BIG JOE TURNER/ The Pablo Sessions

           

Quand Big Joe Turner (1911-85) enregistre pour Norman Granz, il est quelque peu oublié. Pionnier du blues de Kansas City, partie prenante de la folie du boogie woogie dans les années 30 auprès de Pete Johnson, chanteur ultra puissant archétype des Blues Shouters, Joe est le chanteur des grands orchestres de Benny Moten, Andy Kirk, Count Basie avant d'enregistrer en vedette du R&B une oeuvre copieuse pour de nombreux labels. Très avisé, superbe showman, Big Joe va savoir maintenir intacte sa popularité longtemps. Il est d'ailleurs un des rares artistes noirs du R&Blues capable de s'arrimer au courant du Rock n'Roll. Il signe sur le label Atlantic en 1951 qui l'entoure des meilleurs musiciens du moment, le produit intelligemment et distribue ses disques dans toute l'Amérique. Shake, rattle and roll; Flip, flop and fly et Teenage letter obtiennent autant de succès dans les Hit Parades "Rhythm & Blues" que "pop" et son nom est associé aux stars adolescentes du Rock'n'roll!, notamment dans plusieurs films.

            Mais dans les années 60, Big Joe apparaît largement comme une figure du passé. Il essaie de s'adapter aux goûts du blues revival mais, malgré la très grande qualité de ses disques (magnifique album Kent avec George Smith!), sa manière d'être et de chanter ne plaisent guère à ce nouveau public qui ne jure plus que par les bluesmen du Delta ou ceux du ghetto de Chicago.

            Big Joe s'installe alors en Californie et apparaît surtout dans des festivals de jazz et de façon irrégulière dans les clubs de Los Angeles. Lorsque le producteur de jazz Norman Granz, après une éclipse forcée, décide de relancer son label Pablo et de reprendre des tournées internationales de big bands, il pense en premier à Count Basie à qui il adjoint Big Joe Turner. Le succès de cette tournée au printemps 1972 est tel que Granz décide d'enregistrer live le concert parisien et de le sortir sur Pablo.

            Les dés sont lancés: Joe Turner revient à son rôle favori de blues shouter et, devenu très ami avec Granz, il va enregistrer pas moins de neuf autres albums pour Pablo entre 1972 et 78, entouré de certains des noms les plus prestigieux du jazz. Si l'album The Bosses (avec Count Basie mais en studio) recueille de bonnes critiques, les autres sont très fraîchement accueillis, notamment par les critiques de blues qui soulignent l'absence de nouveau répertoire, les solos très longs, les morceaux étirés, les disques enregistrés en très peu de temps. Joe n'est pas non plus toujours dans une grande forme. Sa santé se détériore beaucoup durant cette période et il ne se déplace plus que difficilement et à l'aide d'une canne.

            Malgré tout, ces disques prennent avec le temps une autre dimension: ils réunissent de grands musiciens qui ont marqué l'histoire et qui ont d'évidence du plaisir à se retrouver ensemble. Et finalement, ce long corpus permet à Big Joe Turner, un des plus grands noms de l'histoire du blues, d'ajouter - presque en fin de carrière - une nouvelle pierre solide à sa longue et riche oeuvre.

            La plupart de ces LPs sont aujourd'hui introuvables et nous remercions tous ceux qui ont permis de les rassembler ici: Marc (Fr), Hartmut Münnich, Kempen, Steve 626...

                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

            When Big Joe Turner (1911-85) began his series of recordings for Norman Granz' rejuvenated Pablo label, he was a little bit forgotten. Pioneer of the Kansas City blues, linked with the boogie woogie craze of the 1930's, particularly with his fellow Pete Johnson, Joe is a consummate showman and an ultra-powerful blues shouter with the big bands of Andy Kirk, Benny Moten or Count Basie before launching a personal career as a major name of the R&B, heavily recording for numerous labels. Moreover, when signing with the Atlantic label in 1951, Joe became one of the few black R&B star to be able to crossover in the emerging Rock'n'roll field, singing before audience of teenagers, appearing in many R'n'R movies and placing records like Shake, rattle and roll; Flip, flop and fly or Teenage letter into the Tops 40 of R&B as well as Pop!

