Home » Jazz Articles » Sleepy John Estes

Jazz Articles about Sleepy John Estes

288

Album Review

Sleepy John Estes: On 80 Highway

Read "On 80 Highway" reviewed by Nic Jones


Such was the fallout from the blues boom of the 1960s that Sleepy John Estes and his compadre Hammie Nixon cut this album just prior to leaving for their first visit to Japan back in July of 1974. Both men might be said to have been in their dotage at the time, with Estes in particular being approximately seventy years old, and the music is shot through with what could be described as joyful intimations of mortality.

The paradoxically joyous ...

442

Album Review

Sleepy John Estes: On 80 Highway

Read "On 80 Highway" reviewed by John Barron


Tennessee blues legend Sleepy John Estes (1904-1977) spent the early part of his career recording sides for the Victor, Bluebird and Decca labels. In his later years, Estes was recorded in Chicago by Delmark Records. On 80 Highway, recorded in 1974, is a previously unreleased session from the Delmark vaults featuring Estes singing and playing guitar with his long-time collaborator Hammie Nixon singing and accompanying on harmonica.

There's an element of comfort heard in Estes' emotional vocalizing. His high-pitched inflections ...

223

Album Review

Sleepy John Estes: On The Chicago Blues Scene

Read "On The Chicago Blues Scene" reviewed by Nic Jones


Sleepy John Estes was one of the numerous country blues men who benefited from the upsurge of interest in the music in the 1960s, some decades after they were first caught on record. He was recorded at the time of the short-lived Memphis Blues Festival in June of 1969, and the results are part of Mississippi Delta Blues Jam In Memphis, Volume II (Arhoolie, 1993) The music on this reissue of the album originally called Electric Sleep was caught some ...


Engage

Contest Giveaways
Enter our latest contest giveaway sponsored by Craft Recordings
Jazz Polls
Vote for your Favorite Living Saxophonists, Favorite Legacy Saxophonists, Your Favorite Living Vocalists and Your Favorite Vibraphonists.
Publisher's Desk
Phishing Scam Alert
Read on...

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.