Mosaic Select 30: Boogie Woogie and Blues Piano

"While most Mosaic limited-edition boxed sets concentrate on recordings by an individual bandleader or a single record label, 'Boogie Woogie and Blues Piano' features sessions by a number of different artists from several labels active in the 1930s and early '40s, when boogie-woogie was very popular. Fifteen different pianists are featured (if one counts Lionel Hampton playing two fingered-duo piano in a band setting), though it is the giants of the genre, Meade "Lux" Lewis, Pete Johnson, Albert Ammons, and Jimmy Yancey who are given the most exposure. The first three are individually paired (Johnson and Ammons) and play together as a trio, occasionally accompanying blues vocalist Joe Turner or adding a superfluous rhythm section. Lewis is clearly the most inventive of them all, especially when performing his hit 'Honky Tonk Train Blues' (revived in a big-band setting by rocker Keith Emerson during the '70s) or his lesser-known 'Whistlin' Blues'. Ammons has the strongest rhythmic sense, as displayed in the two takes of 'Shout for Joy'. Johnson is heard in several small group sessions as well, featuring Turner along with alto saxophonist Buster Smith and trumpeter Hot Lips Page. Yancey, who was recorded more sporadically than Lewis, Johnson, and Ammons, is extensively featured, playing solo, accompanying singer Faber Smith and occasionally singing himself. Yancey's slower, blues-drenched style is unmistakable for anyone else, highlighted by his own 'Yancey Stomp' and the two takes of 'Yancey's Bugle Call'. There is a sampling of other pianists, including Joe Sullivan, Mary Lou Williams (who played nearly every style that appeared during her lifetime with authority), Teddy Wilson (who never considered himself a talented boogie-woogie player), Nat King Cole, and Sir Charles Thompson (each of whom duets with Hampton and the more commercial Freddie Slack. The blues piano sessions of Cripple Clarence Lofton wrap this enjoyable collection with a flourish. The sound restoration and Dan Morgenstern's excellent liner notes add to the value of this limited-edition compilation." (Review by Ken Dryden from AllMusic. See here.)

1.1. Meade "Lux" Lewis - Honky Tonk Train Blues

1.2. Meade "Lux" Lewis - Whistlin' Blues

1.3. Meade "Lux" Lewis - Bear Cat Crawl

1.4. Albert Ammons - Shout For Joy

1.5. Albert Ammons - Shout For Joy

1.6. Joe Turner & Pete Johnson - Goin' Away Blues

1.7. Joe Turner & Pete Johnson - Roll 'Em Pete

1.8. Meade "Lux" Lewis, Pete Johnson & Albert Ammons - Boogie Woogie Prayer (Pt. 1)

1.9. Meade "Lux" Lewis, Pete Johnson & Albert Ammons - Boogie Woogie Prayer (Pt. 2)

1.10. Pete Johnson - Boogie Woogie

1.11. Harry James - Boo-Woo

1.12. Harry James - Boo-Woo

1.13. Harry James - Woo-Woo

1.14. Harry James - Woo-Woo

1.15. Harry James - Home James

1.16. Harry James - Jesse

1.17. Pete Johnson & Albert Ammons - Boogie Woogie Man

1.18. Pete Johnson & Albert Ammons - Barrel House Boogie

1.19. Pete Johnson & Albert Ammons - Cuttin' The Boogie

1.20. Pete Johnson & Albert Ammons - Foot Pedal Boogie

1.21. Pete Johnson & Albert Ammons - Walkin' The Boogie

1.22. Pete Johnson & Albert Ammons - Sixth Avenue Express

1.23. Pete Johnson & Albert Ammons - Pine Creek

1.24. Pete Johnson & Albert Ammons - Movin' The Boogie

2.1. Pete Johnson - Cherry Red

2.2. Pete Johnson - Baby, Look At You

2.3. Pete Johnson - Jump For Joy

2.4. Pete Johnson - Lovin' Mama Blues

2.5. Meade "Lux" Lewis, Pete Johnson & Albert Ammons - Cafe Society Rag

2.6. Joe Sullivan - Low Down Dirty Shame

2.7. Joe Sullivan - I Can't Give You Anything But Love

2.8. Joe Sullivan - I Can't Give You Anything But Love

2.9. Benny Carter - Joe Turner Blues

2.10. Benny Carter - Joe Turner Blues

2.11. Benny Carter - Beale Street Blues

2.12. Benny Carter - Beale Street Blues

2.13. Will Bradley - Down The Road A Piece

2.14. Will Bradley - Down The Road A Piece

2.15. Will Bradley - Down The Road A Piece

2.16. Ray McKinley & Freddie Slack - Southpaw Serenade

2.17. Ray McKinley & Freddie Slack - Southpaw Serenade

2.18. Will Bradley - Basin Street Boogie

2.19. Will Bradley - Basin Street Boogie

2.20. Teddy Wilson - A Touch Of Boogie

2.21. Lionel Hampton - The Munson Street Breakdown

2.22. Lionel Hampton - Central Avenue Breakdown

2.23. Lionel Hampton - Bouncing At The Beacon

2.24. Henry "Red" Allen - K.K. Boogie

2.25. Henry "Red" Allen - K.K. Boogie

3.1. Mary Lou Williams - Little Joe From Chicago

3.2. Jimmy Yancey - Yancey Stomp

3.3. Jimmy Yancey - State Street Special

3.4. Jimmy Yancey - Tell 'Em About Me

3.5. Jimmy Yancey - Five O'Clock Blues

3.6. Jimmy Yancey - Slow And Easy Blues

3.7. Jimmy Yancey - The Mellow Blues

3.8. Jimmy Yancey - I Received A Letter

3.9. Jimmy Yancey - East St. Louis Blues

3.10. Jimmy Yancey - Bear Trap Blues

3.11. Jimmy Yancey - Old Quaker Blues

3.12. Jimmy Yancey - Cryin' In My Sleep

3.13. Jimmy Yancey - Death Letter Blues

3.14. Jimmy Yancey - Death Letter Blues

3.15. Jimmy Yancey - Yancey's Bugle Call

3.16. Jimmy Yancey - Yancey's Bugle Call

3.17. Jimmy Yancey - 35th And Dearborn

3.18. Jimmy Yancey - 35th And Dearborn

3.19. Cripple Clarence Lofton - Strut That Thing

3.20. Cripple Clarence Lofton - Monkey Man Blues

3.21. Cripple Clarence Lofton - Policy Blues

3.22. Cripple Clarence Lofton - Brown Skin Gal

3.23. Cripple Clarence Lofton - You Done Tore Your Playhouse Down

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