Jazz Articles

Willie Dixon: Wille Dixon's Big Three Boogie

by Joe Milazzo
December 1, 2001

What remains to be written about Willie Dixon? He will most likely never be known much for his bass playing, but rather because he was arguably the preeminent blues lyricist of the post-war era, an activist and agitator for the rights of musicians of the folk tradition, and the guiding spirit of one of this country's greatest independent record labels (Chess). In fact, Dixon's total understanding of music -- as a cultural entity, as an art-form, and as a business ...

Charlie Christian: When Lights Are Low

by Al Rearick
October 1, 2001

For everyone wondering if and when Sony will ever get around to upgrading the CDs of music by legendary guitar-player Charlie Christian, well...I guess we’ll have to keep waiting. In the meantime, though, the good folks at Catfish Records have beaten Sony to the punch with their great-sounding compilation of prime Christian, When Lights Are Low.

At first glance, it’s perplexing to figure out who this is marketed towards. Die-hards will want to wait for a more complete overview of ...

Various: Texas Blues

by Derek Taylor
July 1, 2001

Commonly regaled as a definitively American musical form, the blues are in fact a living amalgam of social, cultural and artistic antecedents both indigenous and otherwise. African-derived rhythms and folklore intersected with traditions extrapolated from European, Latin and Polynesian sources--with everything falling into the simmering melting pot that describes the music. Distinct styles were the product of both regional experimentation and the proliferation of commercial recordings. As a cross-pollinating musical ecosystem in the early part of the 20th century, the ...

Earl Hooker: There's A Fungus Amung Us

by Derek Taylor
June 1, 2001

The reasons behind Earl Hooker’s lack of public notoriety are not difficult to discern when his discography is stacked up against that of his more famous cousin John Lee Hooker. The bulk of Earl’s legacy lies in the prolific, but largely anonymous session work he did for labels like Chief, Chess and King and it wasn’t until late 1960s that he had the chance to secure an album of his own. The reasons behind his late blooming status as a ...

Muddy Waters: Streamlined Woman

by Al Rearick
June 1, 2001

Trust the British to go and dig up as much blues roots as possible. The blues as a music form was born in the states with folks like Robert Johnson, Son House and Muddy Waters. It was a blend of art culture that trickled into American interest, but, like so many other artforms, soon faded into near obscurity. With bands like the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, Mayall's Bluesbreakers and Led Zeppelin, we can thank the Motherland for keeping the blues ...

Ted Hawkins: The Unstoppable Ted Hawkins

by Derek Taylor
May 1, 2001

Calling Ted Hawkins a blues artist unnecessarily narrows the breath of the man’s repertoire and reach. Closer to a modern troubadour his songbook drew on a wealth of music and influences. Busking on the sidewalks of Venice Beach for years he cultivated a sound steeped in the blues and rock and roll, Stax-era soul, American folk, Country and spirituals as well. But unlike Hendrix, a return to the streets and anonymity marked his return to the States in the early ...

Michael Messer: King Guitar

by Joe Milazzo
May 1, 2001

What makes a blues performance “authentic"? It's a question loaded with an excess of assumptions (about ethnicity, about geographic origins, and about the content of an individual's character), but any answer can only be found in what transpires between an artists and his or her audience. If the blues is more than just a form, if it is a living organism capable of crafty adaptation, however, the ramifications of blues as an expression cannot slip from consideration. So, call Messer ...

Henry Townsend & Friends: Henry's Worried Blues

by Derek Taylor
May 1, 2001

Miraculously still active after nearly a century of life Henry Townsend is a certified blues legend. A native of Mississippi born in 1909, he set up residence in St. Louis in his late teens and was soon ensconced in the thriving blues scene there. His sound is indicative of the region and often features sparse, utilitarian picking and a focus on melancholy vocalized verses. Short’s style is similarly shaped, but is noticeably different in the amount of vibrato he bleeds ...

Scrapper Blackwell: Bad Liquor Blues

by Derek Taylor
April 1, 2001

Scrapper Blackwell was a pioneering blues guitar genius possessing a technique that made most of his peers green with envy. Sadly, as if living the lyrics of one of his song, his career took a mortal blow with the passing of his musical partner Leroy Carr. Carr and Blackwell were the earliest and most successful blues duo regularly charting hits on the race records sales circuit. When Carr died of liquor-related illness Blackwell’s similar demons caught up with him and ...

Texas Alexander: 98

by Derek Taylor
April 1, 2001

Texas Alexander was something of an unlikely blues celebrity in his prime. Cut from the coarse cloth of country blues his voice was raw as birch bark with a dire edge and volume that balked at notions of lyrical finesse. In addition unlike most of his contemporaries he didn’t play an instrument. Instead the Okeh label hired musicians to accompany him a practice running contrary to blues convention, which set an influential precedent in the industry.

The accompanists chosen were ...