Bessie Smith - Sweet Mistreater. Dble CD. (Blue Orchid - BLUE202CD) Veteran British jazzer and raconteur George Melly has listened to Bessie Smith every day since 1947- and who can blame him? She was still probably the greatest female jazz and blues singer that ever lived, and in the decades since her untimely death in 1943 at the age of 39 her legend has rightfully grown. During her short life she recorded with Fletcher Henderson, Coleman Hawkins, James P Johnson, John Redman, Louis Armstrong and Champion Jack Dupree, but the recordings that set the world on fire were under her own name- radical not only in vocal technique but also because she was the first female singer to write the majority of her own material, and was openly bisexual. Most, such as 'Gulf Coast Blues' 'St Louis Blues' (with Armstrong) and 'Down Hearted Blues' are included here- remastered using fully up to date PC hardwarethat removes unnecessary noise yet retains the lo-fi quality and charm of the original recordings.

Bessie Smith - Do Your Duty. CD. (Indigo - IGOCD2008) 22 classic tracks from the first lady of blues, still astonishing after all these years. Having begun her career in the early '20's recording on very primitive equipment, it is almost unbelivable how well her voice manages to shine through all of the hissess and clicks.

Bessie Smith - Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out. CD. (Rev Ola - CRREV 220) Twenty two tracks from The Empress Of The Blues, a huge hit in the 1920's. Real classic blues, her recordings often featured the best backing players around, from Louis Armstrong and Joe Smith toJames P Johnson and Charlie Green. Her elaborate live shows Harlem Frolics and Mississippi Days were smash hits thoughout the decade; The Blues were in and trendy, and Bessie was at the top of her game. Her career was effectively over by 1929 due to the swing in musical fashions and a planned comeback was cut short after her death in a 1935 car crash; she was one of the many acts on the endless chitlin' circuit, in Mississippi. Top drawer emotional blues.

© Delerium Music 2008. Web Site written and maintained by Matt Platts for Paragon Digital. Please see www.vatloophole.co.uk for information on why we closed down.