For SOTM, (though I'm aware most of you weenies are guitarists) I have chosen one of the quintessential barrel house piano themes the "44 blues".
it's an unusual piece with idiosyncratic timing to say the least, the main motif played after each verse goes from the I chord to the IV chord and back to the I chord.
According to Little Brother Montgomery, it was formulated in the early 1920's by Little Brother, Dehlco Robert and Long Tall Friday along with several other barrel-house pianists that played in lumber camps across the south and was passed around from there.
Obviously, 44 Blues has taken on a life of it's own since the 20's and has been played and recorded in a number of different settings away from the rough sounding pianos. (Most Versions I've heard are usually derived from Howlin' Wolf's)
Though, heard in the right context, the piece I think is one of the best examples of "barrel-house" piano there is. It has a rolling bass with tons of attitude and follows the vocal line in a very gritty manner. It's not a pretty piece by any means though there is some BEAUTIFUL chords to be found in some versions, which we'll get to shortly.
As the story goes, Little Brother Montgomery encountered a fellow travelling pianist by the name of Leothus "Porkchop" Green and taught him the 44 blues sometime during the early 1920's. Green then moved to St Louis and worked as piano player in the theatres for silent movies, which was where a certain Roosevelt Sykes met him in the mid 1920's. Green became Sykes's mentor and is credited often by Sykes as the man that showed him how to play blues, which included the 44's.
So, when Sykes was snapped up and whisked away to New York City by Jesse Johnson on the 14th June 1929, the first piece Sykes recorded was his version of the 44 blues.
Here it is:
Sykes's version is played with unmistakable virtuosity it really is striking how his right hand through all those notes manages to mirror the vocal line, though for my money he plays it a little too quickly. His vocal style in the early years is very similar to that of Lee Green's which REALLY works well with the accompaniment. It is a classic blues recording undoubtedly.
Several months later Green had his go with the 44's, recording it as Number Forty-Four Blues. Here's his version:
Green's version is quite different from Syke's. For a start the key is different C instead of F, the timing is much more idiosyncratic and the main motif discussed earlier is played numerous times in quick succession rather than the more familiar. DUH duh Duh. This version is a real favourite as well.
You'd think Little Brother Montgomery might have been pretty pissed off by the fact that his piano theme had already been recorded by two other pianists before him and proved to be a success. It wasn't until the following year that Montgomery finally got his chance to record it and by Jove was it worth the wait! He reshaped it as Vicksburg Blues.
Here it is:
Little Brother's version is much more refined, with really jarring bass rolls and he places the motif front and center. The slower tempo allows the piece to really shine through and goodness his nasally vocals are just something else. I tend to use this recording to test people on whether or not they would actually like blues music, for as I'm sure you all know REAL blues is not necessarily pretty or perfect, but MAN it's got guts! and if you can't latch on to THIS, there's something wrong.
CHORDS, let's talk about those GORGEOUS chords, most of them are your bog standard one's with a few sixths thrown in which are fairly common in blues piano, but there is a few that REALLY standout. The one he finishes each AAB stanza with for example is a beautiful Cm11 consisting of the notes (in order of the pianos right hand) Bb,C,Eb,F. In confluence with the left hand's descending bass it really sounds magical.
Speaking of magical what about that ending! Not content on finishing with a run of the mill turnaround he finishes with a striking descent down from C# to C to F. It really is quite something and comes out of nowhere, and cements the recording as a masterpiece.
Montgomery recorded the piece several more times but never as well as he did the second time as Vicksburg Blues No.2 in 1935:
His introduction is breathtaking moving from C to Gm to Bb to C and eventually resolving to F. His vocals are intense and just downright heart-wrenching. His piano chorus in the middle is just as remarkable recalling Sykes's recording but with SO much more feel and you can even hear someone hollering affirmations of YEAH MAN half way through it.
All things considered I maintain that Little Brother was the master of the forty four blues and knew exactly what it was supposed to sound like.
So there we are, I know I didn't discuss the lyrical content a tall, however I vaguely recall reading something here on that exact topic. I also realise I didn't post many versions but I prefer the SOTM's personally where one is not bombarded by numerous different versions in the first post.
I'd love to see you post your favourite versions of the song, and perhaps even maybe post a version of your own...
