Revered for decades as one of the Kings of Memphis Rockabilly for the scintillating records he made for Sam Phillips' legendary Sun imprint, the late Warren Smith was always a country boy at heart. After the rock 'n' roll boom was over he cut some of the best hardcore country shuffles of the early 60s. It was R 'n' R that built Warren's reputation, but honky tonkin' country that gave him his hits and made him a frequent visitor to the Billboard Country Charts between 1960 and 1964.
When Tropical Breeze was recorded in New Orleans in 1980, Cassandra Wilson had yet to record as a solo artist or become a major name in jazz. But those who were hip to the singer back then knew that she had a lot of potential, and that included the other members of the Brazilian-oriented jazz-pop band Jasmine. In a perfect world, Wilson's brief stint as Jasmine's lead singer would have brought her commercial success. But Jasmine was obscure, and it wasn't until the '90s that Wilson finally received the type of attention that she deserved. It's safe to say that many of the singer's fans have never heard of Jasmine or Tropical Breeze, which was originally released on LP by Inner City and finally made its debut on CD when Japan's P-Vine label reissued it in 2002. But the album's obscurity doesn't make it any less enjoyable.
When it comes to post war blues harmonica players Little Walter and Big Walter Horton tower above just about all the others. This excellent set features a selection of recordings that he made under his own name as well as many of the sides where he contributed his stellar harmonica work as a sideman. These include accompaniments to Willie Nix, Johnny Shines, Joe Hill Louis, Tampa Red, Arbee Stidham, Sunnyland Slim and Jimmy Rogers. It includes his recording with Jimmy DeBerry of Easy which is one of the greatest harmonica solos of all time.