The Essential Little Walter

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Total Tracks: 46   Total Length: 129:25

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John Morthland

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John Morthland has been writing about music since the days of electronically rechanneled stereo and duophonic sound. His name has darkened the mastheads of Roll...more »

11.16.10
Marion Walter Jacobs created modern, amplified blues harmonica
1993 | Label: Geffen

In Muddy's band and then on his own, Marion Walter Jacobs created modern, amplified blues harmonica, blowing it like a saxophone while making it a jazzy, soloist's instrument. His swooping, soaring, sculpted 1952 instrumental "Juke," his debut single, introduced scintillating new tones and textures to blues that he spent the rest of his life expanding. While he was a fine writer on his own ("Blues With a Feeling"), it's worth noting that Walter's reading of Big Bill Broonzy's "Key to the Highway" is the version that made it a blues standard, and he did that with several others.

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They Say All Music Guide

In many ways, this supplants the original single disc, Best of Little Walter, and appends it with 35 more classics of Chicago blues harp genius, although one track from the original 12-song lineup is (perhaps purposely) left off. If you want to start your Walter collection with a nice generous helping of his best, this one runs the entire gamut of his solo career, from the classic 1952 instrumental “Juke” up to the Willie Dixon-penned “Dead Presidents.” 46 tracks, one dynamite booklet, nice remastering, a great value for the cash outlay involved and best of all, an album title that truly delivers the goods. – Cub Koda