Document’s The Complete Paramounts (1929-1931) is an invaluable Charlie Spand anthology, reissuing all of the pianist’s early sides for Paramount. Classic performances include “Got to Have My Sweetbread,” “Soon This Morning Blues,” “Hastings Street,” and his seminal duet with Blind Blake on “Moanin’ the Blues.” Still, it’s not an exhilarating, start-to-finish listen — the long running time, chronological sequencing, and poor fidelity, make it hard to digest. The more serious, intellectual blues listener will find all these factors to be positive, but enthusiasts and casual listeners will find that the collection is of marginal interest for those very reasons. – Thom Owens
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