Released in 2002 by
Fremeaux & Associes,
The Blues: Chicago 1937-1945 is an exceptionally fine 36-track anthology of recordings made for the
ARC,
Vocalion,
Okeh, and
Columbia labels by
Big Bill Broonzy during a period when he collaborated with some of the Windy City's most sure-footed players. In addition to pianists
Blind John Davis,
Joshua Altheimer,
Horace Malcolm,
Memphis Slim, and
Big Maceo Merriweather,
Broonzy is heard with trumpeters
Punch Miller and
Alfred Bell; clarinetist
Odell Rand, saxophonists
Buster Bennett and
Bill Osborne; blues harpist
Jazz Gillum, and a jug blower by the name of
Oliver Nelson. Listen also for electrically amplified guitarist
George Barnes, bassists
Ransom Knowling and
Bill Settles; and percussionists
Judge Riley,
Fred Williams, and
Washboard Sam.
Fremeaux's selections are generally well chosen, and on this, the label's only
Broonzy collection to date, the records document his progress from the late '30s into a decade when the world became convulsed by war and the accelerated pace of life began to be reflected in the music. In essence, the period sampled on this collection was
Broonzy's first golden age. During the '50s he would become a living archetype of the blues in his own land and especially in Europe. While his way of handling the guitar was always substantial and pleasant, the main reason to listen to
Big Bill is to absorb the incredible magic of his warm and expressive voice. This double-disc set is recommended for anyone who loves or would like to learn to love the blues as it sounded at the end of the Great Depression and during the Second World War. ~ arwulf arwulf
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