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The piece ended with one of the slide solos that only he could play - sure and skilled, sensitive and moving. If there wasn't to be more of Blind Willie Johnson's guitar and his voice, it would be difficult to think of a more fitting way for his music to fall silent - Blind Willie Johnson, last recording described by Sam Charters

Author Topic: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues  (Read 4231 times)

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Offline uncle bud

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Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« on: December 18, 2008, 07:20:33 PM »
In exploring a variety of recordings made in the 1960s lately, most prominently the George Mitchell recordings I've been enjoying and Pete Lowry's recordings on the Trix label (which I've been enjoying longer), it occurs to me that there are almost no recordings featuring piano. I was wondering why that is, or if I've missed them. I know some pianists recorded in the 60s, like Roosevelt Sykes and Speckled Red, and some records have artists doing double duty like Pete Franklin. There are in fact some George Mitchell recordings of Eddie Boyd, and some of Billy Boy Arnold with Johnny Jones on piano, but no tracks from those sessions form part of the Mitchell box set (they are available through emusic.com as downloads).

But is there a reason other than the guitar-centricity of the audience for this? Obviously, since many of the people recorded were living in poverty, a piano is not likely to be found in their homes for field recording purposes. But was anyone playing older piano styles in jukes, bars etc., that could have been recorded? Did the "country" or barrelhouse piano styles of the 1920s simply die off more quickly than the guitar styles? Pianists were always more modern from the start it seems to me.

Just curious.
« Last Edit: December 18, 2008, 08:55:27 PM by uncle bud »

Offline banjochris

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #1 on: December 18, 2008, 07:49:15 PM »
Robert Shaw on Arhoolie comes to mind off hand as someone who recorded in the '60s but not earlier, if I remember right, but there aren't too many, I don't think. Whistlin' Alex Moore, Little Brother Montgomery are old-timers who recorded in the '60s, plus there are a few piano tracks on the "I Have to Paint My Face" album by someone named Jasper Love. Most of the piano I think of from that era is Chicago blues band style.
I wish someone would have recorded Romeo Nelson -- didn't he live into the '60s?
Chris

Offline Johnm

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #2 on: December 18, 2008, 07:50:40 PM »
Hi Uncle Bud,
You raise a good question.  I think there were still a ton of pianists around, but the orientation of the blues-buying public at that point definitely tilted towards guitar-centricity. This is particularly a shame, since pianists seem so often to be exceptionally strong singers.  For people interested in piano blues recorded as either field recordings or revival LPs in the '60s or later, I'll list what I can think of off the top of my head:
   * Little Brother Montgomery had albums on Folkways, Prestige, and, I think, Adelphi;
   * Sunnyland Slim had albums on Prestige and a terrific one on Bob West's Arcola label;
   * Alex Moore had a couple of albums on Arhoolie;
   * Big Joe Duskin had an album or two on Arhoolie;
   * Curtis Jones had an album on Prestige, and I think, at least one on Blue Horizon;
   * Robert Shaw had a couple of albums on Arhoolie;
There must be many more, and as you say, a fair number of guitarists, like Henry Townsend and Skip James, also doubled on piano.
All best,
Johnm  

Offline Johnm

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #3 on: December 18, 2008, 09:01:12 PM »
Re recording Romeo Nelson, oof, you're right, Chris.  That's a tragic missed opportunity.
All best,
Johnm

Offline Parlor Picker

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #4 on: December 19, 2008, 01:31:03 AM »
When I lived in London in the early 1970s I saw quite a few blues players live.  The piano players included Memphis Slim (disappointing, as he seemed to me to have adopted a kind of cabaret act), Roosevelt Sykes and by far the most inventive player of all, Sunnyland Slim. I saw him again in the early 1990s on a brief trip to Chicago.  At the age of 83, his playing was no longer as interesting, but he still had an amazingly powerful voice.  The support act was another piano player, Jimmy Walker who was 85 at the time.
"I ain't good looking, teeth don't shine like pearls,
So glad good looks don't take you through this world."
Barbecue Bob

