John Hammond holds a unique place in music. He released his self-titled debut album in 1960 just as the roots music revival was gaining steam. Hammond was a blues revivalist and like others who would come along in those hothouse years like Charlie Musslewhite, Paul Butterfield, Bonnie Raitt, Rory Block and even Steve Stills, Hammond was a white American who paid homage and added a new spin to blues music. While most of these artists either played strictly acoustic blues, mixed in electric blues or went electric, they were different than the British blues artists of the period who began playing electric blues in homage to black American blues artists but eventually used the sound to create British rock.
The music on this archival set was recorded 13 years after Hammond’s debut album and long after he not only established himself as a supreme blues interpreter, but recorded albums like Southern Fried (1969) that went beyond acoustic blues, the soundtrack album for the film Little Big Man (1971), and the roots supergroup summit Triumvirate (1973) album with Dr. John and Mike Bloomfield.
These live performances were recorded over two nights of a five-night run in July of 1973 at the famed Boarding House in San Francisco, with Tom Waits opening and John Lee Hooker in the audience on the last night. The club opened in 1971 and then slowly faded away in the early ’80s, but along with being a hotbed for up-and-coming comedians, it was a venerable spot for hip music from underground artists to international superstars. It was there that the iconic Old & In the Way album was recorded in 1975, featuring Jerry Garcia, Peter Rowan, David Grisman, Vassar Clemens, and John Khan.
The three-CD set is one of the latest Bear’s Sonic Journals releases. The Bear in question is Owsley Stanley. Stanley was the acid guru of San Francisco in the 1960s (immortalized in Steely Dan’s song “Kid Charlemagne”), who was also an innovative live and studio sound master, most associated with the Grateful Dead. This is yet another outstanding Bear’s Sonic Journals release from the Owsley Stanley Foundation. There are nearly a dozen of these releases and Stanley’s production-related credit appears on nearly 75 albums.
This set includes 45 impassioned acoustic blues covers, along with Hammond’s unique take on Chuck Berry’s “No Money Down.” These performances offer a virtual history lesson on the blues. Hammond takes these well-worn blues chestnuts and makes them all his own. The sheer volume of blues music that Hammond masters here is astounding. Fierce, intimate, and mesmerizing, these unforgettable performances of Hammond singing and playing guitar and harmonica represent a key time in Hammond’s long, illustrious career.
This is also a beautiful package. The hardcover book-styled CD set includes a 60-page booklet of essays, liner notes, photos, and additional historical photos and ephemera to put the music in context. There are also essays by Jorma Kaukonen and Tom Waits and about Robert Johnson (the most covers in the box are nine by Johnson) and Hammond’s dad. His namesake dad was the legendary record executive, who discovered, among others, Count Basie, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, and Bruce Springsteen.
While many reissue series of jazz releases (Blue Note) and releases from other genres have received accolades, these Bear’s Sonic Journals releases are underground gems that offer historically significant recordings, lavish and artistic packaging and, above all, superior sound.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
B+
