Blacks and Blues

Blacks and Blues

ASIN: B00000I0RM

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
King Errisson: Conga & Background Vocals, Chuck Rainey: Electric Bass, David T. Walker: Guitar, Ron Brown: Bass, Harvey Mason, Sr.: Drums, Fonce Mizell: Trumpet, Background Vocals, Clavinet & Vocal Arrangement, Larry Mizell: Arranger, Conductor, Background Vocals, Producer & Vocal Arrangement, Freddie Perren: Synthesizer, Jerry Peters: Piano, John Rowin: Guitar, Stephanie Spruill: Percussion

Tracks:

Mamma's Black Baby Boy (Unique Quartette, 1893)
Keep Movin' (Standard Quartette, 1894)
Who Broke the Lock (Unique Quartette, c.1895)
Brother Michael, Won't You Hand Down that Rope (Oriole Quartette, c.1895)
Poor Mourner (Cousins and DeMoss, 1898)
Who Broke the Lock (Cousins and DeMoss, 1898)
Down on the Old Camp Ground (Dinwiddie Colored Quartet, 1902)
Jerusalem Mornin' (Polk Miller and His Old South Quartet, 1909)
Little David / Shout All Over God's Heaven (Fisk University Jubilee Quartet, 1909)
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (Apollo Jubilee Quartet, 1912)
Shout All Over God's Heaven (Apollo Jubilee Quartet, 1912)
Good News (Tuskegee Institute Singers, 1914)
The Rain Song (Right Quintette, 1915)
Goodnight Angeline (Four Harmony Kings, 1921)
Experiences in the Show Business (Charley Case, 1909)
The Whistling Coon (George W. Johnson, 1891)
Adam and Eve and de Winter Apple (excerpt) (Louis Vasnier, c.1893)
The Laughing Song (George W. Johnson, c.189498)
Minstrel First Part, featuring The Laughing Song (Spencer, Williams & Quinn's Imperial Minstrels, c.1894)
Listen to the Mocking Bird (George W. Johnson, 1896)
The Laughing Coon (George W. Johnson, c.1898)
The Whistling Girl (George W. Johnson, c.1899)
My Little Zulu Babe (Williams and Walker, 1901)
Carving the Duck (George W. Johnson, 1903)
The Merry Mail Man (Len Spencer and George W. Johnson, 1906)
Nobody (Bert Williams, 1906)
My Own Story of the Big Fight (part 1) (Jack Johnson, 1910)
Beans, Beans, Beans (Opal Cooper, 1917)
Great Camp Meetin' Day (Noble Sissle, 1920)

Tracks:

Atlanta Exposition Speech (Booker T. Washington, 1908)
Old Black Joe (Thomas Craig, 1898)
Old Dog Tray (Carroll Clark, 1910)
I Surrender All (Daisy Tapley and Carroll Clark, 1910)
Swing Along (Afro-American Folk Song Singers, 1914)
The Rain Song (Afro-American Folk Song Singers, 1914)
Exhortation (Right Quintette, 1915)
Vesti la Giubba (Roland Hayes, 1918)
Go Down Moses (Harry T. Burleigh, 1919)
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child (Edward H. S. Boatner, 1919)
Villanelle (Florence ColeTalbert, 1919)
Barcarolle (R. Nathaniel Dett, 1919)
Lament (Clarence Cameron White, 1919)
When de Co'n Pone's Hot / Possum (Edward Sterling Wright, 1913)
Down Home Rag (Europe's Society Orchestra, 1913)
Bregeiro (Rio Brazilian Maxixe) (Joan Sawyer's Persian Garden Orchestra, 1914)
On the Shore at Le-Lei-Wei (Ciro's Club Coon Orchestra, 1916)
Down Home Rag (Wilbur C. Sweatman, 1916)
Some Jazz Blues (Memphis Pickaninny Band, 1917)
Sarah from Sahara (Eubie Blake Trio, 1917)
The Jazz Dance (Blake's Jazzone Orchestra, 1917)
Ev'rybody's Crazy 'Bout the Doggone Blues (Wilbur C. Sweatman's Original Jazz Band, 1918)
Darktown Strutters' Ball (Lieut. Jim Europe's 369th U. S. Infantry Hell Fighters Band, 1919)
Camp Meeting Blues (Ford Dabney's Band, 1919)
St. Louis Blues (W. C. Handy's Memphis Blues Band, 1922)

