly classic are their versions of "St. Louis Blues," "Careless Love Blues," and "I Ain't Goin' to Play Second Fiddle." Other gems on this essential set include "Cake Walkin' Babies From Home," "The Yellow Dog Blues," and "At the Christmas Ball." by Scott Yanow

 Tracklist 1:

1. Frankie Blues 3:34

2. Moonshine Blues 3:19

3. Lou'siana Low-Down Blues 3:25

4. Mountain Top Blues 3:14

5. Work House Blues 3:23

6. House Rent Blues 3:08

7. Salt Water Blues 3:29

8. Rainy Weather Blues 3:38

9. Weeping Willow Blues 3:12

10. The Bye Bye Blues 3:20

11. Sing Sing Prison Blues 3:06

12. Follow the Deal on Down 3:18

13. Sinful Blues 3:11

14. Woman's Trouble Blues 3:07

15. Love Me Daddy Blues 3:16

16. Dying Gambler's Blues 3:00

17. The St. Louis Blues 3:12

18. Reckless Blues 3:05

19. Sobbin' Hearted Blues 3:01

Tracklist 2:

1. Cold In Hand Blues 3:15

2. You've Been a Good Ole Wagon 3:30

3. Cake Walkin' babies (From Home) 3:11

4. The Yellow Dog Blues 3:05

5. Soft Pedal Blues 3:21

6. Dixie Flyer Blues 3:11

7. Nashville Woman's Blues 3:45

8. Careless Love Blues 3:27

9. J.C. Holmes Blues 3:05

10. I Ain't Goin' to Play Second Fiddle 3:23

11. He's Gone Blues 3:11

12. Nobody's Blues But Mine 2:53

13. I Ain't Got Nobody 3:11

14. My Man Blues 3:32

15. New Gulf Coast Blues 3:23

16. Florida Bound Blues 3:15

17. At the Christmas Ball 3:26

18. I've Been Mistreated and I Don't Like It 2:55

BESSIE SMITH - The Complete Recordings Vol. 3 (1925-1928) 2CD (1992) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Listening to this collection, recorded from 1925 to 1928 as Bessie Smith's popularity grew, one only wishes that the recording technology of the day were a match for Smith's incredible voice. Naturally, this two-disc set contains many of her classic recordings, including "Back Water Blues," "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair," "Lock and Key," "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," and "After You've Gone." This collection's also worth hearing for the backing musicians, who include Fletcher Henderson, James P. Johnson, Coleman Hawkins, and other luminaries of the day. To listen to Bessie Smith is to hear the blues unadulterated, and to understand what inspired so many contemporaries and later singers, from Billie Holiday to Janis Joplin. by Genevieve Williams

Tracklist 1:

1. Red Mountain Blues 3:13

2. Golden Rule Blues 3:05

3. Lonesome Desert Blues 3:26

4. Them "Has Been" Blues 03:33

5. Squeeze Me 2:53

6. What's The Matter Now? 2:46

7. I Want Every Bit Of It 2:38

8. Jazzbo Brown From Memphis Town 3:21

9. The Gin House Blues 3:14

10. Money Blues 3:12

11. Baby Doll 3:01

12. Hard Driving Papa 2:59

13. Lost Your Head Blues 2:56

14. Hard Time Blues 3:14

15. Honey Man Blues 3:14

16. One And Two Blues 02:55

17. Young Woman's Blues 3:09

18. Preachin' The Blues 2:52

19. Back Water Blues 3:19

20. After You've Gone 2:57

21. Alexander's Ragtime Band 2:58

Personnel includes: Bessie Smith (vocals);
Lincoln M. Conaway (guitar);
Charlie Dixon (banjo);
Don Redman (clarinet, alto saxophone);
Buster Bailey, Coleman Hawkins (clarinet);
Shelton Hemphill, Joe Smith (cornet);
Fletcher Henderson, Clarence Williams, James P. Johnson, Porter Grainger (piano).
Recorded between 1925 and 1928.This is part of Legacy's Roots N' Blues series.Volume 3 of Columbia's five-box, ten-CD set finds Bessie Smith at the height of her career as a touring artist, recording consistently with high-caliber pianists like Fletcher Henderson and stride king James P. Johnson. While she was billed as "Empress of the Blues," Smith's accompanists handled her material in the small-group jazz style of the day, and her repertoire drew as much from tin pan alley, novelty and the vaudeville stage as it did from hokum and twelve-bar sources. There are many blues tunes here, but often the word was used as a marketing device rather than to connote a specific rhyme scheme or chord structure. On some of the later sides in Volume 3, the ensemble is expanded to include two horns--usually Joe Smith on cornet, with Jimmy Harrison or Charlie Green on trombone--and for one session, clarinet (a young Coleman Hawkins on "Alexander's Ragtime Band") and banjo. Chris Albertson's detailed history of Smith's life and career is continued in the accompanying booklet, which features numerous photographs of Smith and her colleagues and reproductions of various advertisements, studio logs, and 78 labels.

