PETE JOHNSON – 1938-1939 | The Classics Chronological Series – 656 (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This superlative CD reissue features boogie-woogie pianist Pete Johnson on two classic numbers with singer Big Joe Turner (the original versions of "Goin' Away Blues" and "Roll 'Em Pete"), with inspiring trumpeter Harry James ("Boo Woo" and "Home James"), with his Boogie Woogie Boys (a sextet that includes Turner and trumpeter Hot Lips Page), interacting with fellow pianists Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis (joining Big Joe on "Café Society Rag"), and on a pair of trio numbers. However, it is Johnson's ten unaccompanied piano solos (mostly released previously by Solo Art) that are the rarest and most notable. Taken as a whole, this is Pete Johnson's definitive release, showing that he was much more than just a one-dimensional (although powerful) boogie-woogie specialist. Scott Yanow
Tracklist + Credits :

HELEN HUMES – 1945-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1036 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This second installment in the excellent Classics Helen Humes chronology covers the exciting material she recorded for the Philo (soon to become Aladdin), Black & White, and Mercury labels, first with her All-Stars in Los Angeles during 1945-1946 and then with Buck Clayton's band in New York in 1946 and 1947. Alternating between ballads, blues, and boogie-woogie, the singer exudes a wonderful passionate glow that sometimes borders on the sensual. The front lines of her West Coast bands were richly staffed with excellent players in trumpeter Snooky Young and saxophonists Willie Smith, Tom Archia, Corky Corcoran, Maxwell Davis, Wild Bill Moore, and -- fresh out of the Army -- Lester Young! Dig his beautiful solo on "Pleasing Man Blues." Note also the presence of some of the top rhythm section men in the Los Angeles area at that time: guitarists Allan Reuss, Dave Barbour, and Irving Ashby; bassist Red Callender; drummers Chico Hamilton and Henry Tucker Green; and pianists Arnold Ross, Eddie Beal, and the great Meade "Lux" Lewis, who adds a little mustard to the singer's sequel to her earlier hit record, "Be-Baba-Leba." Over on the East Coast, the Buck Clayton-led ensembles had equally strong support in tenor saxophonist John Hardee (his velvety introduction to "Blue and Sentimental" is nothing less than a tribute to Herschel Evans), pianists Ram Ramirez and Teddy Wilson, and the winning Kansas City combination of bassist Walter Page and drummer Jo Jones. Is this the best of Helen Humes? Pretty close to it; she's in the prime of her early maturity and the musicians are uniformly excellent. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :

EDMOND HALL – 1937-1944 | The Classics Chronological Series – 830 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Those who missed out on Mosaic's limited-edition reissue of Edmond Hall's superb Blue Note recordings may want to pounce on this segment of the clarinetist's chronology. Everything there is to love about small-group swing is present at full potency in these remarkably solid performances. For the session of February 5, 1941 Meade "Lux" Lewis put all of his best blues and boogie energies into a celeste, that tinkling little keyboard instrument that sounds like a glockenspiel. The combination of a celestial Lewis and the soulful Hall with guitarist Charlie Christian and bassist Israel Crosby resulted in music unlike anything heard before or since. On November 29, 1943 the Edmond Hall Blue Note Jazzmen had Vic Dickenson and a very inspired Sidney DeParis on the front line. The humbly majestic James P. Johnson makes the music feel like ritual. Three hot numbers are fountains of joy, but the real magic develops during two collectively improvised blues taken at relaxed tempos. Nothing could be finer or more pleasing than this confluence of master improvisers, drawing upon the highly evolved traditions of New York and New Orleans