You know it's about time somebody took all the little records that
Big Joe Turner managed to make back in the day and brought them out in sequence the way they appear in the Classics Chronological Series. Nobody in the world ever sounded quite like
Joe Turner and nobody ever will. There is a magical quality that makes his
blues performances feel like rituals full of clarity and grace. Each and every
Joe Turner record is as beautiful as a massive stand of tiger lilies growing up through the middle of a brickyard, silent, solid, and dignified under the dew in the first light of dawn. Incredibly, despite his enormous popularity during the Second World War, by 1949 this gifted vocalist was scuffling to get recording gigs. Ten tasty sides were cut in Los Angeles for the MGM label with a solid band fairly bursting with hot horns and driven by
Pete Johnson's piano.
Joe Turner closed out the year by waxing two sides for Rouge Records in Baton Rouge, LA, and four for the Freedom label in Houston, TX. In April of 1950,
Joe Turner made a fistful of records in New Orleans backed by
Dave Bartholomew & His Orchestra with
Fats Domino at the piano. Issued on the Bayou and Imperial labels, each of these sides exudes primal
r&b and
rock & roll energy. This is outstanding music, ideal for both rambunctious carousing and reflective relaxation. ~ arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide
