The White Sheik

Bookended by several pleasant yet minor blues and pop vocals by Albina Jones and Ruble Blakey, this Classics Don Byas disc finds the unsung tenor great on the eve of his indefinite stay in Europe. Having cut his teeth in the bands of Lionel Hampton, Andy Kirk, and Count Basie, among others, Byas marked the end of the war with several fine combo recordings spotlighting his boppish swing blowing style. Here is a generous chunk from 1945, featuring a few different lineups and the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Buck Clayton, Errol Garner, Slam Stewart, and Sid Catlett. Byas is in top form throughout, plying his smoky and slightly tart tone on ballads like "Laura," while showing off a lithe brand of swing on an up-tempo "The Sheik of Araby." Not as solid as Classics' 1944-1945 volume, but still a fine selection for Byas completists.

Various Artists - Wizards of Country Guitar: Selected Sides 1935-1955 (2011) {4CD Set, JSP Records JSP77144D}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 608 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 559 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 87 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1935-55, 2011 JSP Records | JSP77144D
Country Boogie / Jazz / Early Country / Instrumental Country / Western Swing / Guitar

The invention and introduction of electrically amplified instruments – most notably the guitar and steel guitar – began slowly transforming every branch of pop music beginning in the mid- to late '30s, shifting emphasis in bands from an ensemble approach to one that allowed for sharper sound definition and easily heard instrumental solos, all of which made the world, at least the recorded version of it, more defined and, well, louder. For the Western swing, honky tonk, and country genres, the change came when steel player Bob Dunn went electric with his group Musical Brownies in 1935.