Texas: Black Count - 1927-35

The title of the album as it appears here is misleading. The Actual title is "Black Country dance music". The 24 tracks presented here contain many great blues and rags. The Dallas String Band plays pre-blues hokum and rags with excellent playing and the singing and some in the songster tradition. If you like mandolin - you will love this. William McCoy is an excellent harmonica player using the upper range of the harmonica very effectively and playing with a lot of energy. He plays instrumental numbers and sings the blues in the old country style playing, reminding one of Jaybird Coleman from Alabama. On his last two tracks he is accompanied by a good clarinet player - creating a sound you rarely here on record. Will Day is also a bluesman who is accompanied by guitar and clarinet, slightly straddling over towards a primitive jazz / blues feel. The same goes for Frenchy's String band. The trumpet lead with a solid rhythm provided by the banjo is just goodtime music at it's best. The Gold Front Boys are another blues group that feature a clarinet and sound like "country jazz" of the late 20's. Carl Davis' band closes with a guitar and washboard sound, backing rusty blues vocals. This is also a band that plays a happy blues, though the lyrics are traditional blues lyrics. A clarinet is featured after the vocals in the first track, played in rough and vocalized style. Overall - this is a very good and enjoyable CD of Dallas black music from the 20's and early 30's, that will interest anyone who loves early blues and jazz music