Big Joe Williams may have been the most cantankerous human being who ever walked the earth with guitar in hand. At the same time, he was an incredible blues musician: a gifted songwriter, a powerhouse vocalist, and an exceptionally idiosyncratic guitarist. Despite his deserved reputation as a fighter (documented in Michael Bloomfield's bizarre booklet Me and Big Joe), artists who knew him well treated him as a respected elder statesman. Even so, they may not have chosen to play with him, because - as with other older Delta artists - if you played with him you played by his rules.
As protégé David "Honeyboy" Edwards described him, Williams in his early Delta days was a walking musician who played work camps, jukes, store porches, streets, and alleys from New Orleans to Chicago…
This edition contains all 1962 collaborations by Joe Pass and pianist Les McCann, who would continue working together the following year. Their 1962 output consists of their participation on Richard “Groove” Holmes LP "Somethin' Special" and on McCann's own album "On Time". Both records appear here in their entirety, as well as two tracks from the second LP that were not included on the original album. As a bonus, the complete LP "Back in Town!". Issued under the name of singer/guitarist Bumble Bee Slim (born Amos Easton), it consisted of two sessions, one featuring Pass, and the other featuring McCann.
'The most acclaimed Japanese composer to have ever worked in film' (Pitchfork), Joe Hisaishi releases 'Songs of Hope: The Essential Joe Hisaishi Vol. 2'. Following the massive success of 'Dream Songs: The Essential Joe Hisaishi (Vol. 1)', this album features even more of Hisaishi's greatest hits from iconic films including Spirited Away and Porco Rosso, orchestral works and solo piano recordings, plus two brand-new recordings: 'Kids Return' and 'HANA-BI.'
Vinegar Joe might very easily have been Island Records' answer to the Allman Bros. or Wet Willie. A sextet formed out of a busted big-band rock outfit called Dada, they were brought together at the suggestion of Island founder Chris Blackwell. Elkie Brooks (vocals), Robert Palmer (vocals, guitar), Pete Gage (guitars, piano), and Steve York (bass, harmonica), were at the core of the group, with Tim Hinkley and then Mike Deacon on keyboards, and Conrad Isadore and Keef Hartley, and then John Woods and Pete Gavin on drums–the band cut three albums for between 1971 and 1973. Their live shows were well reviewed and attracted significant audiences in England, but this was never reflected in their record sales. They split up in 1973, with Robert Palmer becoming an international star as a pop-rock blue-eyed soul singer and Elkie Brooks a success as an MOR singer with Pete Gage as her arranger. Collection includes: Vinegar Joe (1972); Rock'n Roll Gypsies (1972); Six Star General (1973); Six Star Gypsies (1993).
The turbulent life of soul and blues singer, the late Joe Cocker. A former gas fitter from Sheffield , catapulted to world stardom in 1969 at Woodstock with his legendary performance of the Beatles song,"A Little Help from My Friends". But in the early 1970s, Joe Cocker's inner demons nearly killed him…
Joe Pass became famous with his unaccompanied guitar showcase on Virtuoso, the beginning of a very notable series. However, this double CD (a reissue of a 1983 double LP plus three new performances) actually preceded the first Virtuoso by a month and differed in that Pass exclusively chose to play acoustic guitar, rather than electric. The relatively little-known set finds the guitarist sounding very much like a self-sufficient orchestra, and although his tone is necessarily softer on acoustic than electric, he swings hard on the uptempo pieces. Among the many highlights are "Indian Summer," "My Shining Hour," "I'll Remember April" and "Limehouse Blues."
Joe Hisaishi, the acclaimed Japanese composer behind some of the world’s best-loved anime films, has announced his new album, Dream Songs: The Essential Joe Hisaishi, will be released on 21 February. On the same day thirty albums from the composer’s extensive catalogue will be released on streaming services worldwide for the first time ever.