BESSIE SMITH – 1923 | The Classics Chronological Series – 761 (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This document of Smith's first year in the studio reveals a blues giant in full command of her talents. And while later dates -- especially the epochal 1925 sessions with Louis Armstrong -- offer more in the way of the era's horn-blowing royalty, these early sides nicely showcase Smith in the unadorned company of a variety of top pianists like Clarence Williams and Fletcher Henderson. The Empress of the Blues flexes her vocal muscle throughout, ranging from Broadway fare like "Baby Won't You Please Come Home" to the dark-hued rumblings of "Graveyard Dream Blues." She also revels in the provocative ambiguities of "Nobody in Town Can Bake a Sweet Jelly Roll" and puts her stamp on the future blues warhorse "'Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do." From the opening strain of her first best-seller, "Downhearted Blues," until the end of the disc, lovers of classic female blues will find plenty here to keep them enthralled. Stephen Cook
Tracklist + Credits :

BESSIE SMITH – 1923-1924 | The Classics Chronological Series – 787 (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

For sheer power, substance and depth, there is nothing in the world quite like the voice of Bessie Smith. Any portion of her recorded legacy can be rewarding if the listener takes the time to contemplate the interplay between singer and accompanists while the theatrical tale of each song unfurls itself. This particular grouping of 24 recordings made between October 1923 and August 1924 reveals a visceral young woman on her way to completely dominating the scene as the definitive female blues singer of the 1920s. One of the great delights in studying Smith's music is the science of paying attention to her backing instrumentalists. Fletcher Henderson, who accompanied so many blues vocalists throughout the early '20s, sounds like he's in perfect accord with the singer on "Any Woman's Blues." Teamed with Don Redman on six titles, Henderson blows on a siren whistle during the "Haunted House Blues," causing Smith to holler "Lord, help us to get right!" Harry Reser, banjo/guitar ace and leader of various hunky-dory novelty groups including the Cliquot Club Eskimos, appears twice on this CD, providing exceptionally fine accompaniment and incidentally doing his part to break up the color line six years before Eddie Condon recorded with a racially mixed group for Victor. The disc finishes off with four selections featuring trombonist Big Charlie Green, arguably the most sympathetic instrumentalist that Smith ever worked with. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist + Credits :