Long ago, in a world far, far a way there was no such thing as rock and roll. Instead, you had jazz, swing, gospel and what was called either “jump” blues, R&B or “race” music. Some of the artists such as Little Richard, Fats Domino, Big Joe Turner and Ray Charles were able to bridge the gap and gain fame with rock and roll, while others such as Louis Jordan and Joe Liggins never changed with the times. What this three disc anthology does is collect some of the most enjoyable and swinging R&B from the pre-rock era that you’ll ever come across, and make you wonder whether moving forward is actually “progress.”
Joe Liggins had a rich mellow deep voice, an irresistible 8 to the bar touch on the piano and a clever composing skill that he used to most advantage with a rotating team that was most popular with Willie Jackson/as-bs, James Jackson Jr/ts, Frank Paisley/g Peppy Prince-William Purnell/dr and Red Callender-Eddie Davis/b. You get classic “hits” like the original two parter, “The Honeydripper” which is still infectious and infectious after all of these decades, as well as the multi-covered “Pink Champagne” which will make you want to take up The Stroll. The sax men blow smoke rings throughout the boogie woogie-ing pieces such as “Left A Good Deal In Mobile,” “Three O’Clock Jump” and “Ramblin’ Blues” while the vocal refrains on ditties such as “ Rag Mop” still excite. The most amazing feat of Liggins and company is that the recordings are pulsating in their rhythm and make it impossible to sit still, but the drums and bass are never overwhelming. The groove is implied with subtlety by the mix of reeds, rhythm and voice, and it works to perfection.
While most of the songs here are from Liggins’ pen, he’s not adverse to doing some covers, as the saxes go wild on Ellington’s “Caravan” and deep on both “Sweet Georgia Brown “ and “Darktown Strutter’s Ball.” The steady beat of the band, hefty saxes and Liggins’ dark chocolate voice was a match made in heaven, and while some people may say that time passed him by through pop music and rock and roll, these sounds still sound timeless while much that replaced these sounds come across highly dated. Check this one out!