as they listened ever so carefully to each other while inventing their own grammar of straightforward blues, swing and boogie-woogie. The Edmond Hall Sextet recorded four sides for Commodore on December 18, 1943. Guitarist Al Casey sat in on this occasion, only three days after the passing of his mentor, Fats Waller. Eddie Heywood was a great pianist, much less humble than James P. Johnson but formidable enough to rock the hell out of the "Downtown Café Boogie." The piano introduction to a very relaxed "Uptown Café Blues" sounds similar to the beginning of Heywood's blues collaborations with Billie Holiday. Edmond Hall's way of handling the blues is unforgettably immediate and sincere. Both of the 1943 dates are towed into port by the exceptionally fine drumming of Big Sid Catlett. Back with Blue Note on January 25, Edmond Hall leads his All Star Quintet in developing four of his own original compositions. While "Rompin' in '44," the band moves with gently pronounced modernity, rooted in tradition but responding to new ideas and updated styles. Red Norvo, always aware of fresh influences, had something to do with this development. "Blue Interval" is something like a course in organic gardening; "Smooth Sailin'" is a solid upbeat piece of blues, as is the rocking restless jam called "Seein' Red." As a gesture of chronological completeness, Classics tacked on a pair of sides from 1937 with vocals by Henry Nemo. These would be more enjoyable if he didn't closely imitate Fats Waller's singing style, right down to the expostulations and tag lines. Considering the wealth of outstanding jazz on this one CD, these two oddities are a neat bonus. They do not detract in any way from the masterpieces gathered together in memory of the great Edmond Hall. arwulf arwulf  

Tracklist + Credits :

MEADE "LUX" LEWIS - 1927-1939 (1993) The Classics Chronological Series –722 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Do you realize that all these Meade Lux Lewis records almost didn't happen? After making his one three-minute side for the Paramount label in December of 1927, Lewis went back to driving a cab in Chicago. And his record didn't sell. So that could have been the end of the story. But in November of 1935 John Hammond looked him up and begged him to get back on the scene. And so began a remarkable career. This chronological survey of Meade's earliest work is delightful. Each successive version of the "Honky Tonk Train Blues" is sharper, more polished. There's always something bubbling away under the surface of the Meade. Everything he played came out slightly wicked. This man played a lot of piano in bars. Nobody could play like this who hadn't come up in an environment like Chicago during the 1920s. There's a weird sense of humor at the root of his style, most conspicuous when heard coming out of the celeste, a sort of keyboard glockenspiel that sounds like a toy. At times, Meade is cheerfully, dependably eccentric. Lewis may, in fact, be the unsuspected, auspicious link between surrealism and the blues. At times he sounds just a tiny bit like Sun Ra or Muhal Richard Abrams. Meade Lux Lewis discovered Jimmy Yancey's woogie piano back in 1921. It was a turning point for the teenaged musician, inspiring him to switch permanently from violin to piano. Meade's own rendition of the "Yancey Special," recorded in 1936, still conveys some of Yancey's wonderful hypnotic gravity. "Boogie Woogie Prayer," a two-part blow-out for three pianists, feels a lot like a freight train passing through town. Was it Hammond's idea to have Pete Johnson, Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis all playing simultaneously? It was a worthwhile experiment, and for sheer thunder you can't beat piano-six-hands. Still and all it's good to move on into a series of solitary solos. Lewis was a remarkably inventive improviser, incessantly vibrating with idiosyncrasies that make his recordings delightful to listen to at length. When Meade plays slowly and reflectively, he seems like a kindred spirit to his contemporary from Harlem, Thomas "Fats" Waller. A slow blues is one of the most powerful rituals known to humanity. Lewis tapped into these mysteries with an extended set of blues variations recorded for Blue Note on the January 6 1939. The results, augmented with two very slow blues called "Melancholy" and "Solitude" (no relation to the Ellington composition), comprise nearly twenty-eight-minutes of unhurried, unaffected, friendly, soothing piano blues. Everybody ought to hear this stuff! It's wonderfully honest music. