Rainey Marie Highley

This superb five-disc box set gives a sweeping overview of the hugely influential music of blues legend Ma Rainey. Rainey was already a seasoned performer by the time she made her first recordings in 1923, and though she only recorded for six years she cut over 100 songs, many of which went on to become blues classics. Those tunes, including "C.C. Rider," "Bo Weavil Blues," and "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," are here, alongside dozens of other gems. Rainey ranged across styles and settings, from acoustic blues to jazz to jug bands, but her saucy, gritty vocal delivery remained a lynchpin. Given the historical impact of Rainey's output, the set's title - Mother Of The Blues - is no understatement.
Heard along the way are such notables as Lovie Austin’s Blues Serenaders (with excellent playing from cornetist Tommy Ladnier and clarinetist Jimmy O’Bryant), three groups drawn from the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra…

The prospect of listening to a trio of soprano saxophones will make some of you cringe. After all, this instrument can turn into a head-drilling implement – let alone three. But Placés dans l'Air (literally: "placed in the air" or more elegantly "placed in space") is gentle on the ear, despite its high demands in terms of listening attention and open-mindedness. There are no endless circular-breathing tirades, no screeching solos, no out-breathing contests…