Offline oddenda

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #5 on: December 19, 2008, 02:28:03 AM »
Bud -

          In my decade of field recording I found only two pianists to record, both in Atlanta: Tommie Lee Russell, and Eddie Lee Person. I cannot say why there were so few... maybe our informants didn't know anyone by the 70s. Guitarists and harp players, yes, no pianists. Or maybe the piano was considered a rung up the scale? The two were recorded courtesy of Prof. John Burrison of Georgia State University. He took us a couple of times into the Music Department at night where we had the use of a practice room with piano! In tune, too!! Willie Trice told of Gary Davis playing the piano at what became he and his mother's house, but which was a jook and had a piano - Gary bumped into it by accident, then sat down and played up a storm!

          Another category thin in the ground was women players. i recorded two; Mattie Russell, Tommie Lee's mother and a singer/guitarist of note (no pun intended) - she was a church-going lady, but did both kinds of material for me: on blues she reminded me of a female Willie Brown; Sr. Suzie Weaver Young who sang gospel songs and beat the bass drum - she used to set up under the viaduct by Georgia State and play, collecting change from passers by. George Higgs mentioned someone to me, but I had burned out by then and never got back to him on that lead. Sad, but true - it ain't all peaches and cream... or necessarily easy.

Peter B.

« Last Edit: January 10, 2009, 01:51:12 AM by oddenda »

Offline Bunker Hill

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #6 on: December 19, 2008, 03:40:55 AM »
There are in fact some George Mitchell recordings of Eddie Boyd, and some of Billy Boy Arnold with Johnny Jones on piano, but no tracks from those sessions form part of the Mitchell box set (they are available through emusic.com as downloads).
Bruce Bastin issued some of them in 1979 on the LP Chicago Blues Live At The Fickle Pickle (LP549 - check out Stefan's Flyright disco). Mitchell in his notes states that he and Mike Bloomfield were co-promoters and ended up by having to "dig into our own pockets".

Offline Pan

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #7 on: December 19, 2008, 07:45:19 AM »
Little Brother Montgomery also recorded many albums for the European labels, starting from the 60's. Perhaps Paul Oliver is to be thanked for this? Check out Stefans' discography:
http://www.wirz.de/music/montgfrm.htm
I have "Deep South Piano", recorded for the Danish Storyville label in 1972. It's an excellent record.

Since Eddie Boyd was mentioned, I'm going to be bold enough to mention that he moved to Finland in 1970, and lived here for the rest of his life, and also married a Finnish woman. He recorded an album for the Finnish Love Records label in 1970, called "Praise to Helsinki".  :)

Here is a clip of him performing for the Finnish national broadcast company:

http://yle.fi/elavaarkisto/?s=s&g=8&ag=91&t=528&a=4594

Cheers

Pan

Offline jpeters609

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #8 on: December 19, 2008, 11:08:45 AM »
oddenda,
This Mattie Russell of whom you speak...were her recordings ever released?
Jeff

Offline daddystovepipe

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #9 on: December 19, 2008, 11:59:13 AM »
Willie Mabon also recorded a few lp's in Europe during the 70ies.
I remember seeing him live playing piano and rack harmonica at the same time - very unusual/unique for a pianist.
Fine lyricist as well :
"she's a cold chilly woman, she's so mean as she can be
we fuss and fight so much, we should be on TV"

Offline Slack

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #10 on: December 19, 2008, 12:09:56 PM »
Just received this from Lance Ledbetter:

Dear Friends,
We are pleased to announce that Art of Field Recording Volume II has started shipping. According to the United States Post Office, packages sent domestically by Saturday December 20th should reach their destination by December 24th in time for the Christmas holiday. More details can be found in our online newsletter, which can be accessed using this link: December 2008 Newsletter

We remain appreciative of your support and hope you have a great holiday season.

Best regards,
Lance Ledbetter
Dust-to-Digital

Offline dj

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #11 on: December 19, 2008, 01:16:54 PM »
Quote
Obviously, since many of the people recorded were living in poverty, a piano is not likely to be found in their homes for field recording purposes.

