Taylor, C .filosofia

Beware of the Dog was Hound Dog Taylor's posthumous live album containing performances that are even steamier than his first two studio albums, if such a notion is possible. For lowdown slow blues, it's hard to beat the heartfelt closer "Freddie's Blues," and for surreal moments on wax, it's equally hard to beat the funkhouse-turned-loony bin dementia of "Let's Get Funky" or the hopped up hillbilly fever rendition of "Comin' Around the Mountain".

This two CD overview of both Hound Dog Taylor and his sidekick Brewer Phillips features some of the toughest Chicago Blues ever recorded. The legendary JSP Brewer Phillips studio album is included in its entirety. Early small label sides by Hound Dog Taylor are collected together for the first time and this set features the very first CD release of the Live At Florences recordings.

Mick Taylor's self-titled debut album is rather different than one would imagine for an ex-Rolling Stone and former Bluesbreaker. As to whether this is due to the conformist sound of the lighter numbers ("Leather Jacket," "Baby I Want You," etc.) or the fact that his singing voice is so much more average than Jagger or Mayall's is debatable. In any case, Mick Taylor is an undeniably attractive and often surprising album. The highlight and thrust of the album is Taylor's astounding guitar playing. His fusion of blues and rock styles, and, of course, his slide guitar work, is constantly impressive. "Slow Blues," "Giddy-Up," and "Spanish/A Minor" feature some particularly gob-smacking guitar solos.

Violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte and harpsichordist Justin Taylor, two of the most promising virtuosos of the new generation and founder members of the ensemble Le Consort, now present a duo album that pays tribute to a great eighteenth-century dynasty of musicians, the violinists and composers of the Francoeur family.

Many jazz fans don't realize how long ago Billy Taylor began his career; this French anthology assembles five separate sessions that he led as a young man between 1945 and 1949, as well as one date as a sideman. In 1945 he shows the influence of both Art Tatum and Teddy Wilson in the lightly swinging take of "Night and Day," while his campy approach to "Alexander's Ragtime Band" is rather refreshing. His lyrical solo interpretation of "The Very Thought of You" from 1946 demonstrates his considerable growth as a pianist. Taylor also wrote seven of the songs, which include two versions of his easygoing "Stridin' Down the Champs-Elysees," the flashy blues "Well Taylor-Ed," and two rare vocals by Taylor on the Nat King Cole-like "I Don't Ask Questions, I Just Have Fun" and "So You Think You're Cute"…

Joanne Shaw Taylor was born and raised in the U.K. and discovered by Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) at the age of 15. Right from the beginning, Joanne's incredible guitar work and distinctive sultry vocals set her apart from the rest. Her latest studio album, Nobody's Fool, was produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith. It's her most personal album to date. Joanne's writing lays bare love, loss, and the desire to be free of the past through the vessel of catchy hooks and guitar riffs.