            But in the 60's, Big Joe seems to be a figure of the past. He tries to cope with the tastes of the new Blues Revival audiences, waxing excellent deep blues albums (one with George Smith) but he was not the Delta or the Chicago ghetto bluesman that this public wanted exclusively at that time.

            Big Joe comes to live in California and appears irregularly on jazz festivals and L.A. clubs. When in 1972 producer and former civic rights activist Norman Granz decided to launch a big band tour of Europe, he chose to reunite old Kansas City partners, Count Basie and his Orchestra with blues shouter Big Joe Turner. The tour proved to be so successful that Granz recorded live the Paris concert and issued it on his Pablo label. This started a new association between Turner and Granz that gave nine subsequent LP's until 1978! Joe is once again the blues shouter supreme surrounded by some of the biggest and most respected jazzmen still working then. But if The Bosses (with Count Basie) has some good reviews, the other albums are mildly welcomed, particularly by blues critics who point out the lack of new material, the overlong numbers and solos, the quickly recorded sessions and sometimes a lacking of rehearsal... Joe's health is also declining and it shows sometimes in his voice.

            Anyway, the passing years give those LPs a better significance: they brought together great musicians (and some of the greatest) who evidently enjoyed playing with each other and at last those late sessions are a welcomed addition to the recording works of one of the true giants of the blues.

            Most of those records are unavailable today, sometimes very hard to find and all those who have made possible this project must be thanked: Marc (Fr) particularly, Hartmut Münnich, Kempen, Steve 626..

                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

JOE TURNER/ THE COMPLETE PABLO SESSIONS

Joe Turner with Count Basie - Flip flop and fly

Joe Turner, vcl; Count Basie, pno; Freddie Green, g; Pete Minger, tpt; Waymon Reed, tpt; Sonny Cohn, tpt; Mel Wanzo, tb; Al Grey, tb; Frank Cooks, tb; Bill Hughes, tb; Bobby Platter, a-sax; Curtis Beagler, a-sax; John Williams, b-sax; Eddie Lockjaw Davis, t-sax; Eric Dixon, t-sax; Jimmy Forrest, t-sax; Norman Keenan, bs; Sonny Payne, dms. Paris, Fr. avril 1972

01. Hide and seek

02. T.V. Momma

03. Corrine Corrina

04. Cherry Red

05. Shake, rattle and roll

06. Since I fell for you

07. Flip flop and fly

08. Everyday I have the blues

09. Good morning blues

Count Basie & Joe Turner - The Bosses

Joe Turner, vcl; Count Basie, pno/og; Harry Edison, tpt; J.J. Johnson, tb; Eddie Davis, t-sax; Zoot Sims, t-sax; Irving Ashby, g; Roy Brown, bs; Louis Bellson, dms. Los Angeles, Ca. 11 décembre 1973

10. Honeydripper

11. Honey Hush

12. Cherry Red

13. Night time is the right time

14. Blues around the clock

15. Since I fell for you

16. Flip flop and fly

17. Wee baby blues

18. Good morning blues

19. Roll'em Pete

Joe Turner - Life Ain't Easy

Joe Turner, vcl; Roy Eldridge (trumpet) Al Grey (trombone) Lee Allen (tenor saxophone) Jimmy Robins (piano, organ) Thomas Gadson (guitar) Ray Brown (bass) Earl Palmer (drums) Los Angeles, CA, June 3, 1974

20. Life Ain't Easy

21. Plant Your Garden

22. So Long

23. For Growin' Up

24. (What's Your Story,) Morning Glory

25. Kick The Front Door In

The Trumpet Kings meet Joe Turner

Joe Turner, vcl; Harry Edison, Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry (trumpet) Jimmy Robins (piano, organ) Pee Wee Crayton (guitar) Chuck Norris (bass) Washington Rucker (drums) Los Angeles, CA, September 18, 1974

26. Stormy Monday

27. Mornin' noon and night

28. I know you love me baby

29. T.V. mama

30. Tain't nobody's bizness if I do

Joe Turner - Everyday I have the blues

Joe Turner, vcl; Sonny Stitt, a-sax/t-sax; J.D. Nicholson, Pee Wee Crayton, g; Charles Norris, bs; Washington Rucker, dms. Los Angeles, Ca. 3 mars 1975