Reading Paul Oliver's Blues Off The Record, I was struck by the fact that every pianist he mentions meeting in the early 60s - Alex Moore and Henry Brown among them - had to go to a bar, hotel, beauty parlor, or some such place to find a piano to play. 

Offline Pan

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #12 on: December 19, 2008, 02:24:05 PM »
Quote
Obviously, since many of the people recorded were living in poverty, a piano is not likely to be found in their homes for field recording purposes.

Reading Paul Oliver's Blues Off The Record, I was struck by the fact that every pianist he mentions meeting in the early 60s - Alex Moore and Henry Brown among them - had to go to a bar, hotel, beauty parlor, or some such place to find a piano to play. 

That is quite incredible indeed! Imagine that you couldn't practice your instrument, and were only allowed to deal with one while on a gig. :-X
Maybe the pianists still had access to an instrument even if they didn't personally own one. Wealthy households, business's, or the church come to mind. Practise time must have been limited, though.
But still, confronting a barrelhouse crowd as a beginning solo musician, with little practise time, is a task I wouldn't envy. :o


Offline oddenda

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #13 on: December 19, 2008, 06:11:28 PM »
Jeff -

          In a word... no. She cut about half a dozen selections in one session. I forgot my BIG piano coup... "Detroit After Hours"! ... recorded two long afternoons in an after hours place in consecutive years (i.e. - one afternoon per year: 1972, 1973). Those were both Sunday afternoons, which I figured my presence wouldn't cause too many problems: the piano was kept in tune by one of the players, Little Dickie Rogers. Enough stuff for two more albums, I'd say. One of two things I recorded that were pretty unique - the other being the medicine show in 1972.

Peter B.
« Last Edit: January 10, 2009, 01:48:17 AM by oddenda »

Offline uncle bud

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #14 on: December 19, 2008, 07:02:03 PM »
Quote
Obviously, since many of the people recorded were living in poverty, a piano is not likely to be found in their homes for field recording purposes.

Reading Paul Oliver's Blues Off The Record, I was struck by the fact that every pianist he mentions meeting in the early 60s - Alex Moore and Henry Brown among them - had to go to a bar, hotel, beauty parlor, or some such place to find a piano to play. 

Hey, dj, thanks for this, I'm currently reading this book too (really worthwhile, IMO). Haven't got to the pianists chapter yet.

JohnM, Little Brother Montgomery did have a record on Adelphi (or Genes Blues Vault) called No Special Rider. It's not viewed very positively in the Penguin Guide as I recall. It's true it's a little shakey, and the piano not exactly in tune, but I find it pretty enjoyable.

Speckled Red's "Dirty Dozens" record on Delmark is really enjoyable IMO. I love it. It also has two uncensored versions of the Dozens, "Dirtier Dozens" and "Dirtiest Dozens" which are highly educational. I really like Red's playing both pre- and post-war, rough and out of control. Great singing too. 

Offline David Kaatz

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #15 on: December 19, 2008, 09:41:57 PM »
I used to read regularly, and very occasionally post, to rec.music.makers.guitar.jazz, and a fellow there who is quite the 'know it all' (maybe he is here too?) said this regarding the number of piano players in Clarksdale:
Quote
Thomas "Jaybird" Jones gave Alan Lomax lots of names of Clarksdale
pianists of the ragtime era. Howard Odum's and Charles Peabody's
research in the Delta during the '00-'09 period (and in an indirect
way, E.C. Perrow's then too) suggests that banjo or guitar playing in a
ragtime-influenced style was more popular among "blacks" in the Delta
during '00-'09 than anything else was.
Many of the guitarists we'd tend to call "rural" or "country blues" in
style were around quite a lot of pianists

Here is a link to the discussion in google groups (Sorry for the incredibly long link):
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.music.makers.guitar.jazz/browse_frm/thread/b1221c130804f1f1/304f0c9a71b4ce26?hl=enHotKey%3D0&lnk=gst&q=piano+blues+mississippi#304f0c9a71b4ce26

So why didn't the proliferation of ragtime pianists translate to blues pianist 20 years later?
Maybe they didn't get recorded because they couldn't take their piano out to the street to catch any talent scout's ear?