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1    Meade Lux Lewis–    Honky Tonk Train Blues    3:14
2    Meade Lux Lewis–    Honky Tonk Train Blues    2:50
3    Meade Lux Lewis–    Yancey Special    3:15
4    Meade Lux Lewis–    Celeste Blues 3:05
Celesta – Meade Lux Lewis
5    Meade Lux Lewis–    I'm In The Mood For Love 3:05
Celesta – Meade Lux Lewis
6    Meade Lux Lewis–    Mr. Freddie Blues    3:00
7    Meade Lux Lewis–    Honky Tonk Train Blues    2:58
8    Meade Lux Lewis–    Whistlin' Blues 3:30
Whistle – Meade Lux Lewis
9    Meade Lux Lewis, Pete Johnson, Albert Ammons–    Boogie Woogie Prayer - Part 1 2:37
Piano – Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson
10    Meade Lux Lewis, Pete Johnson, Albert Ammons–    Boogie Woogie Prayer - Part 2 2:19
Piano – Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson
11    Meade Lux Lewis–    Bear Cat Crawl    2:25
12    Meade Lux Lewis–    The Blues - Part 1    4:10
13    Meade Lux Lewis–    The Blues - Part 2    4:00
14    Meade Lux Lewis–    The Blues - Part 3    4:00
15    Meade Lux Lewis–    The Blues - Part 4    3:51
16    Meade Lux Lewis–    The Blues - Part 5    3:35
17    Meade Lux Lewis–    Melancholy    4:02
18    Meade Lux Lewis–    Solitude    4:09
Credits :    
Piano – Meade Lux Lewis (tracks: 1 to 3, 6 to 18)

MEADE "LUX" LEWIS - 1939-1941 (1994) The Classics Chronological Series – 743 | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Of all the duets recorded by Meade Lux Lewis and Albert Ammons, the most exciting is a nearly-six-minute version of "Nagasaki" recorded on January 6 1939, the legendary "first day" of Blue Note Records. Originally left unissued, this amazing performance languished in the shadows for about forty years before being unearthed in the early 1980s, issued on a limited-edition LP by Mosaic Records, and later presented as part of the Classics Chronological Series more than fifty years after being etched on to a recording platter. For some reason, probably due to a labeling error on the original 78 rpm disc, Mosaic identified the melody as "Sheik of Araby." The Classics liner notes echo the Mosaic verbiage in saying that this "improvisation...never refers to the melody." That is true simply because they're not playing "Sheik of Araby" at all! The tune is readily and steadily recognizable as "Nagasaki." Taken at a brisk clip, the old pop song boils and jumps with rambunctious humor. Squeezing these two men on to one piano bench seems to have pushed Ammons to the very top octaves of the keyboard, where he cheerfully spanked the ivories with wild abandon. Lewis balanced down at the basement end, where he dutifully ground out a steady stream of what might be called bassline "Chicago stride" patterns. A marvelous four-handed strut that turns into a boogie bears the title "Twos and Fews." Also included here is the "Untitled Lewis Original," a solo experiment in free invention. The next leg of the chronology consists of five full-bodied improvisations cut for the Solo Art label in February of 1939. "Blues De Lux" has a bit of "See See Rider" about it and "Far Ago Blues" contains an old riff that Thelonious Monk would later use as the basis for "Blue Monk." Suddenly we get to hear a quintet led by trombonist J.C. Higginbotham. The "Basin Street Blues" heard here was issued briefly by Mosaic as part of an LP bringing together a cluster of ensemble sessions under the heading of "the