One Record Collection in One Sentence

A Couple of Brownie Blowing Sessions (it sounds naughty, but it isn’t)

uncorrected — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:53:48 +0000

119. Clifford Brown Brown and Roach Incorporated (EmArcy Records): A great trumpet talent snuffed out too early swings with class on blowers and ballads.

120. Clifford Brown/Max Roach Pure Genius (Elektra Musician): A posthumously-released life set with Max Roach and Sonny Rollins that will blow your doors off.

Seeing the World Through Braxtonian and Brownie Eyes

uncorrected — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:57:55 +0000

117. Anthony Braxton with Muhal Richard Abrams Duets 1976 (Arista): Braxton and Abrams mingle standards and a lovely ballad with the usual challenging Braxtonian geometry.

118. Clifford Brown Brownie Eyes (Blue Note): Some of the swinginest music ever laid down on wax, especially “Hymn of the Orient.”

It Says Here

uncorrected — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:26:54 +0000

114. Boogie Down Productions “Why Is That?” 12″ (Jive): KRS-One fiercely interrogates the His-Story version of history.

115. Billy Bragg Brewing Up With (CD Presents): One man, one guitar.

116. Billy Bragg Talking With the Taxman About Poetry (Elektra): Billy broadens the musical palette.

Can Blue Men Sing the Whites?

uncorrected — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:31:42 +0000

113. The Bonzo Dog Band The History of the Bonzos (United Artists Twofer): Of urban spacemen, Adolf Hitler on vibes, and meditations on trouser presses.

Live, from The Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, its…

uncorrected — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:10:28 +0000

111. Blues Compilation Southern Prison Blues (Tradition-Everest): Prisoners in the pokey (most memorably, Hogman Maxey) sing the blues about all manner of things.

112. Blues Compilation Angola Prisoner Blues (Arhoolie): Hogman Maxey and friends (notably, Robert Pete Williams) are back and in a rather dark frame of mind.

Peanut the Kidnapper Sings the Blues

uncorrected — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:54:57 +0000

109. Blues Compilation Country Blues Classics, Vol. 2 (Arhoolie): Another hodge podge of assorted goodies from the Arhoolie folks.

110. Blues Compilation New Deal Blues (Mamlish): Fair to middlin’ collection of blues sides laid down during the Great Depression years.

The Roots of Robert Johnson and the Story of the Boy With the Talking Guitar

uncorrected — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:42:37 +0000

107. Blues Compilation The Roots of Robert Johnson (Yazoo): The moving, the frightening, the silly roots of the superstar of Country Blues.

108. Blues Compilation Fort Worth Shuffle (Krazy Kat): A collection of obscure but righteous r&b floor stompers, including, in one case, guitar picking with teeth.

More Bottleneck and Some Rambling

uncorrected — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:36:04 +0000

105. Blues Compilation Bottleneck Trendsetters of the 1930′s Casey Bill Weldon & Kokomo Arnold (Yazoo): Zany, manic, and out-of-the-box bottleneck guitar performances from these two very untraditional bluesmen.

106. Blues Compilation Ramblin’ on My Mind (Milestone): Mostly pedestrian but occasionally interesting recordings from a hodgepodge of bluesmen on the subject of travel by train, bus, foot, etc.

Ladies Boogiewoogying on the Ivories and Fellas Bluesing on the Bottleneck

uncorrected — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:50:13 +0000

103. Blues Compilation Boogie Blues Women Sing & Play Boogie Woogie (Rosetta): A formidable collection of women, including Ella Fitzgerald, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Memphis Minnie and Dorothy Donegan, play and sing the boogie woogie style for your carnal and spiritual pleasure.

104. Blues Compilation The Voice of the Blues Bottle Neck Guitar Masterpieces (Yazoo): A gang of bottleneck hotshots make their marks for posterity on the ol’ shellac.

Beneath Blue North Carolina and Chicago (and North Hollywood) Skies

uncorrected — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:09:22 +0000

101. The Blue Sky Boys (Rounder): Bill and Earl Bolick deliver elegant testaments of tragedy and faith (and a little fun).

102. Blues Compilation Chicago Blues at Home (Advent): Blues veterans do their thing in sweet home Chicago—with the notable exception of an intense Johnny Shines performance of “Ramblin’” recorded in North Hollywood.