ALBERT COLLINS/ BLUES GUITAR MASTERS Vol. 5 (repost, new links)

 

ALBERT COLLINS: Blues Guitar Masters Vol. 5

           

Né dans une famille de métayers de Leona (Texas) le 1 octobre 1932, Collins commence très jeune à jouer autour de Houston, apprend la guitare en voyant Frankie Lee Sims et surtout Guitar Slim à qui il empruntera une grande partie de son jeu de scène. Il écume les bars du Third Ward et développe un style très personnel: courtes notes claires et hautes qui surgissent d'un fond de basse très épais, capodastre fixé très haut sur le manche et emploi systématique des gammes mineures. On retrouve dans le jeu de Collins de plus en plus sur une Telecaster, des traces du style traditionnel du Texas central, parcimonieux et économique mais cinglant et expressif auquel s'ajoutent les influences de Gatemouth Brown et B.B. King.

            A la fin des années 50, Albert Collins enregistre pour de petits labels locaux comme Hall-Way ou Kangaroo une série de pièces instrumentales qui ont un certain succès local: Freeze, Defrost, Frosty..., succession de riffs aux notes précises et tendues qui créent une atmosphère élégante et "glacée" qui restera la marque d'Albert Collins. Ces disques deviennent dans les années 60 de petits classiques, révérés des amateurs. La revue britannique Blues Unlimited publie plusieurs articles sur Albert, attirant l'attention du nouveau public international du blues. Entre temps et grâce à Bob Hite, le leader des Canned Heat, Collins a émigré autour de San Francisco à Palo Alto et Bob le présente au Fillmore West et lui fait enregistrer une série d'albums essentiellement instrumentaux pour le major Imperial/ Liberty.

           

Mais ces albums se vendent assez mal, ne sont pas très bien accueillis des amateurs et les années 70 sont très difficiles pour Collins. Auréolé de légende mais méconnu du grand public, sans label, il végète, pilier modeste des petits bars de Houston jusqu'à San Francisco. Heureusement, à la fin des 70s, Bruce Iglauer l'enregistre pour son label Alligator, le fait venir à Chicago et l'entoure des meilleurs musiciens de la ville (A.C. Reed, Aron Burton, le batteur Casey Jones). Surtout, Iglauer convainc Collins de chanter. Même si son timbre est léger et peu puissant, sa voix a de la personnalité. Il n'est certes pas le blues shouter qu'il se rêvait mais il est un "blues whisperer" très efficace.

            Ajoutant la souplesse de son style texan à la solidité du Chicago blues, Collins enregistre pour Alligator une série d'albums remarquables tels Ice pickin', Frostbite, Don't lose your cool, Cold snap, Frozen alive . Ils permettent enfin à Albert une carrière internationale. Son dynamisme, sa verve et son sens de la scène lui valent une forte réputation dans le monde entier, du Japon à Montreux où il enflamme le festival de jazz. Il signe pour Pointblank, un label tourné vers le public du rock, une série de disques qui connaissent un grand succès commercial.

            Hélas, atteint d'un cancer du poumon, il décède à Las Vegas le 24 novembre 1993

                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

            Born in a poor farming family at Leona (Tx), 1st October 1932, Albert Collins starts at a very young age to play guitar under the influence of several bluesmen he had the opportunity to watch, mainly Frankie Lee Sims and Guitar Slim from whom he will borrow his flamboyant showmanship. After moving in Houston's Third Ward, Albert will cut his teethes in small clubs and private parties, building a very personal guitar style: short, precise, clear and high musical notes emerging generally from a background of heavy basses, his capo fixed very high on the fretboard with a frequent use of minor scales. One can anyway find on this very original style (more and more on a Telecaster guitar) some borrowings to the old traditional Central Texas blues guitar playing, parsimonious but scathing and very expressive. Later on Albert will add many other influences from Gatemouth Brown, Fulson or B.B. King.