31. Stormy monday

32. Piney Brown

33. Martin Luther King Southside

34. Everyday I have the blues

35. Shake rattle and roll

36. Lucille

Big Joe Turner Nobody in mind

Joe Turner, vcl; Roy Eldridge, tpt; J.D. Nicholson, pno; Milt Jackson, vb; Pee Wee Crayton, g; William Walker, bs; Charles Randall, dms. Los Angeles, Ca. 27 août 1975

37. I want a little girl

38. Nobody in mind

39. The Chicken and the Hawk

40. I just didn't have the price

41. How long how long blues

42. Crawdad hole

43. Juke Joint blues

44. Red Sails in the sunset

Joe Turner - In The Evening

Joe Turner, vcl; Bob Smith, a-sax; J.D. Nicholson, pno; Herman Bennett, g; Pee Wee Crayton, g; Winston McGregor, bs; Charles Randall, dms. Los Angeles, CA, 10 mars 1976

45. In The Evening

46. Summertime

47. Sweet Lorraine

48. Too Late, Too Late

49. I've Got The World On A String

50. Chains Of Love

51. Corrine, Corrina

52. J.T. Blues

53. Pennies From Heaven

54. Two Loves Have I

Joe Turner - The Midnight Special

Joe Turner, vcl; Jake Porter, tpt; Roy Brewster, b-sax; Curtis Peagler, t-sax; Curtis Kirk, hca; Sylvester Scott, pno; Cal Green, g; Bobby Haynes, bs; Washington Rucker, dms. Los Angeles, CA, 27 mai 1976

55. The Things That I Used To Do

56. The Midnight Special

57. You're Driving Me Crazy

58. So Long

59. I Left My Heart In San Francisco

60. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter

61. I Can't Give You Anything But Love

62. After My Laughter Came Tears

63. Stoop Down Baby

Joe Turner - Things That I Used To Do 

Joe Turner, vcl; Blue Mitchell, tpt; Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, a-sax; Rashid Jamal Ali, t-sax; Wild Bill Moore, t-sax; Lloyd Glenn, pno; Gildo Mahones, og; Greg Beck, g; Gary Bell, g; Lawrence Gales, bs; Bruno Carr, dms. Los Angeles, CA, 8 février 1977

64. Time After Time

65. The Things That I Used To Do

66. S.K. Blues

67. Jelly Jelly Blues

68. Hey Little Girl

69. Shake It And Break It

70. St. Louis Blues

71. Oke-She-Moke-She-Pop

72. My Train Rolled Up In Texas

Have No Fear, Joe Turner Is Here

Joe Turner, vcl; Joe Banks, tpt; Bobby Smith, a-sax; Bill Clark, t-sax; Hollis Gilmore, t-sax; Lloyd Glenn, pno; Pee Wee Crayton, g; Evan Walker, g; Bill Walker, bs; Charles Randall, dms; Frederick Woods, perc. Hollywood, CA, 22 juin 1978

73. Rocks In My Bed

74. So Long

75. Howlin' Wind

76. Woman You Must Be Crazy

77. How Come My Dog Don't Bark

78. Long Way From Home

79. Somebody Loves Me

80. Love Is Like A Faucet

NEW LINKS ON THE COMMENTS SECTION

CHICAGO/ The Blues Yesterday Volume 25

 

CHICAGO/ The Blues Yesterday/ Volume 25

The Drummers

 

           

After a long hiatus, we are getting back to our Chicago/ The Blues Yesterday Series. This 25^th (!) volume brings the focus on some drummers who played in or around Chicago during the great musical postwar years .

            I don't know too much about Count Demon who led a driving R&B band based on Champaign (Illinois), a city at 200 kilometers South of Chicago. His son L. Jennings posted some years ago some quick infos about his father who was very popular in the area. He was associated with famous organist Brother Jack McDuff who is probably (and aurally) the "High Priest" from the discographies. Whatever, Count Demon recorded some great 45s during the late 60's.

