Blues Harp

Some of the marks of excellence on a Billy Flynn CD are as predictable as they are gratifying. It's a given that the songwriting, music, and players will reflect taste, quality, a savvy knowledge and broad nuanced mastery of the blues (with special emphasis on Chicago sylings) which only a true scholar, virtuoso, and veteran could bring, and a love of exploring both styles and instruments outside of the blues guitar and vocals which remain the core of his music…..

The Blues Alone was the first Mayall "solo" album (without the Bluesbreakers). Mayall played and overdubbed all instruments except drums, which were handled by Bluesbreaker Keef Hartley…

Deep in the Blues is a fascinating jam session between James Cotton, guitarist Joe Louis Walker, and jazz bassist Charlie Haden. The trio runs through a number of classic blues songs written by Muddy Waters, Percy Mayfield, and Sonny Boy Williamson and a few originals by Walker and Cotton. The sound is intimate and raw, which is a welcome change from Cotton's usual overproduced records.

Memphis Willie B. - Introducing Memphis Willie B. (1961) {Prestige Bluesville OBCCD-573-2 rel 1994}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 233 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 86 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 10 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1961, 1994 Prestige Bluesville / Fantasy | OBCCD-573-2
Blues / Country Blues / Acoustic Memphis Blues / Piedmont Blues

I originally found this LP in a thrift store in the '90s and it has remained one of my very favorites ever since. I've always found the guitar riffs, simple tho' they might be, somehow perfect; and Memphis Willie B. (Borum)'s voice is very affecting and expressive. The harp's cool, too and the songs are also well chosen - blues with meaning and stories I'm interested in hearing. Bought it again as a cd, and find myself listening to it remarkably often - I do have an extensive collection, but Willie speaks to me! :D

There s nothing to compare to the sound of an amplified Hohner Marine Band harmonica in the hands (and mouth) of a master like Little Walter, Walter Horton, Snooky Pryor or Sonny Boy Williamson. All of them were just as adept with the unamplified specimen but the addition of electricity takes this miniscule instrument into a different realm. Many musicians heard here were disciples in one way or another of John Lee Williamson (the original Sonny Boy), who played his harp through a microphone in clubs but never recorded that way. The list of these men is a long one, including Billy Boy Arnold, Walter Mitchell, Doctor Ross, Forrest City Joe and Robert Richard, while Little Walter influenced younger men like Junior Wells, Jerry McCain, James Cotton and George Smith…