Search - Alberta Hunter :: Complete Recorded Works 4 (1927-46)

Best ALBERTA HUNTER Available...

Sébastien Melmoth | Hôtel d'Alsace, PARIS | 06/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

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This disc is a sure thing and the real deal for Alberta Hunter. Ms. Hunter will be recalled as one of the original jazz/blues vocalists of the first quarter of the 20th Century. She was one of the greats, along with Bessie Smith and Ethel Waters.



But what differentiates Hunter from Smith or Waters? Well, Hunter is very urbane and sophisticated, whereas Smith was a little more folksy. Waters too was a city-gal, but she was a little more vaudevillian and cutesy; whereas Hunter has a great deal of innate, effortless dignity. They all three had a great sense of humor, but Smith's was more raw; and Waters' more girlish. Hunter is definitely adultly womanish.



They all had good timing, but Hunter's may have been the best. They all had good English diction, but again, Hunter's may be the clearest.



This disc has probably the best set of her best tracks, including the three rarities with Fats Waller on organ. The middle six tracks feature Charlie Shavers on trumpet (sounding like Louis Armstrong); Lil Armstrong on piano; and the great Buster Bailey on clarinet. Check the seriously blue "I'll See You Go."



Several of the other tracks feature an "unknown" guitarist sounding suspiciously like Eddy Lang.



The recorded sound is remarkably excellent: very little surface noise, and very clear timbres.

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