KING years make it worth the purchase !
Eddie Landsberg | Tokyo, Japan | 05/16/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Tiny Bradshaw never really got his due as one of the true godfather's of rock and roll and its a darn shame. It may very well have been because by the time he died a whole generation of young and more in touch rock and rollers were breaking up the house, and doing it well enough to simply drown him out. - - Still, in listening to this CD straight through, I'm reminded a bit of the career of Louis Prima, which also spanned pre-swing Jazz and peaked in the final days of Rock and Roll. One get's the impression that like Prima, Bradshaw was one of those soul survivors willing to do anything necessary to redefine himself and hang in... Prima arguably managed to do it in a much more charismatic and flamboyant manner however. Many of the top honkers of their time may have gone through boot camp in Tiny's group, but sadly, he never had that Sam Butera and Keely Smith... (James Brown's Maceo Parker, Duke Ellington's Billy Strayhorn or Sly Stone's Larry Graham) in otherwords, he had creative brilliance, but sadly was never able to package in a signature sound that was HIS and his alone. - - As a result, a billion other artists who DID have their own sound (for but a moment) perhaps were able to fly in, lift his stuff and hit do good with it.
Still, with all this said, Bradshaw managed to surround himself with the best players of his age and wrote great tunes... remarkably though if you listen to his pre JUMP / R & R stuff on DISK 1, then dig the true heavy swinging house rocking stuff on the DISK 2, you can hear how he started as a Cab Calloway meets Jimmy Durante 1930's hot Jazz shouter, and never managed to truly change his vocal style in the 50's... perhaps that's probably what kept him from becoming the true legend he deserved to be. - - Whatever, there are a number of reasons to get this CD (besides the great booklet and disk) - - I can give you 4 words actually... RED PRYSOCK and RUFUS GORE...! The tunes, with their rough edges (a few really bad vocal duos with ridiculously off key lady singers for example) by DISK 2 are great house rocking stuff... not to mention some occasional impredictable lyrics... To sum it up and if you haven't heard WALK THAT MESS (with a horrifying funky Lenny Picket type tenor shrill) you haven't really lived or swung !!! GET THIS (toss DISK ONE) after a brief lesson then get town with the BOODIE GREEN !"
Jump, Boogie, & Blues
Len Klosner | Garden City, Mi. United States | 11/13/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Len here!
What more can a Blues & Jazz lover ask for? This band did it all & it seemed like thay had a good time doin' it. For me Tiny's band rate's up thar with the best of 'em.
Keep Jazzin' & Bluesin' everyone ! Len"
Track Listings (22) - Disc #1