1923-1925 (2000)

About this title: 1923-1925 presents Sidney Bechet at his earliest, and these are historically important recordings made by one of the giants of jazz. Even on his earliest tracks such as "Wild Cat Blues" and "Blind Man Blues," Bechet's style is already mature and distinctive, and these sessions laid the bedrock for the artist's performing career for the decades following. Despite the excellent remastering on this release, fidelity is still rather poor, although the brilliance of Bechet's playing, like Armstrong's (who joins Bechet on nine of the tracks here), transcends these technical limitations. A wonderful ... read more

Tracks:

1. Wild Cat Blues [Waller/Williams]
2. Kansas City Man Blues [Johnson/Williams]
3. Blind Man Blues [Green/McLaurin]
4. Atlanta Blues [Elman/Handy]
5. 'Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do [Grainger/Prince/Wil]
6. New Orleans Hop Scop Blues [Thomas]
7. Oh Daddy! Blues [Herbert/Russell]
8. Down on the Levee Blues [Williams]
9. Lonesome Woman Blues [Peyton]
10. If I Let You Get Away With It Once (You'll Do It All of the Time) [Frost/Rose]
11. E Flat Blues [Morris/Williams]
12. Shreveport Blues [Porter]
13. Old Fashioned Love [Johnson/Mack]
14. House Rent Blues [DeKoven/Thompson]
15. Mean Blues [Gillham/Smythe]
16. Texas Moaner Blues [Barnes/Williams]
17. Early in the Morning [Higgins/Overstreet]
18. You've Got the Right Key, But the Wrong Keyhole [Green/Williams]
19. Mandy, Make up Your Mind [Clarke/Johnston/Mey]
20. I'm a Little Blackbird Looking for a Bluebird [Clarke/Johnston/Mey]
21. Cake Walking Babies from Home [Smith/Troy/Williams]
22. Pickin' on Your Baby [James/Reynolds]
23. Papa De-Da-Da [Todd/Williams]
24. Cake Walking Babies from Home [Smith/Troy/Williams]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.