Don Greene

A capable purveyor of R&B, intimate ballads, or boogie-woogie piano who sang in a high, sweet voice with soul and chutzpah similar to that of Lula Reed, Lil Green or Julia Lee, Viviane Greene made a series of fine little recordings for five different labels in San Francisco and Los Angeles between late 1947 and July 1955. This compilation claims to contain all of her recorded works with the exception of her 1962 Finer Arts material. The most dazzling tracks are without question her instrumentals, for Viviane Greene was a classically trained pianist who developed her chops working steadily at nightclubs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Denver, Colorado.

It’s a brand new world, or at least a different one from when we began 2020 some 10 months ago. Civil unrest, political strife and a world pandemic have been at the forefront of the never-ending news cycle. One good thing that’s come from it is the new album release from Alastair Greene. A guitar player’s guitar player, Greene penned all 11 tracks on The New World Blues which drops on October 23rd, via Whiskey Bayou Records.

Guitar virtuoso Alastair Greene has artfully managed a dynamic solo career while contributing to the music of notable artists such as Grammy-winner Alan Parsons and soul-blues Grammy nominee Sugaray Rayford. Greene's latest release, Standing Out Loud, is a commanding declaration poised to solidify his position as a seasoned veteran in the blues rock world. With a strong batch of original songs rooted in blues and southern rock traditions, it builds upon the momentum created by his critically acclaimed solo releases of recent years. "Teaming up with Ruf Records for this album feels like a natural and perfect fit for the progression of my career," says the California native and multi-charting Billboard artist that Blues Music Magazine called "a major talent in the blues-rock category."

Dodo Greene - My Hour Of Need (1962) {Blue Note Connoisseur CD Series, CDP 7243 8 52442 2 3 rel 1996}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 384 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 141 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 23 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1962, 1996 Blue Note / Capitol | CDP 7243 8 52442 2 3
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Soul Jazz / Saxophone

This set (reissued on CD) was a very unusual release for Blue Note. Greene's mixture of R&B and soulful blues in a voice very reminiscent of late-period Dinah Washington is much more pop and blues-oriented than the music on any other Blue Note release from the period. What other Blue Note album has a full program of soul ballads clocking in between three to five minutes apiece? Although Dodo Greene (who had recorded one slightly earlier record for Time) was apparently signed to an exclusive contract, her only other Blue Note session (six of its nine numbers conclude this CD) had never been previously released. In reality, the main reason to acquire the relaxed set is for the warm tenor of Ike Quebec (who is perfect in this setting) and the occasional guitar of Grant Green. A true obscurity.