Customer Reviews

Dc Blues: Library of Congress Recordings

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These recordings have long been some of the most difficult to find in the Mississippi John Hurt catalogue. This is ironic in that they are among the finest recordings Hurt ever made. Recorded during two marathon recording sessions in the summer of 1963, this is the second batch of material Hurt recorded after his rediscovery. The first batch was recorded in April of that same year. I can't say enough about these Library of Congress recordings or about Mississippi John Hurt, in general. These sessions, in particular, have a warmth and intimacy about them that I really enjoy. Hurt plays many of these cuts in the C positioning on his guitar with the strings tuned down one or two steps. This really brings out the warmth of his voice. Consider, for example, his rendition of "Corrina Corrina". This may be the lowest I've ever heard him sing. His voice and guitar are so up close that they positively tickle your ear. There would be such a void in recorded blues music, without the lovely contributions of Mississippi John Hurt. For my money, no other blues singer sings and plays with such gentleness, grace, and beauty. He's truly in a category all his own, which is why many people in the past have argued that Hurt's not a blues singer at all, but a songster. We are so lucky that Hurt was discovered and recorded, first in '28 and then later during the blues revival of the 60s. It really makes you wonder about all those blues singers that never recorded and died unnoticed. By the time I was born, Mississippi John Hurt had already passed on. I'm really glad his music lives on.

It's always wise to be thankful for little miracles. That Mississippi John Hurt was "rediscovered" living only a mile away from the crossroads hamlet of Avalon, MS, deduced from the title of a 78-rpm recording he'd made in 1928, by a young guitar player from Washington, DC, named Tom Hoskins, is a miracle we all should be grateful for. That Hurt could still play and sing as well in 1963 when Hoskins found him as he did in 1928 is another praiseworthy miracle. Finally, that the Library of Congress showed the interest and was able to induce Hurt to come to the Coolidge Auditorium in DC in July of 1963 and record dozens of songs as the crowning achievement of his legacy is perhaps the biggest miracle of all, capped off with the fact that all of us now can enjoy those recorded gems with this double-CD set.

Hurt was one of the most lyrical country blues artists who ever lived. He was born and lived his whole life in the Delta, yet he was untouched and uninfluenced by the great Delta musicians (Patton, Johnson, Skip James, et.al.) and their gruff, extroverted singing and string-busting guitar-playing tradition. Hurt sang in a deep, quiet voice and played intricate, even delicate, patterns on his guitar. The masterpieces from'27 (CANDY MAN, STACKOLEE, LOUIS COLLINS, NOBODY'S DIRTY BUSINESS, and, of course, AVALON BLUES) are all revived here and sound just as good as they did back in '28 (the sound, of course, is much better). There are 35 titles in this 2-CD set and every one is a beauty. John Hurt is a national treasure and these LoC recordings are a testament to his genius. Definitely grab these CDs (hopefully Fuel will issue the remaining unissued sides in Volume 2) and then get the 1928 Okeh recordings (on a Columbia CD) and, finally, check out Hurt's Newport and other post-rediscovery albums on Vanguard (on a nice 3-CD set). You will not be disappointed - the man was amazing.

While it isn't listed on the notes or anywhere else, CD#1 actually has 18 tracks, not 17. Not only that, this 18th track is the best of the entire 36: It is called "Nobody's Dirty Business" and is stellar to say the least. Put this 2cd set in your car's cd player, and you can drive from Boston to East Boise and still not get tired of it.