There was a time when swing-oriented jazz, R&B and blues overlapped to form an accessible yet intelligent style of music. In the late '40s
Louis Jordan,
Charles Brown and
Amos Milburn were popular figures and
Floyd Dixon (although a bit in their shadow) was not far behind. When rock & roll suddenly took over pop music in the mid-'50s, the middle-aged black performers were tossed off the charts in favor of their younger white imitators and work began to become scarce. Fortunately
Floyd Dixon survived the lean years and, as with
Charles Brown, he made a "comeback." This CD is a definitive
Floyd Dixon release, mixing together older hits (including his signature tune "Hey, Bartender") with newer originals; all 16 selections were written or co-composed by
Dixon. Joined by a jumping band that features a liberal amount of solo space for guitarist
Port Barlow, tenor saxophonist
Eddie Synigal and the old-time styled trombone of
Danny Weinstein (plus a couple of spots for
Charles Owens' baritone),
Dixon sounds in excellent shape. His voice had not aged much, his enthusiasm is very much intact and his piano playing (whether on slow blues, medium-tempo novelties or the closing instrumental blues "Gettin' Ready") is quite jazz-oriented.
Chip Deffaa's liner notes are an added plus. Highly recommended. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
