Re: [Harp-L] Big Walter CD suggestions

["Jim Greenwald" <staggerin@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Jay

I'd suggest getting into Walter's great work as an accompanist from the mid 
1960s.

In "Chicago The Blues Today, Vol. 3" on Vanguard he works with Johnny Shines 
and again with Johnny Young on some marvelous stuff. On some of the tunes he 
plays continuously - bad form for an sideman - but you get a real schooling 
in how he works the changes in astonishing variety. His tone is really 
superb and the playing inspired. A bonus, if you get the CTBT as a more 
recent 3 disc reissue, you've got incredible James Cotton and Junior Wells 
performances. And that's just the harp players.

Johnny Young had a couple of fine albums on Arhoolie around this period: one 
with James Cotton, and the other with Big Walter. There's an in-print 
Arhoolie CD called "Johnny Young Chicago Blues" that combines these two 
LPs - I think it might be missing one or two from the 'Walter' album. Walter 
plays acoustically with a tone that's similar to his work on "The Soul of 
Blues Harmonica". It's great to hear him weave in and around. Cotton's work 
flat-out roars.

Some of my favorite stuff from the 60s.

Cheers,
Staggerin' Jim
Listen to Roots Harmonica at http://www.live365.com/stations/staggerinjim

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jay Thompson" <jay.jmt@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2008 6:22 PM
Subject: [Harp-L] Big Walter CD suggestions


> Big Walter is definitely under represented in my CD collection. Which CDs
> should I look for next? I've got *An Offer You Can't Refuse* and the album
> with Carey Bell.
> Thanks for the help!
> Jay