THE GREAT HARP PLAYERS — The Complete Works 1927-1936 of WILLIAM FRANCIS & RICHARD SOWELL, OLLIS MARTIN, EL WATSON, PALMER McABEE, GEORGE "BULLET" WILLIAMS, BLUES BIRDHEAD, ELLIS WILLIAMS, ALFRED LEWIS, SMITH & HARPER | DOCD-5100 (1991) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Although one may think of the blues harp beginning with Little Walter, the first Sonny Boy Williamson, or Sonny Terry, a variety of harmonica players did record in the '20s. Some of their recordings were technical displays that featured them imitating everything from animals to trains, while other players were more blues-oriented. This valuable CD has two selections from the guitar-harmonica team of William Francis and Richard Sowell; Ollis Martin's "Police and High Sheriff Come Ridin' Down"; six pieces by Eli Watson (including "El Watson's Fox Chase"); two cuts apiece by Palmer McAbee, Ellis Williams, Alfred Lewis, and the team of Smith & Harper (which is the only music on this CD recorded after 1930); plus four songs/displays from Blues Birdhead (including "Get up off That Jazzophone") and George "Bullet" Williams (highlighted by "Frisco Leaving Birmingham" and "The Escaped Convict"). Fascinating music. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    William Francis And Richard Sowell–    John Henry Blues
Guitar – William Francis
Harmonica – Richard Sowell
2    William Francis And Richard Sowell–    Roubin Blues
Guitar – William Francis
Harmonica – Richard Sowell
3    Ollis Martin–    Police And High Sheriff Come Ridin' Down
Vocals, Harmonica – Ollis Martin
4    El Watson–    Pot Licker Blues
Guitar – Charles Johnson
Harmonica – El Watson
5    El Watson–    Narrow Gauge Blues
Guitar – Charles Johnson
Harmonica – El Watson
6    El Watson–    El Watson's Fox Chase
Harmonica, Speech, Vocals [Effects, possibly] – El Watson, Robert Cooksey
7    El Watson–    Bay Rum Blues
Bones – Unknown Artist
Harmonica – El Watson
8    El Watson–    Sweet Bunch Of Daisies
Harmonica – El Watson
9    El Watson–    One Sock Blues
Harmonica – El Watson
10    Palmer McAbee–    Lost Boy Blues
Harmonica – Palmer McAbee
11    Palmer McAbee–    McAbee's Railroad Piece
Harmonica – Palmer McAbee
12    George "Bullet" Williams–    Touch Me Light Mama
Harmonica, Speech – George "Bullet" Williams
Vocals [perhaps] – Wiley Barner
13    George "Bullet" Williams–    Frisco Leaving Birmingham (Take 2)
Harmonica, Speech – George "Bullet" Williams
14    George "Bullet" Williams–    The Escaped Convict (Take 2)
Harmonica, Speech – George "Bullet" Williams
15    George "Bullet" Williams–    Middlin' Blues
Harmonica, Speech – George "Bullet" Williams
Speech – Unknown Artist
16    The Bubbling-Over Five–    Don't Mistreat Your Good Boy Friend
Harmonica – Blues Birdhead
Soprano Saxophone, Violin, Piano, Banjo, Guitar – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Bob Brown
17    The Bubbling-Over Five–    Get Up Off That Jazzophone
Harmonica – Blues Birdhead
Soprano Saxophone, Violin, Piano, Banjo, Guitar – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Bob Brown
18    Blues Birdhead–    Mean Low Blues
Harmonica – Blues Birdhead
Piano – Unknown Artist
19    Blues Birdhead–    Harmonica Blues
Harmonica – Blues Birdhead
Piano – Unknown Artist
20    Ellis Williams–    Buttermilk Blues
Guitar, Spoons – Unknown Artist
Harmonica – Ellis Williams
21    Ellis Williams–    Smokey Blues
Guitar – Unknown Artist
Harmonica – Ellis Williams
22    Alfred Lewis–    Mississippi Swamp Moan
Harmonica, Vocals [Effects], Speech – Alfred Lewis
23    Alfred Lewis–    Friday Moan Blues
Harmonica, Vocals [Effects] – Alfred Lewis
24    Smith And Harper–    Poor Girl
Vocals [duet], Harmonica, Guitar – Smith And Harper
25    Smith And Harper–    Insurance Policy Blues
Guitar [2nd g.] – Unknown Artist
Vocals [duet], Harmonica, Guitar – Smith And Harper

