Saturday, March 07, 2009

Little Walter: His Best The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection

His Best:Little Walter
His Best :(Little Walter)The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection
If you read SML often you probably know that I love harmonica players. And the harmonica player that I love listening to the most is Little Walter. And the Little Walter album that I like listening to the most, is His Best :(Little Walter)The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection.

I am serious when I tell you that if I was placed on a desert island, and could only have one album, this might be the album. And I bet someone is wondering how could I pick a Little Walter album over say a Muddy Waters album, or maybe a Howlin' Wolf album. Well part of it may be my mood right now, if I pose this question on another day, I might come up with a different album, but right now this is how I feel.

I agree with Robert Gordon's assessment of Little Walter when he said;

Marion "Little Walter" Jacobs is perhaps the most influential harmonica player on contemporary blues, and his collection is a great place to start. He was trained by Muddy Waters, but brought a more swinging feel to blues. Muddy and his band accompany Little Walter on many hits, as do Robert "Jr." Lockwood, the Aces, and other Chicago greats. In the 1950s, Little Walter's popularity eclipsed even Waters', his style a little more relaxed and pop-oriented. Walter's versions of many songs are the standards: "Blues with a Feeling," "You're So Fine," "Juke." Great stuff.

Track Listing
1. Juke 2:47
2. Can't Hold Out Much Longer 3:03
3. Mean Old World 2:57
4. Sad Hours 3:15
5. Tell Me Mama 2:47
6. Off The Wall 2:52
7. Blues With A Feeling 3:10
8. You're So Fine 3:07
9. Too Late 2:44
10. Last Night 2:46
11. Mellow Down Easy 2:45
12. My Babe 2:44
13. Roller Coaster 2:56
14. Hate To See You Go 2:20
15. It Ain't Right 2:57
16. Boom, Boom Out Goes The Light 2:53
17. Confessin' The Blues 3:06
18. Key To The Highway 2:48
19. Everything's Gonna Be Alright 2:52
20. Just Your Fool 2:23

Little Walter mp3s @Amazon

Little Walter @SqueezeMyLemon


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Amazing coincidence that we both come out with a post about Little Walter on the same day. Certainly shows how influential of a man he was. Little Walter changed the approach so many others would take on the harmonica. And as a result, inspired a new generation of blues lovers that will forever remember his awesome tone and technique...

http://thebluesblogger.com/98/remembering-little-walter