Extra points are awarded if you can plonk it out on the piano
it's an unusual piece with idiosyncratic timing to say the least, the main motif played after each verse goes from the I chord to the IV chord and back to the I chord.
According to Little Brother Montgomery, it was formulated in the early 1920's by Little Brother, Dehlco Robert and Long Tall Friday along with several other barrel-house pianists that played in lumber camps across the south and was passed around from there.
Obviously, 44 Blues has taken on a life of it's own since the 20's and has been played and recorded in a number of different settings away from the rough sounding pianos. (Most Versions I've heard are usually derived from Howlin' Wolf's)
Though, heard in the right context, the piece I think is one of the best examples of "barrel-house" piano there is. It has a rolling bass with tons of attitude and follows the vocal line in a very gritty manner. It's not a pretty piece by any means though there is some BEAUTIFUL chords to be found in some versions, which we'll get to shortly.
As the story goes, Little Brother Montgomery encountered a fellow travelling pianist by the name of Leothus "Porkchop" Green and taught him the 44 blues sometime during the early 1920's. Green then moved to St Louis and worked as piano player in the theatres for silent movies, which was where a certain Roosevelt Sykes met him in the mid 1920's. Green became Sykes's mentor and is credited often by Sykes as the man that showed him how to play blues, which included the 44's.
So, when Sykes was snapped up and whisked away to New York City by Jesse Johnson on the 14th June 1929, the first piece Sykes recorded was his version of the 44 blues.
Here it is:
Sykes's version is played with unmistakable virtuosity it really is striking how his right hand through all those notes manages to mirror the vocal line, though for my money he plays it a little too quickly. His vocal style in the early years is very similar to that of Lee Green's which REALLY works well with the accompaniment. It is a classic blues recording undoubtedly.
Several months later Green had his go with the 44's, recording it as Number Forty-Four Blues. Here's his version:
Green's version is quite different from Syke's. For a start the key is different C instead of F, the timing is much more idiosyncratic and the main motif discussed earlier is played numerous times in quick succession rather than the more familiar. DUH duh Duh. This version is a real favourite as well.
You'd think Little Brother Montgomery might have been pretty pissed off by the fact that his piano theme had already been recorded by two other pianists before him and proved to be a success. It wasn't until the following year that Montgomery finally got his chance to record it and by Jove was it worth the wait! He reshaped it as Vicksburg Blues.
Here it is:
Little Brother's version is much more refined, with really jarring bass rolls and he places the motif front and center. The slower tempo allows the piece to really shine through and goodness his nasally vocals are just something else. I tend to use this recording to test people on whether or not they would actually like blues music, for as I'm sure you all know REAL blues is not necessarily pretty or perfect, but MAN it's got guts! and if you can't latch on to THIS, there's something wrong.
CHORDS, let's talk about those GORGEOUS chords, most of them are your bog standard one's with a few sixths thrown in which are fairly common in blues piano, but there is a few that REALLY standout. The one he finishes each AAB stanza with for example is a beautiful Cm11 consisting of the notes (in order of the pianos right hand) Bb,C,Eb,F. In confluence with the left hand's descending bass it really sounds magical.
Speaking of magical what about that ending! Not content on finishing with a run of the mill turnaround he finishes with a striking descent down from C# to C to F. It really is quite something and comes out of nowhere, and cements the recording as a masterpiece.
Montgomery recorded the piece several more times but never as well as he did the second time as Vicksburg Blues No.2 in 1935:
His introduction is breathtaking moving from C to Gm to Bb to C and eventually resolving to F. His vocals are intense and just downright heart-wrenching. His piano chorus in the middle is just as remarkable recalling Sykes's recording but with SO much more feel and you can even hear someone hollering affirmations of YEAH MAN half way through it.
All things considered I maintain that Little Brother was the master of the forty four blues and knew exactly what it was supposed to sound like.
So there we are, I know I didn't discuss the lyrical content a tall, however I vaguely recall reading something here on that exact topic. I also realise I didn't post many versions but I prefer the SOTM's personally where one is not bombarded by numerous different versions in the first post.
I'd love to see you post your favourite versions of the song, and perhaps even maybe post a version of your own...
Extra points are awarded if you can plonk it out on the piano