Late 60s recordings from the Chicago scene – with nicely raw work from these up and coming giants! LP, Vinyl record album

A very hip collection of work from the great Joe Turner – material that hasn't been easily issued elsewhere, and which fills in a key chapter of Joe's career! CD1 features vintage material, and is heavy on work from the postwar years, but before Turner rose to a second wave of fame on Atlantic Records – raw tracks recorded for labels that include Freedom and Stag, often with a style that's heavy on the jazzy arrangements that other jump blues artists were using at the time. CD2 features a variety of live recordings – from 1955, 1969, 1971, and 1985 – showing how strongly Turner held onto both his vocal powers over the years, and his ability to command a concert audience. Vintage cuts include "Still In The Dark", "Adam Bit The Apple", "Just A Travelin Man", "Jumpin At The Jubilee", "Around The Clock (part 1)", "Wine O Baby Boogie", "Christmas Date Boogie", and "Baby Won't You Marry Me". Live tracks include "Call The Plumber", "Chicken & The Hawk", "Honey Hush", "Mad Blues", "Chains Of Love", "Cherry Red", "Low Down Dog", and "Flip Flop & Fly". CD

A real classic from blues giant Joe Turner – a singer who burst back to the mainstream on 50s Atlantic Records, thanks to a host of R&B singles that burned up the charts – but who here returns to his roots, and lays down a great set of jazzy tunes that get back to his roots in the Kansas City scene of the 30s! The shift is a bit like that Ray Charles made at the end of the 50s on Atlantic – R&B to more of a jazz-based groove – and Joe works here with great help from Pete Brown on alto, Pete Johnson on piano, Joe Newman on trumpet, and Lawrence Brown on trombone. After the raw hard R&B of Joe's bigger hit sides for Atlantic, the album's a compelling change – a reminder that Turner had roots that went much deeper than his rock and roll fame – and a depth of delivery that would keep his career strong, long after some of his 50s R&B contemporaries faded! The mix of modes – R&B and jazz – is a bit like some of the later Ray Charles albums on Atlantic – and tracks include "Low Down Dog", "Roll Em Pete", "Cherry Red", "How Long Blues", and "Morning Glories". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic King R&B material from Vinson, featuring some great backing by a surprising amount of jazz players! The album includes playing by Frank Foster, Joe Newman, Charlie Rouse, Ed Thigpen, Freddie Green, Paul Quinichette, and Nat Pierce – and the sound owes a lot to Joe Turner's work with Basie. Titles include "Cherry Red", "That's The Way To Treat Your Woman", "Kidney Stew", "Hold It Right There", and "Your Baby Ain't Sweet Like Mine". LP, Vinyl record album