Blues 190 Items

I Be Trying might be the title of the new record from two-time Grammy nominee Cedric Burnside, but it's also a mission statement in an era when plenty of us have discovered what "the blues" really means. Recorded over three days at Royal Studios in Memphis (the home studio of Al Green and Hi Records in the 60s and 70s), this album is the ultimate statement of purpose for a critically acclaimed artist who has proudly carried the mantle of Mississippi Hill Country blues around the world. Over thirteen tracks, Burnside delivers his bruised but unfettered truth over blistering guitar and deep pocket drums-a sound birthed in his soul but developed and perfected on the road. But no matter how far he travels, the righteous sound he makes could only come from one place. I Be Trying is the sound of modern Mississippi. Produced by second-generation Memphis soul trailblazer Boo Mitchell ("Uptown Funk") and featuring guest appearances from Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars) and Zac Cockrell (Brittany Howard), I Be Trying takes the sound that Burnside learned from his grandfather, blues legend R.L. Burnside, and reinterprets it into a modern, bold Black American sound that expands the sonic landscape while respecting and honoring its roots.

"Hoodoo Man Blues" is not only Junior Wells' initial LP appearance, it is damn near the first LP by a Chicago blues band. This is the album that started the collector blues label trend of the late '60s. Chess and a few other labels had reissued 45's by Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, Elmore James, etc., but virtually no one had tried to capture the Chicago blues sound, free of the juke-box/airplay promotional mediums limitations of the 45. This album features the smoking guitar of the legendary Buddy Guy along with a crack rhythm section.

Mighty Sam is a rhythm and blues legend who shook up the blues world with this 1993 release. The great torch bearer of deep soul is caught in top form on this classic album. And now, this gatefold 45rpm edition presented by Analogue Productions makes the album even greater! The four sides of wider-spaced grooves make for reduced distortion and better high frequency reproduction. It's a 200-gram masterpiece from our own Quality Record Pressings, our state-of-the-art LP pressing plant. And the gatefold jacket is hard-core, old-school style - thick cardboard, tip-on, with additional photos and liner notes inside. Sweet. McClain sings soul with incredible power - he knows when to pull the punches and when to cool it down. "Give It Up to Love", the title track, acknowledges his gospel roots; he performs it as a vocal prayer to God asking for wisdom, love, and strength. Bruce Katz's contributions on B-3 Hammond organ expands McClain's sound, particularly on the "Green Onions" - influenced "What You Want Me to Do". The sparsely effective arrangement on "Here I Go Falling in Love Again" brings McClain up front as he cries of being a soul stripped to the bare bones. Kevin Barry's funky bass blows while McClain declares himself as a child of God in "Child of the Mighty Mighty".

The main ingredient to a good duet is that of
mutual respect, professional admiration, even
love, which often shines through a particular
performance, and the pairings of Louis
Armstrong with Bing Crosby on the relaxed
“Gone Fishing”, or with Velma Middleton on
“Honeysuckle Rose” or with “The Voice” Frank
Sinatra on “Ad-Lib Blues”, or Ella Fitzgerald
on “Summertime”, the great Louis “Satchmo”
Armstrong significantly being the common
denominator in each duo. Also included are two
rare duets with Billie Holiday on “My Sweet
Hunk O’ Trash” and “You Can’t Lose A Broken
Heart,” while Armstrong and bandleader Louis
Jordan perform an entertaining version of the
classic “You Rascal You”.

Daptone Records is honored to announce the release of Innov Gnawa's forthcoming full length, Lila. Hailing from Morocco, but based in NYC, Innov Gnawa have been making waves locally and abroad with their hypnotic live shows - which is why producer, Bosco Mann invited the group to come record at the Legendary Daptone House of Soul. Gnawa is a music and spiritual tradition rooted in Morocco and dates back many centuries. Over the years, the liberated slaves of Northern and Western Africa integrated their musical rhythms and religious beliefs into the culture of Morocco creating a unique style of music and dance called Gnawa. It's not religious music, but rather music and rhythms that promote healing through trance and spirituality. The infectious rhythms of Gnawa songs are invocations for saints and spirits of freedom and liberation.

Gnawa groups consist of a Ma'Alem, or master, who plays the Guembri(or Sintir) - an ancient three stringed bass that later evolved into the modern day banjo, accompanied by a brotherhood of musicians playing the karkabas, which are metal castanets, representing the shackles and chains of slaves. The title of this album, Lila, literally means Night, and is a traditional Gnawa ceremony in which the Ma'Alem and his karkaba ensemble dedicate an evening of healing through music. A traditional Lila has many parts with a very extensive repertoire, and can last anywhere from a few hours to few days, and even weeks in some cases. The hypnotic poly-rhythms, along with incense and ceremonial ambiance induces states of trance in the musicians and guests. This all night rhythm fest is a spiritual ritual that cleanses the body, mind and spirit. It would be impossible to capture an entire Lila on on LP, but what Innov Gnawa delivers is a concise glimpse into this ancient Moroccan tradition. We invite you to immerse yourself into Lila. Experience freedom, liberation and the power of healing through music. You are not alive if this music doesn't move you.

