Tim Niland is a lifelong jazz and blues fan, who began blogging about music five years ago. In real life, he is a public librarian living in New Jersey.

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Showing entries for Category: blues

Various Artists - Jook Joint Blues (JSP, 2007)

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July 18, 8:27 PM

by Tim Niland, Blues and Jazz Examiner

Jook Joint Blues

For blues fans, the Juke or in this case Jook Joint has taken on the mystical place of a temple, where the Word of the blues is passed down from the musician-priests to the eager supplicants, who contort and speak in tongues on the dance floor. This collection, by the British label JSP, looks at music that would have been right at home in any juke joint in America in the immediate post war period. There are some familiar names here like Lightnin' Slim who is always extorting "Blow your harmonica, son! on every one of his tracks), Jerry McCain, Lazy Lester and Earl Hooker.

But most of the collection is make up of relatively unknown but by no means untalented musicians, who like their pre-war predecessors, cut a few 45's and them disappeared into the mists of time. That is part of the charm of the music presented here, and there is a lot of it over the course of four fully maxed out CDs. You'll be listening to track after track of pleasant but unspectacular blues, when out of nowhere, one of the sides will hit you like the proverbial rolling pin upside the head. For me the most interesting previously unknown musician represented here was a raw blues singer and harmonica player named Papa George Lightfoot. There few singles he has on this collection were wonderful, so I'm going to track down the one LP he made later on.

Sure the collection probably could have been boiled down to one killer disc of essential tracks, but that would ruin the fun of exploration. The liner notes by British blues scholar Neil Shaven are solid, but scattered in each CD case. This is an interesting collection to spin, and it represents a critical time in the development of the blues. With the war over, and the northern migration in full swing, blues was about to burst out of its southern roots and take Chicago by storm. This box is the sound of the blues evolving from a regional music to a full blown national (and world) treasure.

Topics: blues , variousartists

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Watermelon Slim and the Workers - No Paid Holidays (Northern Blues, 2008)

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July 15, 12:50 PM

Watermelon Slim and the Workers play the straight-up workingman's blues, for people who walk the hard road every day and are trying to make ends meet. Slim has been a soldier, truck driver and everything in between, and their latest album continues their... Read More
Topics: blues , watermelonslim

Earl Hooker - Blue Guitar (Paula, 1981)

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July 15, 12:41 PM

Like many of the legends of the blues, guitarist Earl Hooker moved to Chicago in the post-war years from his birthplace of Mississippi. Earning a place for himself in the pantheon with his unique slide guitar and his aversion to singing, Hooker never... Read More
Topics: blues , earlhooker

Interesting posts

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July 10, 3:42 PM

The Allmusic blog has anice post about the music of trumpeter Woody Shaw:"Although Shaw would continue to record for various labels up until his tragic death in 1989, he never quite achieved the commercial success he deserved. Nonetheless, he is... Read More
Topics: jazz , blues , woodyshaw

Dr. John - The City That Care Forgot (429 Records, 2008)

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July 6, 7:26 PM

The good doctor is one angry unit. War, natural disaster, and global warming are destroying everything that he holds dear, and the government does nothing but turn a blind eye to the war profitters making a bundle off of the bodies of the fallen. But... Read More
Topics: blues , drjohn

Hound Dog Taylor - Release the Hound (Alligator, 2004)

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July 3, 10:14 AM

It's hard not to break into a spontaneous grin when listening to slide guitarist and vocalist Hound Dog Taylor. The man had a ready smile, infectious laugh, and even an extra finger! Taylor was also the man who prompted the founding of the Alligator... Read More
Topics: blues , hounddogtaylor

Tommy McClennan

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July 3, 10:09 AM

Big Road Blues has a two part post on their blog about the pre-war bluesman Tommy McClennan, with some mp3 downloads to boot: Part One Part TwoMcClennan is a contradiction; at once wholly individualistic with his powerhouse gravel-throated voice, sprinkled... Read More
Topics: blues , tommymcclennan

Muddy Waters Sings Big Bill Broonzy (Chess, 1960)

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June 26, 10:09 AM

The era before Chess Records was a vibrant one for blues music in Chicago with the likes of Tampa Red, John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson, and the great Big Bill Broonzy presiding over a vibrant scene. Broonzy welcomed the influx of musicians... Read More
Topics: blues , muddywaters , bigbillbroonzy

News and Notes

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June 16, 1:37 PM

Sad news yesterday about the death of pianist Esbjorn Svensson: "Esbjörn Svensson, the genre-defying Swedish jazz pianist and composer, has died in a scuba diving accident, his manager said yesterday. Burkhard Hopper, manager of the Esbjörn... Read More
Topics: blues , esbjörnsvensson , davidmurray , obituary , blog

Mississippi Fred McDowell - I Do Not Play No Rock and Roll (Capitol, 1969, 1995)

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June 12, 1:20 PM

In his spoken introduction to this album, McDowell recounts the history of his blues, before making his famous pronouncement, and stating that the only way to rock him is in a rocking chair. He them proceeds to play some torrid electric blues, backed... Read More
Topics: blues , mississippifredmcdowell