           

Albert Collins starts recording from 1958 for tiny local labels like Hall-Way or Kangaroo, essentially instrumental riffs which generate an impression of elegant and "icy"' atmosphere (Freeze, Defrost, Frosty... ) that will stay as Collins' trademark. Those 45s gain some small success and allows Collins to have more gigs. But moreover they raise a lot of interest in Europe, particularly thanks to the British review Blues Unlimited which feature several raving articles about Collins' blues. Bob Hite, leader of the rock blues group the Canned Heat, is among those new fans and he persuades Albert to try his luck in California. Living from now on at Palo Alto, Collins can play on much popular clubs and scenes like the Fillmore West. Still thanks to Hite, Albert records a string of albums for the major label Imperial/ Liberty, once again mostly instrumentals.

            Unfortunately, those LPs don't sell too well and are not even very well received by the new international blues audience. The 1970's are very harsh for Albert who drifts from small label to another, playing in Houston and San Francisco clubs. Until he meets Alligator's wise producer Bruce Iglauer who brings Albert in Chicago and records him backed by some of the best Chicago sidemen (A.C. Reed, Aron Burton, Casey Jones), issuing several first rate albums on Bruce's label Alligator. This time - and despite being reluctant to do it - Collins sings or talks on several tracks and even he his certainly not Bobby Bland, his whispering nasal singing style has much effect. Ice Pickin', Frostbite, Don't lose your cool, Cold snap or Frozen alive are great albums, mixing Texas and Chicago blues styles for the better.

            Albert then starts to tour around the USA, Japan and particularly Europe where his constantly great shows win him a strong following among blues and rock fans. His last records for the Pointblank label are much more turned towards the rock audience and bring him an important success.

            Unfortunately, suffering from lung cancer, Albert Collins dies in Las Vegas on 24 December 1993.

                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

ALBERT COLLINS/ Early discography

CD1

Albert Collins, vcl/g; Frank Mitchell, tpt; Henry Hayes, a-sax; Cleotis Arch, t-sax; Herman Hopkins, pno; Bill Johnson, bs; Herbert Henderson, dms. Houston, Tx. 1958

01. Freeze

02. Collins' shuffle

Albert Collins, vcl/g; Henry Hayes, a-sax; Cleotis Arch, t-sax; Walter Mc Neil, pno; Bill Johnson, bs; Herbert Henderson, dms. Houston, Tx. 5 December 1962

03. Albert's alley

04. Defrost

05. Homesick

06. Sippin' soda

Albert Collins, vcl/g; Frank Mitchell, a-sax; Henry Hayes, a-sax; Cleotis Arch, t-sax; Walter Mc Neil, pno; Bill Johnson, bs; Herbert Henderson, dms. Houston, Tx. 22 July 1963

07. Frosty

08. Tremble

09. Thaw out

10. Backstroke

Albert Collins, vcl/g; band. Houston, Tx. 1965

11. Sno Cone I & II

12. Dyin' flu

13. Hot n' cold

14. Don't lose your cool

15. Frost bite

16. Cool aide

17. Shiver and shake

18. Icy blue

19. I don't know

Albert Collins, vcl/g; band. Houston, Tx. février 1968

20. Taking my time

21. Cooking Catfish

22. Soulroad

Albert Collins, vcl/g; Mike Rosso, og; Sonny Boyan, t-sax; Bill Johnson, bs; Larry Daniels, dms. Los Angeles, Ca. May 1968

23. Do the Sissy

24. Collins mix

25. Let's get it together I & II

26. Got a good thing going on

27. Leftovers

28. Doin' my thing

29. Ain't got time

30. Turnin' on

31. Whatcha say

32. Puchin'

33. Stump poker

Albert Collins, vcl/g; Harmonica Fats, hca; horns; James Hooker Brown, og/pno; Charles Freeman, g; Tommy McClure, bs; Robert Tarrant, dms. Nashville, Tn. July 1969

34. Harris County lineup

35. Conversation with Collins

36. Jawing

37. Grapeland gossip

38. Chaterbox

39. Trash talkin'

40. Baby what you want me to do?

41. Lip service

42. Talking Slim blues

43. Back yard back talk

44. Tongue lashing

45. And then it started raining

Albert Collins, vcl/g; Bobby Alexis, og; band. Nashville, Tn. 1970

46. Soul food

47. Jam it up

48. Do what you want to do

49. Black bottom bayou

50. Junkey monkey

51. 69 Underpass Roadside Inn

52. I need you so

53. Bitsy

54. Cool and collards

55. Blend down and jam

56. Sweet'n'sour

57. Swamp sauce