Limited edition for Record Store Day 2018!

As part of their 20th Anniversary celebrations, Strut present the first new volume in their pioneering ‘Nigeria 70’ series for over 8 years, bringing together rare highlife, Afro-funk and juju from the ‘70s and early ‘80s. Compiled by collector and DJ Duncan Brooker, this new selection of tracks is receiving its first international release outside of Nigeria.

The compilation returns to a fertile heyday in Nigerian music when established styles like highlife and juju became infused with elements of Western jazz, soul and funk and musicians brought a proud new message post-independence. Brooker places the spotlight particularly on some of the incredible Ukwuani musicians from the Delta State region as guitarist Rogana Ottah and Steady Arobby’s International Brothers Band forged their own fluid brand of highlife and soulman Don Bruce drew on the US R&B greats for a series of great albums and explosive stage shows at his residency at Hilton Hotel in Abuja.

Elsewhere, the album explores the close connection between Nigeria and Benin’s music, most famously through Sir Victor Uwaifo, appearing here with a killer mid‘80s ekassa jam, as well as highlife hitmaker Osayamore Joseph on ‘Obonogbozu’ (Joseph made headlines in Nigeria for very different reasons in 2017, surviving a one month kidnapping ordeal).

Other tracks include ‘Sickness’ a 1979 lament on how all countries share troubles by Prince Nico Mbarga, the Nigerian / Camerounian star behind the smash hit ‘Sweet Mother’; reggae singer Felixson Ngasia switches to funk and disco for a heavy workout with potent lyrics around black identity; another major highlife great Etubom Rex Williams unleashes a punchy psych funk gem with ‘Psychedelic Shoes’ and Africa 70 member Pax Nicholas vocals a simmering Afrobeat groove from Jacob Lee’s Saxon Lee & The Shadows International Band.

High Quality pressing in vintage silk screen sleeve. Surfing on the shores of Java and Casablanca! 2 un-expected tales from the Beat generation.Tony Turpijn and his Evergreens fulfill the dream of every pantropical music lover with a silky instrumental rhythm ’n blues take on the Sundanese love song “Es Lilin” (Ice Lolly). Link Wray meets Mulatu Astatke meets Oslan Husein in Rotterdam, 1965.

Copy close to NM. Cover signed on the back.

Still sealed.

After years mentoring under Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf & Sonny Boy Williamson,
James Cotton developed a reputation as one of the greatest blues players to pick
up a harmonica. By 1967 Cotton was primed to make it on his own. Featuring
fleet-fingered guitarist Luther Tucker and hard-hitting drummer Sam Lay,
Late Night Blues – Live at The New Penelope Cafe showcases a now legendary blues
band at the beginning of their artistic prime.

The earliest days of blues music has its roots in the deep South region of the United States. It was there that the likes of Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Big Bill Broonzy, and innumerable other performers cut their teeth, performing and recording largely across the states of Tennessee, Mississippi, and various other deep Southern states, gradually spreading to its most famed hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Oft forgotten in these stories is that of the Carolinas, and the surrounding Atlantic Coast. Frequently overshadowed by their Memphis, Chicago, and Mississippi contemporaries, it's an area that contains some of the blues' oldest traditions. This region was home to major traditional blues players like Blind Blake, Tampa Red, and Sam Butler, among many others, and are collected here in the tracks of Guitar Wizards: 1926-1935.

One of the earliest blues performers of the pre-war era, and an offspring of a family of freed slaves, Henry "Ragtime Texas" Thomas was one of the most influential, but also one of the most enigmatic practitioners of the blues genre. Much of Thomas' life was un-chronicled by historians (The exact date of his death is still a point of contention) except to say that much of his life he lived as a drifter, making his living by performing on street corners and for railway employees. Though his personal life is still shrouded in mystery, his music remains significant, so many decades later. Thomas stood out from his peers primarily by the way he strummed his guitar; as one would strum a banjo. His songs emphasized dance rhythm over complex picking, and often utilized instruments unorthodox to blues music, such as the Deep South folk instrument the quills. This sound proved to be instrumental in the development of the Texas blues sound, and would be his trademark across the 24 sides that he recorded for Vocalion Records, of which only 23 would be released commercially.

180 gram audiophile vinyl
Gatefold sleeve
High quality PVC Protective Sleeve
Includes liner notes

Selected songs from the American rock singer, songwriter, guitarist featuring next to his solo hits “Rainy Night In Georgia”, “Polk Salad Annie” duets with Shelby Lynne, Eric Clapton and many more

Still shrink wrapped but opened.
Cover as new with slightly dented corners.
Includes original inner sleeve.

Limited Edition.

Record with just a few paper scuffs.
Cover as new with slightly dented corners.