Port of Harlem Jazzmen." These excellent recordings have since landed all over the place as presented by the producers of the Classics series -- on CDs bearing the names of Frankie Newton, Meade Lux Lewis and Albert Ammons, for example. Maybe this wouldn't feel like a disadvantage if Mosaic's limited edition of the complete recordings of the Port of Harlem Jazzmen hadn't become so scarce over the years. Meade's wonderful solo session for Blue Note on October 4 1940 yielded some of his all-time best boogie woogie essays. A stunning version of "Honky Tonk Train Blues" rips along faster than any of his previous renderings. By this time the pianist had mastered the fine art of titling his works. "Bass on Top," "Six Wheel Chaser," "Tell Your Story" and "Rising Tide Blues" each deserve their poetic names. As a fitting coda to this exceptionally satisfying collection of individualistic recordings, two harpsichord solos highlight yet another angle in this man's incredibly varied artistic personality. Lewis pours himself into the experience, creating endless variations using an instrument commonly associated with European notated music from the 18th century. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1    Twos And Fews    4:30
2    Nagasaki    5:44
3    Untitled Lewis Original    3:40
4    Messin' Around    3:28
5    Deep Fives    3:52
6    Blues de Lux    3:58
7    Closing Hour Blues    3:47
8    Far Ago Blues     4:03
9    Basin Street Blues    3:42
10    Honky Tonk Train Blues    4:11
11    Bass On Top    3:38
12    Six Wheel Chaser     3:51
13    Tell Your Story    3:58
14    Tell Your Story No. 2    4:08
15    Rising Tide Blues     3:39
16    Nineteen Ways Of Playing A Chorus    4:00
17    School Of Rhythm    4:14
Credits :    
Bass – Johnny Williams (tracks: 9)
Drums – Sidney Catlett (tracks: 9)
Guitar – Teddy Bunn (tracks: 9)
Harpsichord – Meade "Lux" Lewis (tracks: 16, 17)
Piano – Albert Ammons (tracks: 1-3), Meade "Lux" Lewis (tracks: 1-15)
Trombone – J.C. Higginbotham (tracks: 9)

MEADE "LUX" LEWIS - 1941-1944 (1995) The Classics Chronological Series – 841 | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Inspired by Jimmy Yancey and operating in close cahoots with Albert Ammons, Meade "Lux" Lewis played fine piano, pounded the celeste, and even manhandled the harpsichord, as he does on the first two selections of this thoroughly entertaining core sample of woogie works from the early '40s. The harpsichord outings are marvelously disorienting. Johnny Guarnieri did something similar with the instrument as a member of Artie Shaw's Gramercy Five, but Lewis' touch is about 50 pounds heavier per square inch, an oddly appropriate caliber for his wide-open "Self Portrait." During the slightly deranged "Doll House Boogie," as hammerhead piano is augmented with tinkling patterns on the celeste, it sounds as though a glockenspiel has been "blowing gage." Every one of these performances is filled with surprises. Lewis was a rambunctious practitioner who really spanked the plank when he felt like it. This is soulful stuff. You may derive the maximum enjoyment from these ivory stomps by forgetting about evaluating technical prowess or stylistic integrity. No way! Think like that and you'll miss the whole show. This is about feeling good and letting the piano come get you. Allow it to crawl inside of your bones and loosen you up. The last four tunes are extended-play Blue Notes from 1944. That extra minute per side really pays off in the hypnotically repetitive world of boogie-woogie. It takes about four minutes to completely establish the kind of ritual that this man specialized in. Initially unreleased, "Meade's Blues" is a meaty example of that almost pugilistic touch that distinguished this slugger from a lot of tip-toe ticklers. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1    Self Portrait    4:03
2    Feeling Tomorrow Like I Feel Today    3:54
3    Doll House Boogie    4:08
4    Denapas Parade    2:56
5    The Boogie Tidal    2:28
