Review

Lem Fowler was an obscure, but talented, pianist whose recording career ended in 1932 even though he lived for at least another 30 years. This CD (made available by the Austrian collectors' label RST) has all of the recordings that Fowler made under his own name plus his accompaniments to blues singers. Fowler backs Helen Baxter, Helen McDonald and Mae Scott (all of whom are probably the same person) and George Williams. More importantly there are a pair of piano solos ("Satsfied Blues" and "Blues Mixture") from 1923 and performances from his various trio/quartets with the sidemen including Percy Glascoe on clarinet and alto, and Sidney DeParis (on two songs), Seymour Irick or Clarence Wheeler on trumpets. There is nothing all that essential on this set, but collectors of 1920s jazz will definitely want these rare items.