Yellow vinyl.

Sealed copy.
Cover as new with slightly dented corners.

Record Store Day edition 2011.

Copy closer to NM

Spend any time around Doug MacLeod and the stories from his years of road time with the likes of Big Joe Turner and Pee Wee Crayton start to flow as easily as a brook tickled by a breeze. And you know you're getting to the good part, the climax if you will, when Doug's eyes start to twinkle, his grin grows broader and out of his mouth pop the words »Come to find ...«. MacLeod was a widely acknowledged electric blues guitarist for many years, and the leader of his own band, yielding a number of U.S. and European tours and several albums to his credit. Doug disbanded the group to focus all his energies on his first love, acoustic blues. "Come To Find" is the debut fruit of that effort. And now it's made even more remarkable, with this 45 RPM 200-gram reissue by Analogue Productions. The dead-quiet double-LP, with the music spread over four sides of vinyl, reduces distortion and high frequency loss as the wider-spaced grooves let your stereo cartridge track more accurately.The pressing sounds spectacular. You're holding a hefty 200-gram masterpiece from our own Quality Record Pressings, our state-of-the-art LP pressing plant. And the gatefold jacket is hard-core, old-school style — thick cardboard, tip-on, with additional photos and liner notes inside. Sweet. "Come To Find" is the sound of a consummate bluesman touching the core of his art in a program featuring ten originals by Doug. He is beautifully supported in this intimate setting by harmonica ace Charlie Musselwhite and the Mighty Flyer rhythm section, Jimi Bott and Bill Stuve. This is the album that deserves a place of honor in the music collections of even casual blues fans. And for those who love blues already, this is one of the best-sounding, most original works you'll ever hear.

Ivory Coast isn’t known for country music. But Jess Sah Bi & Peter One’s 1985 recording Our Garden Needs Its Flowers, a massive-selling regional hit, brought a burgeoning interest in folk and Americana into the mainstream and carried two young men to international prominence, culminating in stadium-filling concerts and performances for the first lady of Cote d’Ivoire and dignitaries.

The album was made following a chance introduction via Jess’s nephew, who heard Peter playing for fun around his university dormitory. At the time, Jess Sah Bi (Die Sah Bi) was Ivory Coast’s first political cartoonist, having already published in dozens of magazines and newspapers across West Africa and France. Meanwhile Peter One (Pierre-Evrard Tra) was a university student and soon-to-be high school history teacher. Both musicians had spent time singing and playing guitar and composing songs on their own until they came together to record their independently-released opus.

The music contrasted starkly with the popular sounds of the time, ranging from fast-paced regional dance music genres to ziglibithy to soukous to straight-up funk played by Abidjan’s plethora of bands. Country music and folk-rock weren’t very popular with the general public. But interest was bubbling up within the growing student population, who connected with the protest sentiments expressed by many English and American artists of the era. “It’s very nice music, with very nice harmonies, and it’s different from what you hear every day,” Peter says. “The language was a big barrier though. You had to learn English to understand the songs, and the students were the ones learning English.” Having access to education along with their awareness of social and political inequality and injustice made students the perfect audience for folk music in Ivory Coast.

Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton and Don Williams’ music could be heard on some radio programs around Ivory Coast’s major cities, and some younger people were getting hip to Simon & Garfunkel, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Cat Stevens and Crosby Stills & Nash. The stage was set for Jess Sah Bi & Peter One’s homegrown country music to make a mark on Ivorians’ consciousness. Complete with slide guitar, soaring vocals and anthemic, politically-conscious lyrics in three languages, the recording became ubiquitous across French-speaking West Africa. “We expected the album to be a big success, but we could not have imagined how far it would go,” Peter says.

After Our Garden Needs Its Flowers release, Jess and Peter’s profile lifted rapidly, leading to stadium performances in Togo, Burkina Faso and elsewhere. Their ascent was accompanied by critical acclaim from the local press and television programs, appearances at galas organized by Marie-Thérèse Houphouët-Boigny, the wife of the late Félix Houphouët-Boigny, the first president of the Ivory Coast and even a performance during the 1988 ECOWAS (Economic Coalition of West African States) summit in Yamoussoukro at President Houphouët-Boigny’s request. Jess and Peter’s run lasted until the early 1990s, capped off with the BBC using their song African Chant as theme music the day Nelson Mandela was released from prison.

Jess and Peter now live in San Francisco and Nashville, respectively, and continue to make music on their own. Plans for shows reuniting the duo are in the works for later this year.

Bassekou Kouyaté is a musician from Mali. His new album is about love, friendship, family and true values in times of crisis. Miri means dream or contemplation in bamana. Miri is a very personal album. It talks about his mother Yakare that passed away. The album also pays hommage to two great Malian singers that have blessed quite a number of Bassekous albums: the one and only Zoumana Tereta & the golden voice of Mali Kassemady Diabate. May they rest in peace. They live on in their music.