Appointed "Mother of the Blues" during her '20s heyday, singer Ma Rainey was one of the best of the many classic female blues singers of the period. An inspiration to the "Empress of the Blues," Bessie Smith, Rainey was a Georgia native who was discovered in Chicago during the early '20s. While not the possessor of a voice as powerful as Smith's, Rainey still cut a slew of strong sides featuring a fine blend of country blues intensity and jazz-band sophistication. This excellent {@Y...   [ read more ]

CD $17.08

The team of pianist Simon Nabatov and drummer Tom Rainey engages in ferocious free-form interplay leavened by quieter if no less dissonant passages. Sometimes Nabatov's use of "small objects" and what is called a "cracklebox" has similarities to some of the more esoteric moments of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, while other pieces are mostly sound explorations. However, there are sections of the piano/drums duets that are more playful, most notably "Nao Olhe Para Tras," which sounds like a Cub...   [ read more ]

CD $18.03

Ma Rainey's final 23 recordings find her stubbornly bucking the tides of stylistic change by working with accompanists who played up the rural folk blues element. Exhibit A is her Tub Jug Washboard Band, a scruffy little outfit securely moored by the sounds of Carl Reid huffing on a whiskey jug with banjo licks by Martell Pettiford, kazoo and washboard by one Herman Brown, and Georgia Tom Dorsey at the piano. The blend of sounds and textures was very successful, and it is this session tha...   [ read more ]

CD $16.13