JAYBIRD COLEMAN & THE BIRMINGHAM JUG BAND — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order 1927-1930 | DOCD-5140 (1992) RM | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Jaybird Coleman wasn't one of the most distinctive early country-blues harmonica players, but he nevertheless made engaging, entertaining music. All of his recordings -- which only totalled 11 sides -- are collected on Document's 1927-1930. For fans of the genre, there are some cuts of interest here, but the music doesn't have enough weight to be of interest to anyone but country-blues fanatics. Thom Owens

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. It is highly unlikely that the correct personnel will ever be known for this energetic, but enigmatic, group. The standard sources give the following possible group members, information which was apparently obtained many years ago from Big Joe Williams: Jaybird Coleman (harp), Joe Williams, “One-Armed Dave” (Dave Miles), “Dr. Scott”, Bogus Ben Covington (stringed instruments), “Honeycup”, (jug), “New Orleans Slide”, (washboard). There may be elements of accuracy in Williams’ assertions; certainly his word will stand until more reliable information surfaces. One fact is indisputable: the Birmingham Jug Band participated in an exceptionally diverse field session in Atlanta that included the Middle Georgia Singing Convention No.1, Macon Ed and Tampa Joe, Rev. J. M. Gates, and King David’s Jug Band. The truth is that the names themselves are not as important as the music itself because the Birmingham Jug Band was one of the most raucous groups to record. I wish I’d been able to attend one of their live performances (they sound like a group that played together and were not just a studio band), but we can hear eight of the nine selections they recorded for OKeh in December of 1930. These sides underscore their place in American music history as one of the most irrepressible jug bands ever to record. Its varied repertoire reflects the general diversity of African-American music in the deep South in the late 1920s; Bill Wilson is an engaging version of “John Henry”, while Giving It Away reflects the hokum blues so popular at the time. One of their most entertaining performances, The Wild Cat Squall is a hectic, almost frenzied, showcase for the harmonica player. Kickin’ Mule Blues illustrates two of the group’s most pronounced musical characteristics: its tempo is rather quick and it features a thick musical texture, enriched by the blend of jug, percussion and stringed instruments. Burl C. “Jaybird” Coleman originally from Gainesville, Georgia, is alleged to be the harmonica player for the Birmingham Jug Band, which strikes me as an unlikely proposition, although their styles are not dissimilar. Even if he was not on these jug band sides we know that he served in the Army around World War I, worked with minstrel shows and as a solo artist before his death in June, 1950 in Tuskegee, Alabama. On his own unaccompanied recordings Jaybird Coleman tends to use a higher pitched harp – often playing in the key of C or D. His timing on these recordings issued on Gennett, Black Patti and related labels, not surprisingly, is much more idiosyncratic. These fascinating selections are a compromise between field hollers and blues, especially in Jaybird’s cavalier disregard for the 12-bar blues form and his frequent use of the falsetto voice range. Coleman’s harp also often serves as an extension of his voice or as a call and response, similar to the musical form of a group work song. Like so many “bluesmen”, Jaybird Coleman’s recorded repertoire easily moves between the secular and the sacred. His duet with Ollis Martin, I’m Gonna Cross The River Of Jordan – Some O’ These Days is a masterful version of this 19th century spiritual. Equally strong and moving are the blues-like performances; Man Trouble Blues and Save Your Money – Let