 

            Drummer and bandleader Willie Wright must not be confused with the folk/ soul singer or the deep blues guitarist of the same name. This Willie Wright is from Muskogee (Oklahoma) where he fronted his own band The Sparklers during the 1950's/60's, recording several singles for Federal and then a whole album for Chess's Argo subsidiary. Among the singers of the group was the powerful Jesse Anderson (cf Chicago/the blues yesterday on this blog).

 

            Al Duncan is a very well known name among blues fans for his long stint as a house drummer at Vee Jay or Cobra labels, particularly behind Jimmy Reed. Born Alrook James Duncan on 8 October 1926 he, if I'm right, recorded only two singles under his name. He died on 3 January 1995 in Las Vegas.

 

            Odie Payne is also very well known, having drummed for several decades behind some of the greatest Chicago bluesmen: Tampa Red, Elmore James, Junior Wells, Louis Myers, Muddy Waters and many others. Born in Chicago on 27 August 1926, he recorded some odd tracks under his name as well as a whole album in 1979, playing not only his drums but also taking the vocals and some harmonica blowing. The tracks in this post come from this rare album (thanks to Xyros for sharing this). Odie Payne died in Chicago on 1 March 1989.

 

            Blues singer and drummer Harold Tidwell was active in and around Chicago during the 1950's/early 60's, recording with Detroit Jr, Syl Johnson, M.T. Murphy, Lillian Offit and particularly Earl Hooker who is the guitarist on the two tracks we are offering here.

 

            At last J.C. Heard (1917-88) was a noted jazz drummer influenced by Jo Jones. He played and recorded with several jazz greats like Teddy Wilson, Benny Carter, Louis Jordan, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie and such! He was more living in Detroit than in Chicago but it's in the windy city that he recorded his most bluesy tracks under his name.

 

 

                                                   Gérard HERZHAFT

 

 

COUNT DEMON, vcl/dms; "High Priest" (prob. Jack Mc Duff), og; Chuck Fields, t-sax; Lament Parson, g; Freddie Davis, bs; Vick Mc Guire, bongos. Champaign, Ill. 1968

01. My Isabella

02. I don't believe

03. Take it upstairs I

04. C.C. Rider

05. I got to work with it

WILLIE WRIGHT, dms; Sammy J. Faggit, vcl; Jesse Anderson, t-sax; Eddie Caddell, t-sax; Gordon Sims, org; Herbie Witch, g; Carl Wright, bs. Chicago, Ill. 27 May 1960

06. Bloodhound

07. Gibble gobble

03. Got a feeling (vcl: Jesse Anderson)

09. Hard times (vcl: Sammy J. Faggit)

10. I want to love you (vcl: Sammy J. Faggit)

11. I'm gonna leave you baby (vcl: Jesse Anderson)

12. Slowly losing my mind (vcl: Sammy J. Faggit)

13. Suffering in mind (vcl: Sammy J. Faggit)

14. What will I say? (vcl: Jesse Anderson)

15. Just let me love you (vcl: Gordon Sims)

Yourletter

AL DUNCAN, dms; Lefty Bates, g. Red Holloway, t-sax; Horace Palm, pno; bs. Chicago, Ill. 1962

16. Cossack walk

17. Bawana Jinde

ODIE PAYNE, vcl/dms/hca; Herman Smith, tpt; Chrissy Brooks, tb; Horace Smith, t-sax; Ulysses Wilson, g; Ron Wheeler, g; Sunnyland Slim, pno; Darlene Wells, dms; Odie Payne IV, perc. Orland Park, Ill. 1979

18. Blues blues all the time

19. Howdy do

20. I don't know

21. I left from home

22. Kansas City

23. Tell me yes or no I & II

HAROLD TIDWELL, vcl/dms; Lorenzo Smith, t-sax; Earl Hooker, g; Tall Paul Hankins, pno; Jack Myers, bs. Chicago, Ill. 23 May 1959

24. Señorita Jaunita

25. Sweet Suzie

J.C. HEARD, vcl/dms; Joe Newman, tpt; Benny Powell, tb; Frank Wess, a-sax/ft: Charlie Fowlkes, b-sax; Ronnell Bright, pno; Johnnye Pate, bs. Chicago, Ill. 1958

26. Blues for sale

27. For you my love

 Odie Payne

 

EARL HOOKER/ Complete Studio Recordings

 

EARL HOOKER/ Complete Studio Recordings

 

          

  Although Earl Hooker was highly praised by his pairs, he never gained the recognition his talents should have brought him.

