There was a time when swing-oriented jazz, R&B and blues overlapped to form an accessible yet intelligent style of music. In the late '40s
Louis Jordan
,
Charles Brown
and
Amos Milburn
were popular figures and
Floyd Dixon
(although a bit in their shadow) was not far behind. When rock & roll suddenly took over pop music in the mid-'50s, the middle-aged black performers were tossed off the charts in favor of their younger white imitators and work began to become scarce. Fortunately
survived the lean years and, as with
, he made a "comeback." This CD is a definitive
release, mixing together older hits (including his signature tune "Hey, Bartender") with newer originals; all 16 selections were written or co-composed by
Dixon
. Joined by a jumping band that features a liberal amount of solo space for guitarist
Port Barlow
, tenor saxophonist
Eddie Synigal
and the old-time styled trombone of
Danny Weinstein
(plus a couple of spots for
Charles Owens
' baritone),
sounds in excellent shape. His voice had not aged much, his enthusiasm is very much intact and his piano playing (whether on slow blues, medium-tempo novelties or the closing instrumental blues "Gettin' Ready") is quite jazz-oriented.
Chip Deffaa's
liner notes are an added plus. Highly recommended. ~ Scott Yanow