Tracklist 2:

1. Muddy Water (A Mississippi Moan) 3:08

2. There'll Be A Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight 3:20

3. Trombone Cholly 3:12

4. Send Me To The 'Lectric Chair 3:23

5. Them's Graveyard Words 2:59

6. Hot Spring Blues 2:57

7. Sweet Mistreater 3:02

8. Lock And Key 2:59

9. Mean Old Bedbug Blues 3:14

10. A Good Man Is Hard To Find 3:02

11. Homeless Blues 3:01

12. Looking For My Man Blues 2:50

13. Dyin' By The Hour 3:00

14. Foolish Man Blues 2:55

15. Thinking Blues 3:10

16. Pickpocket Blues 2:44

17. I Used To Be Your Sweet Mama 2:51

18. I'd Rather Be Dead And Buried In My Grave 2:57

BESSIE SMITH - The Complete Recordings Vol. 4 (1928-1931) 2CD (1993) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The fourth of five volumes (the first four are two-CD sets) that reissue all of Bessie Smith's recordings traces her career from a period when her popularity was at its height down to just six songs away from the halt of her recording career. But although her commercial fortunes might have slipped, Bessie Smith never declined and these later recordings are consistently powerful. The two-part "Empty Bed Blues" and "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" (hers is the original version) are true classics and none of the other 40 songs (including the double-entendre "Kitchen Man") are throwaways. With strong accompaniment during some performances by trombonist Charlie Green, guitarist Eddie Lang, Clarence Williams's band and on ten songs (eight of which are duets) the masterful pianist James P. Johnson, this volume (as with the others) is quite essential.

Tracklist 1:

1. Standin' In The Rain Blues 2:56

2. It Won't Be You 2:49

3. Spider Man Blues 3:24

4. Empty Bed Blues (Part 1) 3:03

5. Empty Bed Blues (Part 2) 3:22

6. Put It Right Here (Or Keep It Out There) 3:00

7. Yes Indeed He Do! 3:17

8. Devil's Gonna Git You 3:12

9. You Ought To Be Ashamed 3:08

10. Washwoman's Blues 3:10

11. Slow And Easy Man 2:58

12. Poor Man's Blues 3:26

13. Please Help Me Get Him Out Of My Mind 2:58

14. Me And My Gin 2:52

15. I'm Wild About That Thing 2:50

16. You've Got To Give Me Some 2:44

17. Kitchen Man 2:58

18. I've Got What It Takes (But It Breaks My Heart To Give It Away) 3:11

19. Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out 3:00

20. Take It Right Back ('Cause I Don't Want It Here) 3:20

Tracklist 2:

1. He's Got Me Goin' 3:15

2. It Makes My Love Come Down 2:58

3. Wasted Life Blues 3:05

4. Dirty No-Gooder's Blues 3:00

5. Blue Spirit Blues 2:58

6. Worn Out Papa Blues 2:51

7. You Don't Understand 3:06

8. Don't Cry Baby 3:12

9. Keep It To Yourself 3:33

10. New Orleans Hop Scop Blues 2:59

11. See If I'll Care 3:26

12. Baby Have Pity On Me 3:21

13. On Revival Day (A Rhythmic Spiritual) 2:57

14. Moan, You Moaners 3:13

15. Hustlin' Dan 3:33

16. Black Mountain Blues 3:11

17. In The House Blues 3:02

18. Long Old Road 3:28

19. Blue Blues 3:15

20. Shipwreck 3:20

These recordings reaching from the height of Bessie Smith's fame into her decline in popularity are required listening, covering the years 1928 through 1931. Not only was her voice stronger than ever, but her control over the material was topnotch; she balanced on the fine line between seductive charm and overt sexuality with apparent ease. Some of her best material ever appears on volume 4 of this 5-volume set, including "Standin' in the Rain Blues," "Empty Bed Blues" (speaking of overtness...), "Devil's Gonna Git You," "I'm Wild About That Thing," "Blue Spirit Blues"... but it's useless to even try to list favorites. Smith's voice is so rich and expressive despite the primitive recording technology of the day, one can only imagine what it must have been like to hear her live. And trombonist Charlie Green and pianist James P. Johnson are featured prominently here as well. by Genevieve Williams

