The foundation for blues piano and jazz vocals area presented on the latest releases by Avid:
Four albums by blues pianists are served well on this laid back collection from various masters of the 88s. Leroy Carr is captured in in the early 30s with guitarist Scrapper Blackwell on the collection of rare recordings. While the sound quality is a bit primitive, the tunes are riveting, such as “Barrelhouse Woman” and “Hustler Blues”. Rufus G. Perryman, aka “Speckled Red” had a ragtime feel to his playing, and was one of the first of the double entendre singers, with plenty of hidden messages on “The Right String But The Wrong Y o-Yo” and “Cryin’ In My Sleep”. Roosevelt Sykes had an earthy feel, and here in 1961 he teams up with King Curtis/ts, Robert Banks/org, Belton Evans/dr and Leonard Gaskin/b for sweaty takes of “Miss Ida B” and “Lonely Day”. Last but not least is Little Brother Montgomery, teamed in 1960 with Julian Euell/b and Lafayette Thomas/g for some exciting grooves and deep rivulets like “Vicksburg Blues” and “Brother’s Boogie”. Heavy hands!
For those in the know, the “skinny” years of Frank Sinatra, the “first wife” years, are considered his best and at least most optimistic. They are represented here by Sinatra’s earliest “long playing” albums. With Nelson Riddle, Sinatra is innocent and optimistic on his early versions of “I’ve Got The World On A String” , “Young at Heart” and the gorgeous “Three Coins In The Fountain”. A collection of his compiled singles features tunes by Cahn/Van Heusen team, most notably “Look To Your Heart” and a dramatic “Our Town”. Sinatra then gives the definitive aria read of “All The Way” as well as the swaggering take of “Witchcraft”, making you want to snap your fingers along. The last release from 1962 mixes tender pieces like “The Nearness of You” with the cute and kitschy “Chicago”. Sinatra before the thematic albums.