Vol. 1, 1928-1934: How Long Blues [Box]

Performer: Leroy Carr
Distributor: E1 Distribution (USA)

Notes: Over the course of its four discs and 95 songs, this box set tells you pretty much all you could wish to know about pianist Leroy Carr and guitarist Scrapper Blackwell. They did plenty of solo work during this period, but between 1928 and 1934 they were also one of the most successful blues duos in America. Though this comprehensive collection is described as "early recordings," there's not much more to the pair's story, since Carr died in 1935, driving a mournful Blackwell into decades of retirement. From the classic "How Long, How Long Blues" to later sides like the sorrowful "Blues Before Sunrise," Blackwell's jazz-schooled guitar licks and Carr's urban piano style combined for a more sophisticated sound that foreshadowed blues's eventual move from the country to the city.

With Scrapper Blackwell accompanying him on guitar, pianist Leroy Carr released a series of suave "uptown" blues records in the late '20s and early '30s that introduced many listeners to the genre. Carr and Blackwell's recordings straddled the fence separating blues and jazz in much the same way as did the recordings of their contemporary, guitarist Lonnie Johnson.

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