D.

Offline Bunker Hill

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #16 on: December 20, 2008, 12:48:22 AM »
Willie Mabon also recorded a few lp's in Europe during the 70ies.
Guess what? Yep his recording career can be check out here http://www.wirz.de/music/mabonfrm.htm

Offline Stefan Wirz

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #17 on: December 20, 2008, 01:50:07 AM »
Buster Pickens was recorded in Houston, Aug. 9 & 17, 1960 and May 4, 1961 by Chris Strachwitz, Mack McCormick & Paul Oliver.
Issued first 1962 as Heritage HLP 1008, later (1977) as Flyright LP 536

Offline oddenda

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #18 on: December 20, 2008, 06:03:25 PM »
Forgot to mention that Tommie Lee Russell has a few cuts on one of the Flyright LPs recorded at a major concert in early 1973 that Bastin and I put together when he was at Chapel Hill. He was idiosyncratic! (Tommie Lee, that is!)

Peter B
« Last Edit: December 20, 2008, 07:50:22 PM by oddenda »

Offline hortig78rpm

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #19 on: June 08, 2009, 04:03:25 AM »
there had been a small number of pianists recorded in the 6o`s and 7o`s, but most of the researchers went on for guitarrist. its much easier to take a guitar in the car for musicians who had no instruments than a piano.
many of these recordings apeared on only small labels like adelphi, JSP etc and are now sought items:
lee kizard ( tutwiler, ms), mose vinson, memphis piano red (memph.) wallace johnson, jasper love ( clarksdale), lyin joe holley(n.y.),alex moore, robert shaw, lavada durst, grey ghost ( texas), easau weary ( louis.),
when I went down south in 1981 kizard,johnson had died, love went up to memphis, weary had left the aera and
ghost just was`nt in town. but beside the others, I rediscovered guitarist isaac youngblood in columbus, miss ( see evans book: tommy johnson), who played wonderfull gospel piano, a style close related to piano blues mixed up with rag/strride elements, which also has died out

regards
mike

Offline Bunker Hill

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #20 on: June 08, 2009, 10:09:05 AM »
when I went down south in 1981 kizard,johnson had died, love went up to memphis, weary had left the aera and
ghost just was`nt in town. but beside the others, I rediscovered guitarist isaac youngblood in columbus, miss ( see evans book: tommy johnson), who played wonderfull gospel piano, a style close related to piano blues mixed up with rag/strride elements, which also has died out
Am I correct in remembering that you wrote about this event in Blues Life magazine around about 1982 or so?

Offline hortig78rpm

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #21 on: June 08, 2009, 10:01:27 PM »
quite right you`are. something great that somebody remebers that from a long gone austrian blues mag. I also published an interjew with robert shaw there, the only article in all the years which they issued in english....

some of the recordings I made then were issued on wold records, and they even paid the musicians........

regards
mike

Offline Bunker Hill

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #22 on: June 09, 2009, 12:26:05 PM »
quite right you`are. something great that somebody remebers that from a long gone austrian blues mag.
In my attic I have quite a number of issues which were sent to me by Fritz Svacina and other ones sent by Teddy Doering. I have a recollection that you contributed to the magazine over many years. The last issue I saw was from 1987! Is it still published?

Offline hortig78rpm

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Re: Field Recordings and Revival Recordings - Piano Blues
« Reply #23 on: June 09, 2009, 10:10:39 PM »
hello

I left blues life about 1985/86 for they lost interest in stories about old blues-styles.
later , after his wife died of cancer, fritz svacina left austria for some years living in the USA, but has now returned and has a internet-blues mag: www.bluesartstudio.com

great time then, on one the cover pic was the face of mott willis, who looked like and old indian chief.

mike


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