The original
blues shouter found a way to meld some of
Jimmy Rushing's rambling
jazz phrasing with the low-down tone he naturally bellowed out to Kansas City audiences -- sometimes while behind the bar serving drinks. And before hitting the charts with several early
rock & roll hits,
Big Joe Turner did bedrock work with such fine
stride and
boogie-woogie pianists as
Pete Johnson,
Freddie Slack, and
Willie "The Lion" Smith. On Classics' 1941-1946 chronological sampler of
Turner's early prime, these and other luminaries of the after-hours fraternity sympathetically back
Turner over the course of 22 gems. A good chunk of the material finds
Turner ideally framed by just a piano trio, with highlights including "Nobody in Mind" (
Sammy Price is at the keys for this cut), "Little Bittie Gal's Blues," and "Blues on Central Avenue." As the last title indicates, this and several other numbers were recorded during
Turner's wartime stay in L.A., where many
blues and
r&b performers first made it big. Piano trios and geographical considerations aside, there are also fine cameos from tenor great
Don Byas and trumpeter
Frankie Newton to expand the sonic landscape. A fine collection for listeners wanting to check out
Turner's early work before the Atlantic party that was "Shake, Rattle & Roll." ~ Stephen Cook, All Music Guide
