In Session: Great Rhythm & Blues [PA]

Performer: Shuggie Otis
Artist: Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson; Johnny Otis; Big Joe Turner; Amos Milburn; Charles Brown; Pee Wee Crayton; Louis Jordan
Distributor: E1 Distribution (USA)

Notes: IN SESSION is a compilation of Shuggie Otis' session work as guitarist, bassist and engineer on various classic Rhythm & Blues tracks. Personnel includes: Shuggie Otis (guitar, piano, organ, bass, background vocals); Pee Wee Crayton (vocals, guitar); Louis Jordan (vocals, alto saxophone); Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (vocals, saxophone); Johnny Otis (vocals, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, vibraphone, drums); Charles Brown (vocals, piano, organ); Gatemouth Moore, Amos Milburn, Joe Liggins (vocals, piano); Richard Berry (vocals, keyboards); Roy Milton, Big Joe Turner (vocals); Melvin Wonder (guitar); Clifford Solomon (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Irv Cox, Jack Kelso (tenor saxophone); Big Jim Wynn (baritone saxophone); Bob Mitchell, Mark Johnson (trumpet); Gene Conners (trombone); Larry Reed (piano); Edgar Willis (bass); Hootie Galvan (drums). Producer: Johnny Otis. Compilation Brian Perera, Athan Maroulis. Recorded at Hawksound Studios, Los Angles, California between 1973 & 1977. Includes liner notes by Athan Maroulis. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Taken from recordings made during the mid-1970s, IN SESSION features Shuggie Otis playing guitar in his father Johnny Otis's band. Those seeking more of the funky, psychedelic soul found on Otis's excellent INSPIRATION INFORMATION should be forewarned that they won't find it here. This is Otis as a session man, filling out a project called "the Great Rhythm & Blues Oldies" show, spearheaded by his father. The recordings features R&B icons like Louis Jordan and Richard Berry reprising their classic hits (many of which were written or co-written by Otis Sr.). While the tracks don't deliver the kaleidoscopic delights of Shuggie Otis's solo work, IN SESSION is still a satisfying dose of straightforward, soulful `70s R&B. In the wake of Shuggie Otis' rediscovery in 2000, Stardust Records readied In Session, a collection of the artist's session work as a guitarist and bassist. Some of the performers Otis worked with include Richard Berry, Johnny Otis, Big Joe Turner, Louis Jordan, and several others whose work is compiled here. A total of 23 songs fill this collection, supplying plenty of variety. One constant throughout the album, though, is the omnipresent R&B sound. Granted, there's nothing here as extravagant as Otis' own solo work, and In Session isn't exactly the treasure trove you might like it to be. Stardust never tries to convince you otherwise, though, accurately subtitling this album "Great Rhythm & Blues" and compiling recordings that would otherwise be extremely difficult to find. Taking this into consideration, In Session is a welcome addition to Otis' catalog that collectors, in particular, should savor. ~ Jason Birchmeier Capitalizing on the unexpected resurgence of acclaim for Shuggie Otis in 2001 due to Luaka Bop's reissue of 1974's Inspiration Information, Blues Spectrum/GoldenLane turned out the compilation In Session: Great Rhythm & Blues the following year. Despite the appearances -- the same photographs from the Luaka Bop edition of Inspiration are all over this disc, including the same picture used for both front covers -- this is hardly a disc for those newly converted fans, since there is none of the trippy, one-man psychedelic soul that distinguished that record. This is Shuggie, the session-man, from the mid-'70s, when he was playing guitar and co-engineering the Great Rhythm & Blues Oldies series for his father, Johnny, who produced this series for Blues Spectrum records. The idea behind the series was simple: Bring a bunch of R&B and blues legends into the studio to record new versions of their classic songs, backed by Johnny Otis' house band, featuring Shuggie on guitar. Not a bad idea on the surface, and it was not unpleasant in practice, but it's also hardly noteworthy, either, since these were pretty much guys doing their hits with a pickup band, captured with indifferent '70s sound. Some of these guys rise above the occasion -- Louis Jordan sounds lively, for instance, on both of his cuts -- but this is all latter-day recordings by artists past the peak of their game. Sometimes, they update their sound a bit (Richard Berry takes a stab at funk), but most everybody simply brings their trademark sound into the '70s, with a band that's competent but lacking character -- and that includes Shuggie, whose playing here is standard blues/R&B licks that are perfectly fine, but never distinctive. It's a very nicely produced package, particularly in how it reproduces the artwork for all of the albums in the series, but the music is what matters and anybody that hears this, either as a fan of the featured artists or Shuggie, will be disappointed by these passable but undistinguished latter-day re-recordings. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Although this 2005 collection is credited to Shuggie Otis, the disc is really a compilation of other artists, with Shuggie being the common thread as a session musician. These tracks originate from a 1970s series of records entitled GREAT RHYTHM & BLUES OLDIES, on which R&B performers would revisit past glories. Whether on songs by crooner Richard Berry, jump-blues icon Louis Jordan, or bandleader Johnny Otis (Shuggie's father), Shuggie Otis is there, contributing guitar, bass, and often piano. Those hoping to hear Shuggie's own material will leave empty-handed, but listeners open to hearing an excellent and energetic mix of vintage R&B will be pleasantly surprised.

The son of R&B figurehead Johnny Otis, Shuggie Otis was a child prodigy who began appearing on albums as a session player in his early teens. Under the mentorship of his legendary father, Otis developed into a masterly guitar player, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He recorded a pair of eclectic solo albums (one of which contained the song "Strawberry Letter #23," a hit for the Brothers Johnson in 1977) before releasing the enormously groundbreaking INSPIRATION INFORMATION in 1974. The album is considered a psychedelic soul/funk classic, and inspired artists as varied as Prince, D'Angelo, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. David Byrne's Luaka Bop label reissued the coveted album in the mid '90s.

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