Customer Reviews

Violin, Sing the Blues for Me: African-American Fiddlers 1926-1949

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't believe this release can be improved. The song selection is terrific from both a musical and historical perspective. Sound mastering is excellant. The notes, artwork and photographs were not an after thought. They are very well done. OLD HAT has now released two top notch volumes and I really hope there is a lot more in the pipe. This is a mandatory disc for all blues and old timey fans. About the only negative is the sad fact that it probably won't get out to a wider audience. A reissue done by people who love and respect this music. Just superb.

As early as colonial times, free and enslaved blacks were widely known for their virtuosity on the fiddle, so it was only natural that the instrument would eventually find a home in the blues...even though most people probably don't tend to think of it there. And that's the beauty of this CD. It contains samples of the blues and many of the traditions that preceded it: country dances, rags and stomps, folks songs and medicine show music, all lovingly remastered from early recordings to create 73 minutes of vintage fiddle music. The 32-page full-color booklet alone is worth the price. This is a must-have for any student of African American culture in general, or anyone who just enjoys good music.

It's pretty amazing, this late in the folkloric/historic reissues game, to find a whole album's worth of "undiscovered" old-timey music that is of such a high caliber. Old Hat Records, a tiny North Carolina indie label, packs its discs with some of the best music in the style that you're ever likely to hear. (You might also want to check out the "Lost Provinces" and "Folks, He Sure Do Pull Some Bow" CDs...) This disc highlights a rare style of African-American fiddle music, featuring rare recordings by the bands that dotted the southern landscape 'way back when. These groups mixed stringband styles and jazzy jug-band blues and, not incidentally, made some of the catchiest music ever. In addition to great sound quality and great material, the CD is handsomely packaged; the insert booklets include some really cool archival photos, as well as extensive liner notes of the sort that have been woefully absent on similar recent reissue efforts.

This has rapidly become one of my favorite discs. Excellent selection of tracks, excellent transfers, excellent booklet. My only complaint would be that the text in the booklet is not in the same order as the tracks on the disk.

Inspired by my recent review of Sam Ku West's cd of Hawaiian steel guitar from 1927 and '28, and his version of Memphis Blues contained therein, I decided I need to review this disc which contains a killer Memphis Blues by the Mobile Strugglers.

What you get here is a very fine collection of mostly pre-war fiddle musics, covering a wide range of styles and abilities. From the abysmal toned, a-rhythmic atrocity of Alma Waltz (the very rare bad track) by the Mississippi Mudsteppers at the low end of the spectrum, to the bluesy drawl of Broonzy's fiddle, all the way up to the utter brilliance of the great Lonnie Johnson.

Still, the lesser-knowns are what this is about. Sure the titles of this and the "Folks, He..." disc put the emphasis on violins/fiddles but the music doesn't stop there. There are some seriously great bands here. Full-on killin groove units that will have you dancing on the couch as you listen... Memphis Shakedown and the "train impersonation" song, Moore Girl, for example. I've always found the latter interesting because, at least in my experiences thus far, I'm more familiar with black train-sound songs being done with harmonica, while whites seem to favor fiddle trains. A very cool track.

Also though, for me, Frank Stokes' Right Now Blues and the Alabama Sheiks' Travelin Railroad Blues give this disc a more pensive, vulnerable feeling than the "Folks, He..." disc.

Lots of stylistic variety, lots of great songs and playing. Had I reviewed this when it first came out I'd have probably given it 5 stars, but with the subsequent release of "Folks, He..." I do have to say that the "Folks, He..." disc has a touch better sound. A little less muffled. When I listen to these 2 right in a row, I listen to this one a few clicks louder to make it sound as good.

My continued thanks to all the collectors out there who saved this stuff, and to labels like Old Hat who've allowed people like me to enjoy!

When I bought this several years ago, my goals were to be able to learn and play along with violin blues. For starters, these selections are not quite the type of blues I was looking for. These songs fall into more of a jug band genre to me. In and of itself, not a problem. Some of the song titles may be examples of when promoters would call a song blues, to ride the current wave of popularity.

The challenge of playing along with the songs is that they were in very unusual keys for violin-such as Db. Well this morning, I decided to listen again and it occurred to me that the songs were recorded at the wrong speed. This may have happened at the time of the original so that they could fit it on a 3:00 minute format or it could be a technology mismatch when it was reissued.

When I slowed some of the songs down one or two semitones to put the songs in more typical keys for violin,such as A or G, some very interesting things happened. There is a beautiful richness in the voices. There are nuances in the violin that were missing. And now I can get back to playing along with some wonderful music.

I've been a very big fan of the blues for over 50 years, and a very big fan of the "lonesome fiddle" in country music, just as long, but I just found out about the Mississippi Sheiks, and all of these other groups, a few weeks ago. Thank you, Elwood Blues, for devoting an entire 1-hour program to the Sheiks, and turning me on to this fabulous music. If you are a blues aficionado, listen to Elwood's show. It's available on-line at [...] on Sunday nights at 7:00 P.M. Pacific Time.

I bought this CD along with Folks, He Sure Do Pull Some Bow! Vintage Fiddle Music 1927-1935: Blues, Jazz, Stomps, Shuffles & Rags. Both I am very impressed with, with 24 songs each they give a wonderful overview of a largely under-rated area of music (African-American Fiddlers). If you are interested in Fiddle, Blues, Folk or music history generally these really are worth buying. The liner notes are the best, most informative I have ever seen in any compilation album and really worth the read alone. Excellent! Excellent! I can't praise this production enough! I will be checking out more of what Old Hat Records has on offer.