This is one marvelous collection of 1945 recordings made for
Apollo Records
with
Harris
' powerhouse vocals backed by jump blues bands led by jazz greats
Illinois Jacquet
,
Oscar Pettiford
, and
Jack McVea
. No real honking and bar walking going on here; quite the opposite, as the
Pettiford
tunes have bop lines creeping in throughout. But
seems oblivious to it all as tracks like
"Time to Change Your Town,"
"Here Come the Blues,"
"Stuff You Gotta Watch,"
and
"Somebody Changed the Lock on My Door"
are on an equal par for sheer bravado and intensity with the best of his later work for
King
. A welcome compilation. ~ Cub Koda