Folkways, formed by Moses Asch in 1948, had a distinctive approach to the blues. While the discs of many labels dedicated to this style could once be found in the jukeboxes of beer joints nationwide, Folkways took a more historical, scholarly approach to the blues, with considerable range. The new double album Classic Blues from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings makes a great case for the continued relevancy of the catalog. It’s available now.
Side A gets this undertaking off to a solid start with “Old Jabo,” which finds Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee sounding a little like a more down-home Bo Diddley. Following is “Mule-Ridin’ Blues,” a talking blues groove from Big Bill Broonzy cut in the company of Studs Terkel. Next is the instrumental workout “Joggie Boogie” from pianist Memphis Slim and bassist Willie Dixon, both in peak form, and not far from the thrust of their recording for the Chess label.
“Black Woman,” sung unaccompanied by Vera Hall and recorded in 1951, hits Asch’s folk objective in the bullseye. “Mercury Blues” comes next, an ode to an automobile, with K.C. Douglas smooth of voice and giving his guitar a workout. After that is the boisterous barrelhouse of “Ran the Blues Out of My Window” by the dynamic pianist and singer Roosevelt Sykes, and the side ends with “Leaving Blues” by Lead Belly, a giant of 20th-century folk music whose blues singing and guitar slinging are perhaps a bit underrated.
Side B opens with “One Dime Blues” by Etta Baker, a sweet and mild guitar instrumental (redolent of Elizabeth Cotten) and a bit of a time jump as it was recorded live in 1992 at the Barns of Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA. “County Farm Blues” by Delta titan Son House dates from a 1942 Alan Lomax field session. “Clog Dance (Stomping Blues)” by piano banger Champion Jack Dupree is the sound of a party captured in a recording studio.
“Boll Weevil” by singer and guitarist Pink Anderson is a more intimate affair, recorded by Sam Charters in the living room of Anderson’s South Carolina home. “Nickel’s Worth of Liver” by vocalist Edith North Johnson and pianist Henry Brown brings us back to the barrelhouse as Charters recorded the song in a St. Louis basement. “Don’t Leave Me Here” brings Big Joe Williams into the album’s weave, exuding energy and flash on vocals and 9-string guitar, recorded in Chicago in 1961 by Bob Koester of Delmark Records fame.
Kicking off Side C is “Jimmy Bell,” a subtly hypnotic story blues by the rather mysterious Mississippi singer and guitarist Cat Iron. It segues nicely into a sweet and slightly wobbly version of the folk blues staple “Candy Man” by the Reverend Gary Davis, complete with some gorgeous guitar picking. “Beer Drinking Woman” finds Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon slowing it down and heading straight for the blues pocket as Slim brings the vocals, smooth but not sophisto.
“Come Go Home with Me” finds the versatile blues mainstay Lightnin’ Hopkins in the folk blues mode favored by Asch and Charters. It flows beautifully as Hopkins’ singing is warm and loose. “Careless Love” is sung and strummed by Josh White, another folk scene staple, a figure more likely to turn up at a hootenanny than a jook joint, though this selection is a pretty rumination on matters of the heart. Rounding out the side is “I Asked Her If She Loved Me” by Henry Townsend, a fine Delta-descended dive, notably on electric guitar.
Side D begins with “Rising Sun” as Brownie McGhee plays guitar and steps out with the vocal and Sonny Terry accompanies on harmonica. “Pony Blues” finds David “Honeyboy” Edwards delivering an outstanding, roving version of the Charley Patton staple, and then comes “Vicksburg Blues” by Little Brother Montgomery, the piano and vocal approaching the sublime.
Montgomery’s track beautifully sets up the gorgeous solo guitar showcase of “Vastapol” by Elizabeth Cotton, and then “Drifting Along Blues” by the great vocalist and guitarist Lonnie Johnson brings us into full band territory with piano and drums in the scheme. This gives way to the full-on electric blues (with a rock tinge) of “Oh Baby, You Don’t Have To Go” by The Chambers Brothers. It delivers a fine gust of raw atmosphere to the proceedings,
Closing the side and the record is “Don’t Lie Buddy,” finding Lead Belly dueting with Josh White on a crowd pleaser appropriate for a coffeehouse or Carnegie Hall. The song is representative of the versatility that’s displayed by the participants across the entirety of the set. Classic Blues from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings is a joyous listening experience from start to finish.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
