CHICAGO/ The Blues Yesterday Volume 14

CHICAGO/ The Blues Yesterday Vol. 14

            Commençons ce quatorzième (!) volume de notre série "Chicago/ The Blues Yesterday" par le chanteur J.L. Smith (James L. Smith) qui, malgré les dix excellents titres qu'il a enregistrés en 1968-69 demeure substantiellement inconnu. Il a été notablement présent dans les clubs de Chicago, au moins jusqu'au début des années 1980, et était sans doute originaire du Mississippi. Il a notamment enregistré pour Friendly Five, le minuscule label du guitariste et chauffeur de taxi, Freddy Young dont on a parfois dit qu'il était le collègue. Quoi qu'il en soit, son oeuvre que nous pouvons présenter enfin dans son intégralité comprend de beaux moments avec certains des meilleurs musiciens du Chicago blues de l'époque.

           

Cash Mc Call (né Maurice Dollison à New Madrid, Missouri le 21 janvier 1941) est évidemment bien connu des amateurs de blues (notamment les nombreuses séances Chess auxquelles il a participé), de Funk et de Soul, voire de Jazz, genres qu'il a illustrés de son jeu de guitare précis, fluide et toujours très bluesy. Si ses albums sont assez facilement trouvables, il n'en est pas de même pour ses premiers 45t dont nous proposons ici une sélection des plus blues ou bluesy.

            Enfin, le chanteur aveugle Tommy Malone (Blind Tom Malone) est probablement originaire de Birmingham (Alabama) où il a enregistré en 1955 en tant que "blues shouter" de l'orchestre du guitariste Bill Reese. On le retrouve cinq ans plus tard pour une séance de Chicago blues pour le label Ebony sous la houlette de Mayo Williams, encore une fois accompagné de Bill Reese. Il n'a plus enregistré ensuite et demeure juste un bluesman qui a gravé six titres intéressants et sur lequel on ne sait pratiquement rien.

            Cette anthologie de raretés n'aurait pas pu être complète sans l'aide et la générosité de Steve Wisner qui a produit certains des tout meilleurs albums de Chicago blues des années 1970, permettant de faire connaître des bluesmen comme Eddie C. Campbell ou Good Rockin' Charles notamment.

                                                                        

Gérard HERZHAFT

            Let's start the 14th (!) volume of our Chicago/ The Blues Yesterday series with singer J.L. Smith (James L. Smith) who, despite

the ten very good or even excellent tracks he has recorded in the late 1960's is still largely only a name. He was for sure sporadically singing his blues in the Chicago clubs, certainly until the early 1980's and was probably from Mississippi. He has in particular recorded for the tiny Friendly Five label, owned by Chicago guitarist and cab driver Freddy Young with whom some say he was also a colleague. Whatever! His complete recorded output that we can now feature is first rate and feature some of the top notch Chicago blues musicians of the era.

            Cash McCall (born Maurice Dollison in New Madrid, Missouri on January, 21st 1941) is a well known and greatly appreciated blues, Funk, Soul, Jazz guitarist. He has graced numerous sessions (Chess notably) with his precise, fluid, expressive and very bluesy guitar playing. He has also recorded several albums under his name which can be still easily found. This is not the case of his early 45s. Thus this selection of his most bluesy early recordings.

            At last, the blind singer Tommy Malone (sometimes billed as Blind Tom Malone) is mostly an unknown. He hailed from Birmingham, Alabama, where he was the featured singer of guitarist's Bill Reese band with whom he recorded four excellent tracks in 1955. We find our man again this time in Chicago in 1960 with once again Reese, recording two titles for Mayo Wiliams' Ebony label. He has disappeared after that.

            This anthology wouldn't have been possible without the strong help and generosity of Steve Wisner. Steve, when during the 1970s very few blues records were still done in Chicago, produced some of the very best Chicago blues albums by Eddie C. Campbell (his first and still his greatest to my ears, King of the Jungle), Good Rockin' Charles, Mojo Buford and many more.

                                                           Gérard HERZHAFT

CHICAGO/ The Blues Yesterday Vol. 14

J.L. SMITH, vcl; James Scott Jr, g; Little Mack Simmons, hca; Lafayette Leake, og; Jerome Arnold, bs; Earl Phillips, dms. Chicago, Ill. 1968

01. I hate to see you go

02. Do the mosquito

03. Can't stand your evil ways

04. My spirit will be with you

05. Bleeding heart

06. Did you do the mosquito?

J.L. Smith, vcl; Freddie Roulette, st-g; Johnny "Big Moose" Walker, pno; Mack Thompson, bs; dms. Chicago, Ill. janvier 1969

07. Got my top let down

08. If it's too late

J.L. Smith, vcl; Abb Locke, t-sax; Big Walter Horton, hca; Johnny Twist Williams, g; Johnny Littlejohn, g; Calvin Jones, bs; Bill Warren, dms. Chicago, Ill. novembre 1969

09. Come dance with me

10. Tears won't help you baby

CASH Mc CALL (Maurice Dollison), vcl/g; band. Chicago, Ill. 1963

11. Earth worm I & II

Cash Mc Call, vcl/g; John Avant, tb; Willie Henderson, b-sax; Monk Higgins, pno; Sidney Lennear, g; David Henderson, bs; Ham Hamilton, dms. Chicago, Ill. 1966

12. You ain't too cool

13. Let's get a thing going on

14. You mean everything to me

Cash Mc Call, vcl/g; Monk Higgins, pno; horns; Phil Upchurch, bs; Morris Jennings, dms. Chicago, Ill. 1967-68

15. I'm in danger

16. S.O.S.

17. Don't change on me

Cash Mc Call, vcl/g; band. Chicago, Ill. 1971

18. More power to you

TOMMY MALONE, vcl; Bill Reese, g; band. Birmingham, Al. 10 janvier 1955

19. I'm wading in deep water

20. It's been so long baby

21. Whiskey ol' whiskey

22. I gotta find my baby

Tommy Malone, vcl; Bill Reese, g; band. Chicago, Ill. 1960

23. Cow cow shake

24. Worried life