Product Description

If you believe Robert Johnson was the first to play rock n roll, listen up. Records made by African-American artists in the 1890s anticipated by decades the essentials of jazz, rhythm and blues, rock n rolland yes, even Robert Johnson. Unlike the pioneer blues and jazzmen of the 1920swhose contributions to American music are duly documented and appreciated todaythe achievements of their forgotten predecessors are all but erased from history: the sound too limited, the grooves too noisy, the words too painful. Tim Brooks brought the Lost Sounds of these pioneer black performers to our notice with the publication of his groundbreaking book. Archeophone brings these Lost Sounds to life with the release of this CD. And none too soon, as the precious few sounds that have survived a century of neglect are fading fast. Those experienced with pioneer recordings are in for some surprises, as most are reissued here for the first time. And those who are not . . . youve not heard anything like them before. Many are not easy to listen to. But they are worth the effort, as they let us hearas close to first hand as possiblethe forgotten black artists who contributed so significantly to American music and culture. Your view of history is about to be rocked.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting .......2007-03-11

This is not my favorite of my many compilations of early American recordings but it does have some very interesting stuff on it. A better comp in my opinion is Roots N' Blues,The Retrospective(1925-1950). Now thats a great overview of early americana. But still, Lost Sounds has its merits. The songs that have very rough reproduction actually give the CD a haunting quality. If you want to go way back to the dawn of the recording industry like I did then you will not be disappointed but if you want something a little more listenable, then go w/ the Roots CD. Hope that was helpful to somebody...

for audiophiles and history buffs only........2007-02-22

if like me, you are fascinated with sound, and find it mind-boggling to put on a pair of headphones and hear the voice of someone who was alive in 1891 coming back to life right in your ears, then this 2 disc set is for you. if you are simply looking for a purely rewarding musical experience, then this set is probably not for you. understandably, all the stuff recorded before roughly 1910 has very, very poor sound quality. it is the fascination with the mere existence of these sounds that is the thrill, not the tunes themselves. the post 1910 tracks have basically good sound quality for the most part, and there is a wide variety of styles, all pre-blues, except for the last song of disc 2, w.c. handy's memphis blues band playing their legendary "st louis blues," which is still part marching band, part vaudeville, as much as it is blues. elsewhere you get gospel, singing quartets, folk tunes, classical, opera, orchestras, jazz, and 2 spoken word tracks (one by then heavyweight boxing champion jack johnson, and one by booker t. washington). you also get a lot of novelty tunes (i repeat a lot of novelty tunes), especially on disc one. i don't know if these novelty numbers actually passed for funny back in the day, but they wear pretty thin pretty quick to the modern sensiblity. anyway, fascinating for lovers of history, or collectors of old-time audio, but will not fulfill your wildest musical dreams i am afraid.

Deserving of Recognition.......2007-02-14

First of all, congratulations to Archeophone Records and Lost Sounds for winning the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Historical Album. Hopefully this recognition will allow the music and its message to be more widespread.

Again, not much can be added to what has been written; the significance of this CD cannot be overlooked. I've been fortunate to have been exposed to a wide variety of music since childhood, but Lost Sounds is unlike anything I had previously heard. It's a great piece of history that offers a new perspective on music as a whole. I still can't get over the fact that some of these recordings have survived over one hundred years - despite the disposable age we seem to live in.

No matter what your musical tastes, Lost Sounds deserves a listen - especially to the history aficionado.

equal parts fascination and revulsion.......2006-07-07

There's not too much I can say that hasn't already been mentioned in the previous review, but I felt a need to add to (or help start) the chorus of praise for this collection.
As a fan of country blues and songster material (often predating country blues) this collection has been a real eye-opener. While I've heard some minstrel material from Jim Jackson, Pink Anderson, and some early blues players, this collection shows just how much more disturbing the minstrel tradition could be.
I suppose this album is best described as bittersweet; it contains some breathtaking music in a variety of genres, (the earliest examples I've ever heard of blues, jazz, gospel, minstrelsy, and the astounding vocal groups). However, it is in some of the self-defacing subject matter where the abhorant racism of the times left its audible mark the most (sometimes making songs difficult to listen to). That said, I truly believe that this is material to be embraced and understood; so as to both appreciate the artistry of it, and to ensure that such horrendous persecution does not occur again; if approached in this light, "Lost Sounds" is a true landmark for which listeners owe Archeophone records their sincerest thanks (and/or dollars). I honestly believe that any person with interests in black music created in the U.S. over the past century, or modern history for that matter, should not be without this collection.
It never ceases to astound me how something so beautiful can be quite so disturbing at the same time, but I'm so thankful I have had the chance to be disturbed at all.

