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Bargain blues, McShann style

rick from Boston | 07/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a deal. A nice collection of 40's small band blues and swing by McShann and friends. A great introduction to the world of McShann."

Nice illustration of the art of Jay "Hootie" McShann

Steven A. Peterson | Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL) | 01/22/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A nice CD of Jay McShann's work from the 1940s. Interesting features: vocals by Walter Brown and Jimmy Witherspoon; Charlie Parker's playing on some of the cuts; McShann's conducting and piano playing. If you are interested in the art of Hootie McShann, this is not a bad place to start.



Some illustrative cuts:



"Hometown Blues" (1943): A nice "big band" sound. The horns and woodwinds stand out and do well. Walter Brown's vocals are smoothly sung. Some neat lines:



"Yes, I'm thinking about my home town. . . .

Well life is what you make it,

I've heard so many say."



"The Jumpin' Blues" (1942): This cut begins with some nice piano work from McShann himself. Charlie Parker plays with the orchestra, which is in fine form. Walter Brown takes good care of the vocals. This is an infectious work.



"Confessin' the Blues" (1941): Again, nice piano work by McShann at the outset. Walter Brown's vocals are nicely done, as is the work of the spare band (3 instruments/players).



"Hootie Blues" (1941): Charlie Parker, again, is part of the orchestra here, and his playing is excellent. Walter Brown, once more, handles the vocals well. Jay McShann conducts and plays piano effectively. Key lines:



"Hello, little girl,

Don't you remember me?"



All in all, a nice introduction to the work of Jay "Hootie" McShann. If this genre is of interest to people, this is a nice acquisition for your library.

"