The Best of Louis Jordan [MCA]

Performer: Louis Jordan
Producer: J. Mayo Williams; Milt Gabler
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five; The Calypso Boys. Recorded between 1941 & 1954. Includes liner notes by Dave Dexter, Jr. Personnel: Louis Jordan (vocals, alto saxophone). Liner Note Author: Dave Dexter, Jr. This is a best-of CD collection that actually lives up to its name. Virtually all of Louis Jordan's hits, which musically bridged the gap between small-group swing, R&B, and rock & roll, are on this single CD, including "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie," "Let the Good Times Roll," "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens," "Saturday Night Fish Fry," "Caldonia," "Five Guys Named Moe," and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying." Serious collectors will want to explore a more complete series, particularly the one put out by Classics, but for a single acquisition, this is the Louis Jordan set to get. Jordan's very likable and good-humored vocals and his hot alto, as well as the playing of the Tympani Five, belong in everyone's music collection. ~ Scott Yanow

The most successful and influential purveyor of saxophone-driven jump blues, Louis Jordan was also one of the crucial transitional figures between the swing era and R&B. Although he started out mainly as a saxophonist with bandleaders such as Bessie Smith, Chick Webb, and Louis Armstrong, he found a niche singing blues and novelty tunes. After a string of hits throughout the 1940s, Jordan eventually found himself outpaced by the very rock & roll he had helped inspire.

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