            Earl Zebedee Hooker was born in Vance, Ms on 15 January 1929 or 1930, from Earl Jake Hooker (an uncle of John Lee Hooker) and Mary Catherine Blare. His family moved to Chicago during the early 1930's and young Earl suffered from a frail health all his life, contracting tuberculosis while a child. He took the guitar at 10 years old and quickly developed a strong proficiency, listening to blues, jazz and Hillbilly greats like Les Paul, a strong inluence on him alongside T-Bone Walker. With his friend and mentor Robert Lee Mc Coy/ Nighthawk, Earl started to play on Chicago street corners while a child and thereafter in clubs and venues.

            After the war, Robert Nighthawk who was constantly going from Chicago to the South brought Earl with him, the two performing on almost all Southern juke joints from Mississippi to Florida. In 1950, Earl formed his own band with Kansas City Red on drums, trying his luck a little bit everywhere, playing in Chicago quite regularly. Able to play all kinds of music with the same technical ability and proficiency, from deep Delta blues a la Nighthawk to Country & Westerns instrumentals unto jazz and swing numbers, Earl Hooker was very often in the studios backing many artists and waxing some numbers under his name for a lot of labels: King, DeLuxe, Rockin', Sun, Chess/Argo, United, States etc... His main drawback was his voice, a little bit light and unexpressive and for which he had no confidence.

            In 1956, Earl suffered a bad attack of tuberculosis and had to be hospitalized for a long time. He had to wait 1959 to be fully back on the scene and on the recording studios, this time pairing with Junior Wells who brought him to Mel London's Chief group of labels. Very impressed by Earl's talents, Mel put Earl as his house guitarist for a lot of sessions and artists like Wells, Lillian Offitt, Magic Sam, A.C. Reed, Ricky Allen, Johnny "Big Moose" Walker, Bobby Paxton, Betty Everett and others. Earl also recorded some instrumentals under his name, particularly the soulful Blue guitar which went to be a minor hit in Chicago. In 1961, Hooker also recorded some instrumentals for Chess that Len Chess used later on as the backing track for some Muddy Waters's numbers (You shook me and You need love)!

            During the mid-60's Earl Hooker recorded his first album for the Cuca label (The Genius of Earl Hooker) with a strong Funk appealing mood. But once again in 1967, Hooker had to be hospitalized for almost a year and he thus couldn't capitalize to this LP. In 1968, Earl boldly formed a new and original band with his old friend Pinetop Perkins at the keyboards, Freddie Roulette on steel guitar, Carey Bell and Andrew "Blues Boy" Odom, a powerful singer in the B.B. King's mould. The band impressed enough Arhoolie's Chris Strachwitz who then recorded Earl, issuing the great now classic LP Two bugs and a roach.

           

The album sold quite well among blues buffs around the world, allowing at last Earl to play on major festivals, recording several very nice albums for Blue Thumb (thanks to his old friend Ike Turner) and particularly Bluesway for which Hooker also was the lead guitarist on many albums by blues luminaries like Charles Brown, Jimmy Witherspoon, Johnny Walker, Brownie Mc Ghee & Sonny Terry, even pairing with his cousin John Lee Hooker on a memorable session (If you miss' em I got' em).

            In October 1969, Hooker and a lot of Arholie's artists toured Europe with the legendary American Folk Blues Festival (cf the entry on my blog), getting rave reviews. This was the only time I saw Earl Hooker (at the Paris show) and he performed a very great set. But this very tiring European tour damaged even more Earl's health and he came back to Chicago very ill. Hospitalized again in December 1969, Earl this time never fully recovered, had to stay in a Chicago sanatorium a couple of months where he died on 21 April 1970.

            A very accomplished and versatile major guitarist, Earl left us a very rewarding recording legacy. Sebastian Danchin who knew very well Earl wrote a nice biography of the man, from which I have taken most of this article.

            Thanks to Steve W., John "Boston" and some others friends for their help in gathering the complete studio recordings of this major artist.

                                                           Gérard HERZHAFT

EARL HOOKER Discography