The Very Best of Memphis Slim: Messin' Around With the Blues

Performer: Memphis Slim
Distributor: Gotham Distributing Corp.

Notes: Liner Note Author: Victor Pearlin. Drawing his recording moniker of Memphis Slim from his lanky six-foot five-inch frame, blues pianist Peter Chatman was instrumental in bringing a jazzy, urban sensibility to the blues in the mid '40s. This generous 27-track collection features recordings he made between 1946 and 1948, first with Hy-Tone Records, the masters of which were purchased by King Records and released as singles in 1948 and 1949, and then with Miracle Records, which were re-released as 78 singles by Federal Records, a King subsidiary, in 1951. Slim's jazz-inflected uptown sound (usually driven by merged alto and tenor saxes) is in full force on these tracks, giving the whole disc a remarkable unity of tone. Highlights include some lightning-fueled jazz blues romps like "Slim's Boogie," "Pacemaker Boogie," and "Harlem Bound," along with samples of Slim's prolific songwriting like the endlessly clever "Kilroy Was Here" and his signature tune, "Nobody Loves Me," which became better known as "Everyday I Have the Blues" in later versions by B.B. King, Joe Williams, Lowell Fulson, and others. At over 75 minutes in length, this compilation delivers bang for the buck, and makes an ideal introduction to the tall genius of Memphis Slim. ~ Steve Leggett

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