Junior Wells: Hoodoo Man Blues (Live)
“Delmark’s most famous blues release is Mr. Wells’s “Hoodoo Man Blues,” which Mr. Koester produced. Two generations of blues bands have covered nearly every song on that recording, which the All Music Guide describes as “one of the truly classic blues albums of the 1960s” and “absolutely mesmerizing” in its ability to transfer onto tape the feeling of a live performance by a working Chicago blues band.” Larry Rother, New York Times
Kat Edmonson: Lucky
“Kat Edmonson is a rare talent: A jazz singer whose voice transcends the standards.” Audra Schroeder, the Austin Chronicle
Less is more.
Miles Davis & John Coltrane: So What
#4 Miles Davis: Kind of Blue, #3 Charlie Parker/Dizzy Gillespie: Bird&Diz, #2 John Coltrane: A Love Supreme, but what’s #1? Noise Addicts
Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks: Tangled Tales
“And then there’s the title song, which is a fast-paced bopper featuring Hicks and the ladies scat-singing. It’s an impressive display. That comes right before the album ender, “Let It Simmer,” which slows things down as Hicks advises listeners to slow down and take it easy. As the song winds down, a male chorus sings in the background “Where’s the money? Where’s the money?,” which hearkens back to the early days of Hicks’ career.
Hicks knows by now that there ain’t no money in the music biz for the likes of him. Thankfully, he still does it for the love.” Steve Terrell, No Depression
“Part 1 (of 2) in a look at Atlanta’s Grammy-winning Dust To Digital Records, a small label specializing in folk music, roots music, and historically significant recordings. This story was featured on “This is Atlanta with Alicia Steele,” a Telly Award-winning and Emmy-nominated magazine show on PBA, Atlanta’s PBS Station.”
Louis Armstrong: St. Louis Blues
“According to biographer David Roberts, the young Handy had intended to be “the colored Sousa”: a counterpart to the renowned composer of marches. But when Handy heard what we now know of as Mississippi Delta Blues, he changed his mind. “I saw the beauty of primitive music,” he recalled. “Their music wanted polishing, but it contained the essence. Folks would pay good money for it.” In giving the blues sophistication, Handy made the genre part of “mainstream American music” — and made himself a rich man.” The Washington Post
Thelonious Monk at Town Hall 50th Anniversary
“…but Monk’s off-center rhythms and distinctive touch without sounding at all mannered. Listen to the first track of the 1959 concert, with Monk zigzagging through the opening bars of “Thelonious” Slate
Herbie Hancock: Cantaloop Island (Live)
““One of the first things that Alfred Lion said to me was, ‘What are you going to do to be commercial?’” New York Times
Ray Charles with David Newman: Just a Little Lovin’
Ray Charles’ long time saxophonist and jazz session player David “Fathead” Newman has passed away. The Dallas native can be heard on such Charles’ hits as “I Got a Woman” and “Lonely Avenue.” Newman was 75.
