(Blues) VA - Uptown Blues - A Decade of Guitar-Piano Duets 1927-1937 - 1992 (Yazoo 1042), FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

Despite its similarity to other works such as "Good Liquor Gonna Carry Me Down," Big Bill Broonzy turns in another typically solid performance on "Mountain Blues," on which he is assisted by the expert accompaniment of Black Bob, a blues pianist who is largely a biographical blank. Broonzy also joins Cripple Clarence Lofton on the superb "Policy Blues," with the latter utilizing a "slow 'trucking' rhythm," according to booklet notes writers Stephen Calt and John Miller. The title of "When You Left" is a misinterpretation of the song's opening line "When you' left eye go to jumpin', you know something goin' on wrong." Confusion with the lyrics aside, the song is a fine pairing of brothers Bo Carter (nee Armenter Chatmon) and rarely recorded multi-instrumentalist Harry "Tie" Chatmon. "Papa's on the Rooftop" by Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell is one of the duo's most uptempo numbers and nearly rocks, while the sublime "Ain't Gonna Stand for That" is a more low-down performance by Charley Spand (my favorite prewar blues pianist) and a guitarist who is probably Josh White. "He Fans Me" finds singer Leola Manning performing a hybrid piece that sounds like blues instrumentally-speaking but features sanctified lyrics. Calt and Miller postulate that her accompanists are Joe Evans and Arthur McClain, better known as the Two Poor Boys. Virtually no information exists about the duo of Rufus Quillian and James McCravy, who show blues, hillbilly, and pop influences on "Good Feeling Blues" and "Sweet Miss Stella Blues." McCravy's guitar playing is, at times, reminiscent of Oscar Woods. The Down Home Boys consisted of Banjo Ikey Robinson on guitar and Alex Hill on piano, and their smooth but engaging "You Do It" is indeed a sophisticated - "uptown" if you will - blues performance, in spite of their performing name. The excellent "Goin' Away Blues" is my favorite track on this collection and displays the talents of singer Charlie Campbell (who presumably plays guitar as well), pianist Robert McCoy, and an unknown washboard player. Walking bass lines rarely sounded better than they do here. Tuning problems mar Teddy Darby's contributions on "My Laona Blues," even though Roosevelt Sykes provides nice, restrained accompaniment and prevents this track from being a total waste of time. Mack Rhinehart and Brownie Stubblefield's pleasant "Uptown Blues" bears similarity to the Two Poor Boys' "Shook It this Morning Blues," while an unknown pianist (whose instrument can barely be heard most of the time) and Willie Harris' "What Makes a Tom Cat Blue?" is akin to "Electric Chair Blues" by William Harris (no apparent relation) with its utilization of guitar string-choking techniques. Performing under the name "Watson's Pullman Porters," St. Louis bluesmen Lonnie Johnson, his brother James "Steady Roll" Johnson, and the mysterious Jelly Roll Anderson commit one of the most interesting blues instrumentals to wax on "Barbecue Blues." In the span of less than three minutes, the listener is not only treated to the unique slide guitar stylings of Anderson, but is also able to hear Lonnie switch from guitar to violin and James from piano to celeste in mid-performance, an unprecedented feat in the history of recorded blues. I would like to have seen how they pulled this off in the studio!