Priceless documents in context.......2006-01-05

I read Tim Brooks' book Lost Sounds soon after it came out. Both early recordings and pre-jazz African-American music have been interests of mine for a while now, and Brooks' book is an invaluable work on both. This companion double CD set, used either as aural illustration for the book or by itself, is equally invaluable.

As Brooks readily admits, many of these sounds were forgotten and nearly extinguished because of their discomforting nature. Many of the black performers before 1922 engaged in one sort of "tomming" or another. The recording industry was a whites-only business, and only those artists who appealed to whites in some way got recorded at this time. Thus these recordings can't be taken as representative of the music African-Americans made for their own enjoyment.

The variety of styles and approaches in the black music recorded in the 90's, aughts, and teens reflects the variety of ideas and approaches to black self-representation in these times. From dignified gospel styles to minstrel songs, from sentimental ballads to the startling proto-jazz of Jim Europe, Ford Dabney and Wilbur Sweatman, every expression of black artists was necessarily related to political or social ideals and realities. The CDs not only present this wide variety of material, but the 58-page notes help draw out the social significance of each type of recording.

Rather than proceeding chronologically, the contents are divided roughly into four sections, Vocal Harmonies, Minstrel and Vaudelville Traditions, Aspirational Motives, and Dance Rhythms. Except for the last section which focuses on later instrumentals, there is a good deal of overlap between the sections, but this only helps illustrate the overlaps in the traditions.

The sound quality, while never hi-fi, is amazing considering the sources. Some of the best people in the early-sound restoration field contributed their efforts and it shows. I know from experience just how difficult it is to get all the sound out of an early recording. All involved deserve a big hand.

My one complaint with the package is the inclusion at the beginning of the Minstrel notes of a noxious quote from Stanley Crouch dismissing all rap music as new minstrelsy aimed at white audiences. Brooks is aware that the politics of self-representation among early 20th Century African-Americans were extremely complex. How he could fail to see that they still are complex, and how he could miss the blinding upper-class bias of Crouch, is beyond me. It's possible the quote was supposed to be a demonstration of the continuing complexity of these politics, but it appears to be just an endorsement of Crouch's ignorance.

Average customer rating:

Blacks & Blues
Classic 70's urban jazz
Angelic
Actually 7 stars in my book
Unparalleled Genius!

Blacks and Blues
Bobbi Humphrey
Manufacturer: Blue Note Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000I0RM
Release Date: 1999-02-22

Tracks:

Chicago, Damn
Harlem River Drive
Just A Love Child
Blacks And Blues
Jasper Country Man
Baby's Gone

Album Description

King Errisson: Conga & Background Vocals, Chuck Rainey: Electric Bass, David T. Walker: Guitar, Ron Brown: Bass, Harvey Mason, Sr.: Drums, Fonce Mizell: Trumpet, Background Vocals, Clavinet & Vocal Arrangement, Larry Mizell: Arranger, Conductor, Background Vocals, Producer & Vocal Arrangement, Freddie Perren: Synthesizer, Jerry Peters: Piano, John Rowin: Guitar, Stephanie Spruill: Percussion

Customer Reviews:

Blacks & Blues.......2007-03-23

Bobbi Humphrey's Blacks & Blues is an excellent arrangement of urban jazz music. Similar to much of Donald Byrds post- Black Byrd music. Humphrey has a great deal of solo work throughout the entire album as well as two vocal appearances reminiscent of Minnie Riperton. Blacks & Blues is an excellent album to add to any jazz listeners collection.

Classic 70's urban jazz.......2006-04-02

You will be pleasantly surprised by the way the songs flow. Not a long album but the selections are lengthy and developed. Although urban influenced one can picture himself cruising along the beach or plains of the midwest because the music is laid back! The producer and writer is also responsible for some of Donald Byrd's best music of the era.