BESSIE SMITH - The Complete Recordings, Vol. 5 : The Final Chapter (2CD) 1996 / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Bessie Smith cut 160 sides for the Columbia and OKeh labels between 1923 and 1933, and the four previous two-CD/cassette box sets of her complete recordings released in the 1990s covered 154 of them, which introduces the question, what can a fifth two-CD/cassette box set contain in addition to the remaining six cuts? First, there are five previously unreleased alternate takes; second, there is the 15-minute low-fi soundtrack to the two-reel short St. Louis Blues, which constitutes the only film of Smith; and third, taking up all of the second CD/cassette, there are 72 minutes of interview tapes of Ruby Smith, Bessie Smith's niece, who traveled as part of her show. The box contains a "Parental Advisory -- Explicit Lyrics" warning because of the nature of Ruby Smith's reminiscences. You won't learn much about Bessie Smith's music from her niece's remarks, but you will learn a lot about her sexual preferences. by William Ruhlmann

The last two-CD set in this five-volume collection contains a lot of curiosities, and several pieces of required listening as well: "Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl," "Do Your Duty," and "Gimme a Pigfoot" are all here. For curiosities, there's the St. Louis Blues soundtrack, from a film short that contains the only footage of Smith. The second CD consists entirely of interviews with Smith's niece, Ruby Smith, which, while of secondary interest to the music, make for fascinating listening. In a gradual, rambling way, Ruby constructs an image of her famous aunt that reveals additional facets of the Empress of the Blues. by Genevieve Williams

Tracklist 1:

1. Need A Little Sugar In My Bowl 2:50

2. Safety Mama 3:26

3. Do Your Duty 3:27

4. Gimme A Pigfoot 3:31

5. Take Me For A Buggy Ride 2:38

6. I'm Down In The Dumps 3:12

7. The Yellow Dog Blues 3:18

8. Soft Pedal Blues 3:22

9. Nashville Women's Blues 3:19

10. Careless Love Blues 3:30

11. Muddy Water (A Mississippi Moan) 3:16

12. St. Louis Blues Soundtrack - Band Intro 0:45

13. St. Louis Blues Soundtrack - Crap Game 5:43

14. St. Louis Blues Soundtrack - St. Louis Blues 8:19

 Tracklist 2:

1. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith - Bessie Disappears 4:50

2. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith - Waldorf-Astoria Party 7:15

3. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith - Bessie & Jack, I 2:52

4. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith Bessie & Jack II - Bessie & The Ladies 10:23

5. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith - Life On The Road, I 11:14

6. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith - Life On The Road, II 14:02

7. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith Bessie & Gertrude Saunders - Life On The Road, III 21:18

CD 1: tracks 1-6 - 20 November 1931 - 24 November 1933

CD 1: tracks 7-12 (Alternate Takes & Live) - 6 May 1925 - Late June 1929

CD 2: Ruby Smith Dialogue/Interview

LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND THE ALL STARS - New Orleans Nights (1957) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Verve's 2008 reissue of New Orleans Nights, a Louis Armstrong album originally released on Decca in 1957, is a compilation of recordings made in 1950 and 1954 by two different bands operating under the noble mantle of Louis Armstrong and the All Stars. "Panama," "New Orleans Function," "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It," and "Bugle Call Rag" testify to the integrity of the earlier group, with Armstrong leading Jack Teagarden, Barney Bigard, Earl Hines, Arvell Shaw, and Cozy Cole, who is granted extra long drum breaks during the "Bugle Call Rag." On "Struttin' with Some Barbecue" and "Basin Street Blues," Tea is replaced by Trummy Young, Hines by Billy Kyle, and Cole by Kenny John. Tenor saxophonist Bud Freeman sat in on "Basin Street"; it's a pity that he didn't participate on "Barbecue," as the warmth and ease that characterizes this elegant update of Lil Hardin Armstrong's magnum opus would have fit Freeman's personality like a favorite pair of argyles. by arwulf arwulf
Tracklist:
1 Panama 5:04
Louis Armstrong
2 New Orleans Function: Flee as a Bird/Oh Didn't He Ramble/March/Parade a 6:40
William Hardy, Jr.
3 Struttin' with Some Barbecue 6:00
Louis Armstrong
4 Basin Street Blues 5:50
Spencer Williams
5 My Bucket's Got a Hole In It 3:42
Clarence Williams
6 Bugle Call Rag 8:45
Billy Meyers / Jack Pettis / Elmer Schoebel
Credits:
Bass – Arvell Shaw
Vocals – Jack Teagarden (tracks: 5), Louis Armstrong (tracks: 5)
Voice – Louis Armstrong (tracks: 2)
Chorus – Louis Armstrong (tracks: 4)
Clarinet – Barney Bigard
Drums – Cozy Cole (tracks: 1, 2, 5, 6), Kenny John (tracks: 3, 4)
Piano – Billy Kyle (tracks: 3, 4), Earl Hines (tracks: 3, 4)
Tenor Saxophone – Bud Freeman (tracks: 4)
Trombone – Jack Teagarden (tracks: 1, 2, 5, 6), "Trummie" Young (tracks: 3, 4)
Trumpet – Louis Armstrong

LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND THE ALL STARS - New Orleans Nights (1957)

(2008) DECCA / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

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