Search - Various Artists :: New Orleans Guitar

New Orleans Guitar

Stuart Jefferson | San Diego,Ca | 06/27/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Four discs-64,63,64,63 min. each approximately. Remastered sound. This collection of 102 tracks is a good overview of various blues guitar styles from the late forties through the mid-fifties,in New Orleans and the surrounding area.



The first disc is devoted to Smiley Lewis,a well-known singer/guitar player in the jump-blues style. Known for the hit "Tee Na Na" in 1950,Lewis is heard with the great Dave Bartholomew on trumpet on that hit as well as the majority of sides on this disc. The band usually consists of three horns,piano,bass,and drums and Lewis'understated guitar. He wasn't a flashy player,preferring to blend with the band. His voice is in the Joe Turner style and is perfectly suited to this style of cosmopolitan blues. The tempos range from slow,emotive stylings to up-tempo jump blues.



The second disc continues with Lewis into the mid-fifties. He is heard here with an even larger group,sometimes with as many as five horns plus the usual rhythm section. The members of his groups read like a list of New Orleans' finest musicians. Included are such names as Lee Allen-sax,Fats Domino-piano,Earl Palmer-drums,and the great Huey Smith-piano on a couple of tracks. As on the first disc tempos change to suit the song,with some of the slower tunes(Farewell) being standouts.



Its the third disc that most people will know,being made up of a number of fine sides by Eddie Jones,commonly known as Guitar Slim. All the early tunes he is most famous for are here. Songs like "New Arrival","Well I Done Got Over It",and "The Things That I Used To Do" are all here. An adequate to good singer,Slim was known primarily for his incendiary guitar playing and showmanship. Backing on these tracks range from a quartet to several horns comping in the background,with an occasional sax solo,all of it adding up to some of the best "Crescent City" blues. This disc is,to these ears,the best of the four. No overview of New Orleans guitar would be complete without the wonderful T-Bone Walker,and disc four has some great sides by him. Since Walker's music is so well-known there's only a few sides by him,but its enough to let you know that he's the real deal. If you're not familiar with Walker-get some of the many collections of his music-you won't be disappointed.



The majority of sides on this disc are given over to Pee Wee Crayton,a singer-guitar player very much in the mold of T-Bone Walker. Not as well-known as Walker,his blues stylings are every bit as good as Walker's,and stand up to repeated listenings. Again,the backing for both these men is a rhythm section with a number of horns,sometimes back in the sound,sometimes out front for a solo. Arrangements range from jump-blues to smooth city blues to down and dirty blues-all of it with that New Orleans sound.



With an overview like this-with good sound,stellar playing and at a good price,I just don't understand why this collection isn't more well-known. Anyone with an interest in blues and New Orleans music from this era should not hesitate to pick this up. Once again,JSP has done all of us a great favor by releasing this fine music."