Angelic.......2006-03-16

What more can you say about Bobbi Humphrey, but that she nailed this and many other albums down for jazz's sake. Stevie Wonder once said that it was the sound of Bobbi's flute that pulled him out of his coma after he got in that accident. Man, the woman represents!!! Blue note aficiandos, best pick this up. She was hustling in New York, getting doors slammed in her face, trying to get her music heard, but nobody showed her love. Until, Blue Note signed her. Word. Now, there is a true black woman role model, not that Trina and Lil' Kim horesh*^#!

Actually 7 stars in my book.......2006-03-11

Nothing to say except you won't be sorry if you had one of these to play for someone special.

Unparalleled Genius!.......2005-12-07

Okay...so this album is in my cart and I look forward to receiving it. I have been fortunate on a couple of occassions to be in the company of Ms. Humphrey. Had I no idea, whatsoever, that I was in the company of a genius. Whoaa!! Had I known it like that I would have "bowed" before her. Good music has been deemed timeless. Bobbi Humphrey makes timeless music.

Rolanda Hines

Average customer rating:

The dopest Female Rap Group
Great Album, Even Greater Remixes {4 Stars}
S-N-P's Magic
Dope
old, but still good!

Blacks' Magic
Salt-N-Pepa
Manufacturer: London / Umgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | R&B | Styles | Music

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East Coast | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

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Very Necessary
Hot, Cool & Vicious
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A Blitz of Salt-N-Pepa Hits: The Hits Remixed

ASIN: B000001FHC
Release Date: 1992-12-08

Tracks:

Expression
Doper Than Dope
Negro Wit' An Ego
You Showed Me
Do You Want Me
Swift
I Like To Party
Blacks' Magic
Start The Party
Let's Talk About Sex
I Don't Know
Live And Let Die
Independent

Amazon.com

Striking the perfect balance between the B-girl breakbeats of their early recordings and the svelte R&B jams of 1993's Very Necessary, Salt-N-Pepa's third album is a masterstroke. A loose concept album concerned with African American empowerment and feminist enlightenment, Blacks' Magic is a funky wake-up call for both mind and body, exhorting listeners to, by turns, "work that body" ("Expression") and "put some faith in your race" ("Negro Wit' an Ego"). Elsewhere, SNP celebrate the transformative power of music ("Blacks' Magic") and insist on sociopolitical taboo removal ("Let's Talk About Sex"). Throughout, longtime SNP producer Hurby Luv Bug underpins the ladies' charged flow-a-thons with high-tech samplescapes and streamlined grooves. --Greg Siegel

Customer Reviews:

The dopest Female Rap Group .......2007-04-03

These sistas ruled the rap game for females in the late 80's and early 90's. This album had a lot of hits like "Expression", "Do You Really Want Me", and the commercial hit "Lets Talk About Sex". This was also the first project where Salt N Pepa got to show their skills as writers and producers besides Herby Luvbug and this album was just incredible this is definitely a Salt N Pepa classic and should be copped by all hip hop fans.

Great Album, Even Greater Remixes {4 Stars}.......2006-07-03

I guess the title says it all. If you're buying this album in search of SNP hits that you heard on the radio, you may be in for a bit of a letdown. Most of these songs are great and contain pretty much the same beats as their remixes, but they haven't been tweaked, so they're don't make for the same experience. "Do You Want Me" is still fun to listen to 16 years after its release. "You Showed Me", "Expression", "Let's Talk About Sex", and "Independent" are all classic cuts -- but, like I said, they all have remixes or alternate versions that are WAY, WAY better. Who knows, maybe there's a rerelease with the remixes attached, but my copy is an original pressing and doesn't include those brilliant cuts. There is a remix album out there from this group, so they may be included on that album. Other standouts like "Live & Let Die" and "I Don't Know" bolster an already solid album. Production is handled mostly by Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor. You know his resume' already (Kid N' Play, Salt & Pepa, Dana Dane, Sweet Tee, etc...), so you can expect that phat late 80's/early 90's style production. Salt, Pepa, Spinderella, and Stevee O also contribute some beats.

There are a few filler tracks on the album though. "Negro Wit' An Ego, despite a great message, isn't anything memorable. "Swift", "Start The Party", and "I Like To Party" are definitely skip material. The title track suffers from some questionable production from Spinderella. The rest of the album is pretty good.

Blacks' Magic is probably the best representation of Salt & Pepa at their peak. They would go on to have more hits, but none of their following albums are as well put together as this one. About half of this album is nothing but classic tracks. I recommend checking this one out.

