This came out in 2002 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Maybe it’s because most of the big-name pop and rock acts are hibernating. Maybe it’s because I spent the last month swinging to the Rat Pack Christmas album. Or maybe it’s just because they both start with the letters J and A. Whatever. All I know is I always seem to listen to a lot of jazz in January. Looks like this year is no exception — thanks mainly to a cornucopia of cool titles that landed in stores before the holidays. At least four respected labels — Blue Note, ECM, Impulse and Verve — have impressive and affordable new retrospectives or reissues on the racks right now. Even if you don’t know be-bop from doo-wop, I suggest you give one or two a try. Here’s a little primer to help you get into the swing on Joe Williams:
WHO: Perhaps the last of the great big-band singers, Williams and his big, bluesy baritone famously fronted Count Basie’s band before striking out on their own.
WHEN: Although he started performing as a teen in the ’30s, success was late in coming to Williams — he didn’t enjoy hit records or join Basie’s band until the ’50s. Luckily, he enjoyed a lengthy career, touring constantly and recording right up until his death in 1999.
WHAT YOU GET: A whole batch of Basie classics — introduced by Williams’ signature song Every Day I Have the Blues — along with a clutch of post-Count gems like 1961’s swinging Alone Together and the lazy ballad Come Sunday.
WHERE HE FITS IN: Hot on the heels of Cab Calloway and leading the way for Wynonie Harris.
