Blind John Davis - Moanin' The Blues (1976)
Blind John Davis - Moanin' The Blues (1976)
1. Introduction 0:46
2. It's My Boogie 1:09
3. When I lost My Baby 3:25
4. Dippermouth Blues 2:33
5. Summertime 4:01
6. Got The World on A String 2:57
7. Jim Town Blues 2:11
8. St. James Infirmary 3:43 play
9. Pinetop's Boogie 2:16 play
10. Little Break-Theme 0:21
11. Boogie'n 'Roll 2:00
12. Cow Cow Blues 2:54
13. Everyday I Got The Blues 4:26
14. Limehouse Blues 2:38
15. Moanin' The Blues 4:51
16. Frankie & Johnnie 2:26
17. Baby Won't You Please Come Home 3:47
18. Kansas City 3:15
19. Good Night My Friends 1:12
Although he helped invent the Chicago blues sound through his session work in the 1930s and 1940s, pianist John Henry Davis was never particularly flashy or demonstrative, and he remained a relative unknown in the U.S. throughout his career. In Europe, however, he was highly regarded, and this solo set, recorded live in Bonn, Germany, in 1973, is fairly typical of his later work. An easy, natural entertainer, Davis favored a kind of lounge blues approach to things, and he tackles blues, boogie, and jazz pieces, pop standards, and even R&B here in this relaxed, intimate set before a small audience. Highlights include his version of "St. James Infirmary," a breezy rendition of "Frankie & Johnny," and the touching and heartfelt closing track "Goodnight My Friends," which features the promise "I'm going away real slow/but I intend to hurry back." While never overpowering or flashy, Davis delivers a delightful history of American blues-based vernacular piano here, and if he sounds a bit like a hundred other piano players in piano bars all across the globe, keep in mind that Davis helped invent this stuff. -- Steve Leggett
Last Updated (Sunday, 10 February 2013 19:58)