Big Joe Rides Again
Artist: Big Joe Turner

With the exception of one selection ("Pennies from Heaven") left over from his 1956 record The Boss of the Blue, the music on this album was all recorded in September 1959. Veteran blues singer Big Joe Turner returns to his roots, belting out blues and early standards while accompanied by an octet arranged by Ernie Wilkins. Among the key sidemen... Read More

Big Joe Turner's Greatest Hits
Artist: Big Joe Turner

Big Joe Turner's music is the aural equivalent of a rare Porterhouse steak -- oversized, juicy, and a glorious overload for the senses, and if isn't always good for you, that's just part of the fun. Whether what he was singing was billed as jazz, swing, rhythm & blues, or rock & roll, Turner pretty much always did things the same way, rolling... Read More

Sammy Price and the Blues Singers
Artist: Sammy Price

When the Austrian Wolf logo decided to pay tribute to pianist Sammy Price's prolific legacy as both leader and sideman, they really did it up right. Ninety-four sides on four discs dating from 1929 to 1950 spotlight Price's rippling ivories behind a plethora of vocalists -- Peetie Wheatstraw, Harmon Ray, Bea Booze, Johnny Temple, Monette Moore,... Read More

Flip, Flop & Fly
Artist: Big Joe Turner

Big Joe Turner's first of many recordings for Pablo was not initially released until 1989. In the spring of 1972, the 60-year-old blues singer toured Europe with the Count Basie Orchestra and this CD has music from two concerts. Turner's repertoire offered few surprises at that late date (he mostly performs remakes of earlier hits), but his... Read More

The Trumpet Kings Meet Joe Turner
Artist: Big Joe Turner

This album has a most unusual session. Veteran blues singer Joe Turner and his usual rhythm section of the mid-'70s (which includes guitarist Pee Wee Crayton) are joined by four notable trumpeters: Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Eldridge, Harry "Sweets" Edison and Clark Terry. On three blues (including the 15-minute "I Know You Love Me Baby") and "Tain't... Read More

The Great City
Artist: Ernie Andrews

Ernie Andrews has been underrecorded during periods of his career, but in the 1990s, the veteran singer was fortunate enough to make two excellent CDs for the Muse label. This outing finds Andrews particularly inspired, even if he occasionally cannot help imitating Al Hibbler's odd British accent. Frank Wess (on tenor and flute) is a major asset... Read More

1941-1946
Artist: Big Joe Turner

The original blues shouter found a way to meld some of Jimmy Rushing's rambling jazz phrasing with the low-down tone he naturally bellowed out to Kansas City audiences -- sometimes while behind the bar serving drinks. And before hitting the charts with several early rock & roll hits, Big Joe Turner did bedrock work with such fine stride and... Read More

Jazz Me Blues: The Best of Jimmy Witherspoon
Artist: Jimmy Witherspoon

Whether this is truly the "best" of Witherspoon is debatable -- there's nothing predating 1956 -- however, it's a good 20-track sampling of 1956-1966 material, favoring (but not limited to) his sessions for Prestige. Witherspoon puts his imprint on a lot of blues/R&B classics -- "Good Rockin' Tonight," "Bad Bad Whiskey," "One Scotch, One... Read More