These Women Go are tough, personal, and utterly unique. Boll Weevil is his lament for the demise of southern agriculture, which began at the turn of the century, and a highly entertaining version of this blues ballad. His final recordings for Columbia are the only selections on which he sounds somewhat uneasy. It is evident that he has to keep his own creative impulses in check while trying to keep in sync with the unknown piano player. This is particularly evident in Man Trouble Blues, which pales in comparison to his Gennett recording from two and a half years earlier. DOCD-5140
Tracklist :
1    Bertha Ross–    My Jelly Blues 3:08
Accompanied By – Bessemer Blues Pickers
Harmonica [probably] – Jaybird Coleman
Piano – Vance Patterson
Vocals – Bertha Ross
Whistling – Unknown Artist
2    Jaybird Coleman–    Mill Log Blues 2:40
Vocals, Harmonica – Jaybird Coleman
3    Jaybird Coleman–    Boll Weevil 2:58
Vocals, Harmonica – Jaybird Coleman
4    Jaybird Coleman–    Ah'm Sick And Tired Of Tellin' You (To Wiggle That Thing) 3:03
Vocals, Harmonica – Jaybird Coleman
5    Jaybird Coleman–    Man Trouble Blues 3:04
Vocals, Harmonica – Jaybird Coleman
6    Jaybird Coleman–    Trunk Busted — Suitcase Full Of Holes 2:59
Vocals, Harmonica – Jaybird Coleman
7    Jaybird Coleman–    I'm Gonna Cross The River Of Jordan — Some O' These Days 3:00
Harmonica [2nd hca.] – Ollis Martin
Vocals, Harmonica – Jaybird Coleman
8    Jaybird Coleman–    You Heard Me Whistle (Oughta Know My Blow) 3:05
Vocals, Harmonica – Jaybird Coleman
9    Jaybird Coleman–    No More Good Water — 'Cause The Pond Is Dry 3:06
Vocals, Harmonica – Jaybird Coleman
10    Jaybird Coleman–    Mistreatin' Mama 3:00
Vocals, Harmonica – Jaybird Coleman
11    Jaybird Coleman–    Save Your Money — Let These Women Go 2:51
Vocals, Harmonica – Jaybird Coleman
12    Frank Palmes–    Ain't Gonna Lay My 'Ligion Down 2:54
Vocals, Harmonica – Frank Palmes
13    Frank Palmes–    Troubled 'Bout My Soul 2:53
Vocals, Harmonica – Frank Palmes
14    Jaybird Coleman–    Coffee Grinder Blues 3:03
Piano [possibly] – R.D. Norwood
Piano [probably] – Robert McCoy
Vocals, Harmonica – Jaybird Coleman
15    Jaybird Coleman–    Man Trouble Blues 3:02
Piano [possibly] – R.D. Norwood
Piano [probably] – Robert McCoy
Vocals, Harmonica – Jaybird Coleman
16    Birmingham Jug Band–    German Blues 2:59
Guitar – Unknown Artist
Harmonica – Unknown Artist
Jug – Unknown Artist
Mandolin – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Unknown Artist
17    Birmingham Jug Band–    Cane Brake Blues 2:58
Guitar – Unknown Artist
Harmonica – Unknown Artist
Jug – Unknown Artist
Mandolin – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Unknown Artist
18    Birmingham Jug Band–    The Wild Cat Squawl 3:17
Guitar – Unknown Artist
Harmonica – Unknown Artist
Jug – Unknown Artist
Mandolin – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Unknown Artist
19    Birmingham Jug Band–    Bill Wilson 3:13
Guitar – Unknown Artist
Harmonica – Unknown Artist
Jug – Unknown Artist
Mandolin – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Unknown Artist
20    Birmingham Jug Band–    Birmingham Blues 3:14
Guitar – Unknown Artist
Harmonica – Unknown Artist
Jug – Unknown Artist
Mandolin – Unknown Artist
Speech – Unknown Artist
21    Birmingham Jug Band–    Gettin' Ready For Trial 3:02
Guitar – Unknown Artist
Harmonica – Unknown Artist
Jug – Unknown Artist
Mandolin – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Unknown Artist
22    Birmingham Jug Band–    Giving It Away 3:08
Guitar – Unknown Artist
Harmonica – Unknown Artist
Jug – Unknown Artist
Mandolin – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Unknown Artist
23    Birmingham Jug Band–    Kickin' Mule Blues 3:10
Guitar – Unknown Artist
Harmonica – Unknown Artist
Jug – Unknown Artist
Mandolin – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Unknown Artist