6    Randini's Boogie    2:11
7    Lux's Boogie    2:16
8    Yancey's Pride    2:28
9    Special No. One    3:00
10    Glendale Glide    2:07
11    Honky Tonk Train Blues    2:24
12    Medium Blues    2:51
13    Yancey Special    4:09
14    Chicago Flyer    3:57
15    Blues Whistle    4:17
16    Meade's Blues    4:20
Credits :    
Celesta – Meade Lux Lewis (tracks: 3)
Harpsichord – Meade Lux Lewis (tracks: 1, 2)
Piano – Meade Lux Lewis (tracks: 3 to 16)

MEADE "LUX" LEWIS - 1946-1954 (2005) The Classics Chronological Series – 1401 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

In 2005 the Classics Chronological Series, in a continuous effort to reissue the complete recordings of boogie-woogie piano ace Meade "Lux" Lewis, released a fourth volume containing material dating from between 1946 and 1954. Opening with a solo Lewis set recorded by Norman Granz for the Mercury label at a Jazz at the Philharmonic concert inside of the Embassy Auditorium in Los Angeles on April 22, 1946, this delightful album also features the work of bassist Israel Crosby and drummer Louie Bellson. These are some of Lewis' very best recordings; the tonal palette is richly varied as he pays homage to his influences and contemporaries in the pantheon of classic blues and boogie-woogie piano. They include Pete Johnson, Albert Ammons, Cow Cow Davenport, Jimmy Yancey, Clarence Pinetop Smith, Hersal Thomas, and Freddie Shayne. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1    Medium Boogie (Yancey Special)    3:15
2    Fast Boogie    1:55
3    Slow Boogie (Dupree Blues)    3:25
4    Honkey Tonk Train Blues    2:33
5    Jumpin' With Pete    3:00
6    Riff Boogie    3:05
7    Cow Cow Blues    3:12
8    Yancey Special    2:54
9    Honky Tonk Train Blues    2:49
10    Albert's Blues    3:02
11    Pinetop's Boogie Woogie    3:09
12    Mr. Freddie's Blues    3:31
13    Suitcase Blues    3:02
14    Spooney Sam    3:58
15    Mama's Bounce    5:49
16    Shooboody    5:19
17    Hangover Boogie    6:11
18    Yancey's Last Ride    3:45
19    Bush Street Boogie    5:28
Credits :    
Bass – Israel Crosby (tracks: 5 to 13)
Drums – Frank Williams (tracks: 5 to 13), Louis Bellson (tracks: 14 to 19)
Piano – Meade Lux Lewis

MEADE "LUX" LEWIS - Cat House Piano (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This single CD from 1998 has all of the music from boogie-woogie pianist Meade Lux Lewis' two Verve LPs of 1954-1955. The earlier date is a set of duets with drummer Louie Bellson, while the later session finds Lewis accompanied by bassist Red Callender and drummer Jo Jones. The packaging is perfect, and with 76-and-a-half minutes of playing, the amount of music is generous. The only problem is that there is a definite sameness to the 14 selections (which mostly clock in between four and seven minutes), the majority of which are medium-tempo blues romps. None of the melodies (all Lewis originals) are at all memorable. The romping momentum of the music overall is difficult to resist, but it is advisable to listen to this set in small doses. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     The Pittsburgh Flyer 5:00
Meade "Lux" Lewis
2     Dragon Blues 4:54
Meade "Lux" Lewis
3     Jabouti 6:07
Meade "Lux" Lewis    
4     Torpedo Juice 5:14
Meade "Lux" Lewis
5     Joe Prein's Boogie 5:35
Meade "Lux" Lewis
6     620 Boogie 6:33
Meade "Lux" Lewis
7    Meade's Mambo 5:46
Meade "Lux" Lewis
8     San Francisco Shuffle 6:12
Meade "Lux" Lewis
9     Spoony Sam 3:57
Meade "Lux" Lewis
10     Mama's Bounce 5:48
Meade "Lux" Lewis
11     Shooboody 5:18
Meade "Lux" Lewis
12     Hangover Boogie 6:10
Meade "Lux" Lewis
13     Yancey's Last Ride 3:44
Meade "Lux" Lewis
14     Bush Street Boogie 5:26
Meade "Lux" Lewis
Credits :    
Artwork [Series Art Designed And Directed By] – Patricia Lie, Sung Lee
Bass – Red Callender (tracks: 1 to 8)
Drums – Jo Jones (tracks: 1 to 8), Louie Bellson (tracks: 9 to 14)
Piano – Meade Lux Lewis
Producer [Original Recordings] – Norman Granz
Notas.