Standout Tracks: Live & Let Die, You Showed Me, Expression feat. Jacci McGhee, Independent feat. Sybil (My Favorite), Let's Talk About Sex, Doper Than Dope, Do You Want Me, and I Don't Know feat. Kid N' Play

S-N-P's Magic.......2005-03-08

This is SNP's best album. I am baffled why there has been no release of SNP's greatest hits or even a re-issue of "Blacks' Magic".
I think that just as Biggie's "Ready to Die" was issued on the 10th anniversary, "Blacks' Magic" deserves a 15th anniversary edition. Here are the bonus tracks I would add:

14. You Showed Me (Suburban Club Mix)
15. Let's Talk About Sex (single remix)
16. Do You Want Me (single version f/ Herby "Luvbug" Azor)
17. Expression (remix)
18. Independent (remix)
19. Let's Talk About AIDS (PSA)
20. You Showed Me (Urban Club Mix) [single/video version]

And maybe some soundtrack entries or live recordings from this era would be good, too. One thing I would caution - or maybe wonder aloud - is that there are different versions of this album. I got mine in 1990 when the album first came out, but later versions (post-pop exposure) had different versions of the songs, including the single/video version of "Let's Talk About Sex" - which along with "Do You Want Me" and "You Showed Me" have original album versions much different than what was heard on the radio or television.

Dope.......2004-10-01

This isn't my favorite album by them. But it has some of my favorite SNP songs. Express yourself, is an awsome R&B song. Their rymes are awsome. The hook by singer Sybil, makes this song memorable. Independant, is my favorite track. It's has an 80's old school sound to it. It's reminicent to Shanice's music in the 80's. The hook is also sung. But by an unknown singer.

Salt involves herself in writing and producing. Which is something that female rappers weren't really credited to at that time.

old, but still good!.......2003-11-18

Blacks' Magic from Salt-N-Pepa is a very well done piece of work. The ladies really shine on this one! And we even hear Spinderella's rap vocals on a few of the songs such as "Negro wit' An Ego" and "I Don't Know" (feat. Play). I have had this album in my collection for a very long time, as this album is very old, yet still sounds great! The ladies get their point across in each track and really speak their minds, especially on "Negro Wit' An Ego." They really "express" themselves completely and don't put up with any crap, lettin men know they're "independent" and don't need them. And they also show they know how to party on songs "I Like To Party" and "Start The Party" I have 2 copies of this album and there happens to be two slightly diff versions of "Let's Talk About Sex." They're basically the same, the only difference is they start off on the intro differently. One goes: "Spinderella cut it up one time" and the other goes: "Hurb..."
This is a must have for any rap or hip hop fan. Salt-N-Pepa paved the way for many other female rap artists and groups. So keep in mind, when you diss them, you actually diss yourself! so show them respect and get this album today!

Average customer rating:

Vol. 3

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Compilations | Blues | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000A2GJXA
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Average customer rating:

Blacks 'N' Jews

Manufacturer: Black Cracker Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Acoustic Blues | Blues | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0009U8ZCG

Product Description

Atomic Acoutic Guitar/Blues. Tracks: Blacks 'n' Jews; Harlem Time; Untitled Instrumental; I'm workin'; No One Owns the Blues; Jeff's Boogie; Angels of Animals; Shayna Maydala; You Don't Have To Strut; Wretched Day; Matchbox; Aciutic Feedback; Learned To Read.

Average customer rating:

Blacks and Blues
Bobbi Humphrey
Manufacturer: Blue Note
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

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Jazz Funk | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music

Blue Note Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

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ASIN: B000CSUYAG
Release Date: 2006-02-22

Tracks:

Chicago, Damn
Harlem River Drive
Just a Love Child
Blacks and Blues
Jasper Country Man
Baby's Gone

Average customer rating:

Vol. 2

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Compilations | Blues | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000A2GJX0
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Average customer rating:

Blacks and Blues
Bobbi Humphrey
Manufacturer: Blue Note
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Soul-Jazz & Boogaloo | Jazz | Styles | Music

Jazz Funk | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000564EP
Release Date: 1998-10-28

Tracks:

Chicago, Damn
Harlem River Drive
Just a Love Child
Blacks and Blues
Jasper Country Man
Baby's Gone

Average customer rating:

Vol. 5

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Compilations | Blues | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000A2GJXK
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Average customer rating:

Vol. 6

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Compilations | Blues | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000250T5O
Release Date: 2004-10-19

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Jazz Music

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