Customer Reviews

Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues

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It is nice that the blues and jazz giants of the past occasionally recieve their due. This lovely compilation, richly illustrated and quite informative (particularly for the beginners), probably helped to spread the word around and, from what I can judge, the selection of songs is excellent.
Jazz fans will perhaps find particularly interesting Bessie's 1925 performances with Louis Armstrong on cornet , Charlie Green on trombone and Fred Longshaw on the piano ("I Ain't Goin' To Play No Second Fiddle" and "Careless Love"), while on "St. Louis Blues" Bessie and Satchmo are joined only by Longshaw on organ. However, several other songs also boast with fine accompanists in various combinations (James P. Johnson, Clarence Williams and Fletcher Henderson on piano, Joe Smith and Ed Allen on cornet, Frankie Newton on trumpet, Charlie Green and Jack Teagarden on trombones...). But it is Bessie's performance that really shines; whether she sings the blues or inferior pop material, she gives it a strong emotional content, rhythmical strengthe and, well, the feeling of blues AND jazz...
If you still don't know why she was so highly revered and influential (great Billie Holiday, for instance, shows more than a hint of Bessie...) this tastefully packaged CD is a great way to start digging for the answer...
Oh yes, and for an interesting take on Bessie's musical legacy see an interesting Dinah Washington's album: Dinah Washington Sings Bessie Smith

A timeless blessing, Bessie Smith is one of the few artists (along with Dylan, Elvis, Aretha Franklin, the white album era Beatles) that deserves a Greil Marcus rave review, and Scorcese's selections are a wonderful intro. On the other hand, how could he go wrong?

not an expert on the blues, but after hearing a little bit of bessie, you might want to go ahead and buy a bigger compilation. i recommend playing it in the other room, sounds better.