Recorded June 28, 1954 at Radio Recorders, Hollywood (tracks 9 to 14), original LP issue: Boogie Woogie Piano And Drums
Recorded January 16, 1955 in Los Angeles (tracks 1 to 8), original LP issue: Cat House Piano

ALBERT AMMONS & MEADE "'LUX" LEWIS - The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Albert Ammons and Meade "Lux" Lewis (1989) 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This magnificent three-LP box set was issued as part of the first release by the Mosaic label. The out of print collection has all of the music recorded during Blue Note's first session (nine piano solos by Albert Ammons, eight including a five-part "The Blues" by Meade Lux Lewis, and a pair of Ammons-Lewis duets) plus Lewis' 1935 version of "Honky Tonk Train Blues" and his complete sessions of October 4, 1940, April 9, 1941 (four songs on harpsichord), and August 22, 1944. The music emphasizes boogie-woogie and both Ammons (quite memorable on "Boogie Woogie Stomp") and Lewis are heard in prime form. Incidentally, one of their duets (which is mistakenly titled "The Sheik of Araby") is actually "Nagasaki." This box is well worth bidding on at an auction. Scott Yanow
Tracklist 1 :
1     Boogie Woogie Stomp 3:35
Albert Ammons
2     Chicago in Mind 4:00
Albert Ammons    
3     Suitcase Blues 3:51
Albert Ammons / Hersal Thomas    
4     Boogie Woogie Blues 3:42
Albert Ammons
5     Untitled Ammons Orginal 4:04
Albert Ammons    
6     Bass Goin' Crazy 3:36
Albert Ammons    
7     Backwater Blues 4:38
Bessie Smith    
8     Changes in Boogie Woogie 4:03
Albert Ammons
9     Easy Rider Blues 4:07
Traditional
10     Twos and Fews 4:33
Albert Ammons / Meade "Lux" Lewis
11     The Sheik of Araby 5:45
Harry Beasley Smith / Ted Snyder / Francis Wheeler
12     Honky Tonk Train Blues 2:51
Meade "Lux" Lewis
13     The Blues, Pt. 1 4:12
Meade "Lux" Lewis
14     The Blues, Pt. 2 3:55
Meade "Lux" Lewis
15     The Blues, Pt. 3 4:00
Meade "Lux" Lewis
16     The Blues, Pt. 4 3:51
Meade "Lux" Lewis
17     The Blues, Pt. 5 4:10
Meade "Lux" Lewis
Tracklist 2 :
1     Untitled Lewis Orginal 3:43
Meade "Lux" Lewis    
2     Melancholy 4:05
Meade "Lux" Lewis    
3     Solitude 4:09
Meade "Lux" Lewis    
4     Honky Tonk Train Blues 4:05
Meade "Lux" Lewis
5     Bass on Top 4:02
Meade "Lux" Lewis
6     Six Wheel Chaser 3:49
Meade "Lux" Lewis
7     Tell Your Story 4:00
Meade "Lux" Lewis
8     Tell Your Story No. 2 4:12
Meade "Lux" Lewis
9     Variations on a Theme, Pt. 1: 19 Ways of Playing a Chorus 4:06
Meade "Lux" Lewis
10     Variations on a Theme, Pt. 2: School of Rhythm 4:20
Meade "Lux" Lewis
11     Variations on a Theme, Pt. 3: Self Portrait 4:07
Meade "Lux" Lewis
12     Variations on a Theme, Pt. 4: Feeling Tomorrow Like I Feel Today 3:57
Meade "Lux" Lewis
13     Rising Tide Blues 3:40
Meade "Lux" Lewis
14     Yancey Special (Boogie Woogie) 4:10
Meade "Lux" Lewis / Andy Razaf
15     Chicago Flyer 3:58
Meade "Lux" Lewis
16     Blues Whistle 4:18
Meade "Lux" Lewis
17     Meade's Blues 4:21
Meade "Lux" Lewis
Credits :    
Harpsichord – Meade Lux Lewis (faixas: 2-9 to 2-12)
Piano – Albert Ammons (faixas: 1-1 to 1-11), Meade Lux Lewis (faixas: 1-10 to 2-17)
Producer [Originally Produced By] – Alfred Lion (faixas: 1-1 to 1-11, 1-13 to 2-17), John Hammond (faixas: 1-12)
Research, Producer [Produced For Release] – Michael Cuscuna
Notas.
Limited edition of 5000 copies.
These Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis masters appear courtesy of EMI-Liberty Records and are drawn from EMI's Blue Note and Parlophone labels.
Track 1-11 is actually "Nagasaki" and was erroneously titled on this set. This error is noted on Albert Ammons & Meade "Lux" Lewis - The First Day.