Slim Gaillard

Volume two in the Classics Slim Gaillard chronology presents the Flat Foot Floogee Boys in all their pixilated glory. Well known for his silly and imaginative use of hip scat and cannabis-informed "viper talk," Gaillard was also one of a handful of individuals who pioneered the use of the electrically amplified guitar. This entertaining compilation presents Gaillard in the company of trumpeters Cyril Newman, Al Killian, and Henry Goodwin, lightning alto saxophonist Herman Flintall, Kenneth Hollon on tenor sax, the versatile Garvin Bushell on clarinet, pianist Loumell Morgan, bowing/singing bassist Slam Stewart, and dynamic drummer Herbert Pettaway (also known as "Hubert"). There are no sleepers among these vintage recordings, which were originally issued on the Okeh and Vocalion labels…

For this extraordinary concert, giant bluesman Memphis Slim is joined by, among others, Paul Jones (ex-lead singer of Manfred Mann), the inimitable Slim Gaillard and the phenomenal I Dance Jazz dance group. Performances including such Memphis Slim standards as "If You See Kay, Beer Drinking Woman" as well as new, specially-composed originals including "400 Years" and "Tribute to Galliard."The great bluesman is joined by Paul Jones and Slim Gaillard. Performances include: "Stepping Out," "Rock the House Tonight," "Please Send Me Some Love," "Tribute to Gaillard," "400 Years," and more…….

This 52-disc (no, that is not a typo) comp, ABC of the Blues: The Ultimate Collection from the Delta to the Big Cities, may just indeed live up to its name. There are 98 artists represented , performing 1,040 tracks. The music begins at the beginning (though the set is not sequenced chronologically) with Charlie Patton, Son House, and Robert Johnson, and moves all the way through the vintage Chicago years of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, with stops along the way in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, New York, and all points in between. Certainly, some of these artists are considered more rhythm & blues than purely blues artists: the inclusion of music by Johnny Otis, Wynonie Harris, Bo Diddley, and others makes that clear…