Chronological Blue Lou Barker

This is one of the lesser entries put out by the European Classics label. Blue Lou Barker was a so-so singer who had the novelty hit "Don't You Make Me High"; all 21 of her prewar recordings are included on this CD. The more memorable moments are provided by the sidemen, which include trumpeters Red Allen and Charlie Shavers, clarinetist Buster Bailey, tenor saxophonist Chu Berry, and her husband, guitarist Danny Barker.

Over her fifty-plus year career, singer Maria Muldaur has released more than thirty recordings, scoring one bonafide hit with “Midnight At The Oasis” from her 1973 self-titled album. But she could have had a second hit from the same album. As she explains in her notes included in the packaging of her new release, disc jockeys across the country had another song on the album, “Don’t You Feel My Leg,” in more frequent rotation than “Oasis”. Discussions with her record company about making that song the follow-up broke down as the label considered the track too risque for the general public, a decision that certainly seems quaint today with standards that allow all kinds of potentially offensive language and sexual references on the air, even in the Oval Office at the White House. Muldaur includes an updated version of the song on her exceptional tribute to one of the tune’s writers, Louisa “Blue Lou” Barker.

Louis Hayes - Blue Lou (1993) {SteepleChase SCCD 31340}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 423 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 157 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 15 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1993 SteepleChase | SCCD 31340
Jazz / Hard Bop / Drums

The master drummer Louis Hayes has been the solid beat behind jazz greats such as Oscar Peterson, Cannonball Adderley, McCoy Tyner, Freddie Hubbard and many many others. As a leader Hayes has been known for his sharp eyes for selecting good sidemen and providing them with surroundings to develop their talents further. On this session – Louis’ fifth leader album for SteepleChase – “youngsters” Eddie Allen and Javon Jackson are featured along with veteran pianist Ronnie Mathews.The “hard bop” style of the group reminds us of the Jazz Messengers led by the late Art Blakey.

Lou Gramm had been recording with Rochester, New York based band, Black Sheep, since the early 1970s. Releasing two LPs for Capitol, Lou Gramm met his future bandmate and songwriting partner Mick Jones in 1975 when Black Sheep opened for Spooky Tooth in Rochester. Mick Jones was looking for a singer for his new band in 1976, and Black Sheep having split at the end of 1975, Lou was free to audition for Mick’s new group, Foreigner. Releasing their self-titled album on Atlantic Records in 1977, and featuring solid gold rock classics as ‘Cold As Ice’ and ‘Feels Like The First Time’, Foreigner were an instant worldwide smash. Going from strength to strength, the band hit a commercial peak in 1984 with the “Agent Provocateur” album and the chart topping power ballad, ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’.