Bessie Smith

Bessie Smith lived just a relatively short life on this earth, but she left a deep mark and a spark that still shines decades after her death - alone among her contemporaries, she is the one remembered from her generation as a trail blazing personality and a talent that still has power to move and impress,thanks to many recordings still available,cherished and played today. Surely, she was not the only one - there were literary a hundred of black female singers at that time and naturally,Bessie must have been influenced by some of them, however her example lead the way - not for nothing her deep,powerful voice gave her a title "Empress of The Blues" and she was absolutely untouchable in her position. If nothing else, once listener get accustomed to her style and talent, this might lead to exploration of other voices of now forgotten 1920s "classic blues" idiom when sassy female singers were the biggest music stars, long before men with guitar re-shaped blues into something completely different (today we associate genre with man-with-a-guitar music).

The very first time I heard the name "Bessie Smith" was probably during my teenage years when I listened Janis Joplin - Joplin was rock singer and therefore something "cool" to listen, along the lines of music like "The Doors" or Jimmy Hendrix. Apparently Joplin was a lifelong fan and even paid for Bessie's tombstone,however it took many years before I finally heard some early demo recordings where Joplin sings blues copying Bessie note by note (and I found it sweet and cute,lonely girl from Port Arthur channeling long gone black blues singer who was definitely not in fashion). Another mention was in connection with Billie Holiday who listened Bessie's recordings in bordellos of Baltimore as she swept the stairs (in her autobiography Holiday would claim she would clean around just to hear those recordings) - I could never exactly hear Bessie in Billie's singing,because Bessie had a deep, powerful earthquake of voice and Holiday was a gentle little squeak compared to her. But now I understand that the older woman had a strong, earthly honesty that appealed to young Holiday and this honesty communicates with listener even today, despite of ancient recordings.

Some twenty years ago I finally laid my hands on Bessie Smith compilation. It was on a tape and titled "The Collection" (I have it on CD now) where her music was presented as a career retrospective, going from very first 1923. hit "Downhearted Blues" to her last 1933. recordings - it took some time before I got used to tiny, muddy sound of now-primitive sound of 1920s recordings but once I got into it, I never got tired of them. Like a message from time machine, Bessie's strong, powerful and massive voice sang about love,passion,heartbreaks and loneliness - she might have recorded them in 1920s but there was nothing old-fashioned about her message or honesty, this woman was real as anything around you as you listen to her music. Of course, some of her experiences as a strong black woman of 1920s were not really connected to my life (and she did had a soft spot for cruel lovers who would beat and abuse her) but on some unconscious, human level she communicates strongly about emotions we all know and experience one time or another in out lives. When she sings "see that long,lonesome road, Lord you know its gotta end" it really breaks your heart, because we all know and understand that feeling of questioning the whole point of existence (a point we all come to in lives). Its this message that communicates so strongly with everybody curious enough to explore her ancient recordings, that still echoes and has a power to impress no matter where on earth you live - in Denmark,young Chris Albertson was impressed enough to became fan and write a definite biography of her life.

I LOVE the music of Bessie Smith - that massive voice backed with plink-plonky piano (usually Clarence Williams) and on later recordings, bunch of the best jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong, I never have enough of it. Maybe its a paradox, because most of her song are downbeat (at least lyrics wise) but they make me happy - she is so strong and powerful that even in the blues I hear defiance, singing along and feeling good. Recently I finally invested into CD Box with her complete recordings and this was the best Christmas present to myself, as many of these recordings I never heard before. Since Bessie introduced me to the whole "classic blues" genre of 1920s and I had discovered many other blues singers who followed her, its very interesting to hear her cover versions of other people's songs - I am still on first CD and already she had recorded songs by Ida Cox and "Ma" Rainey,not to mention "Downhearted blues" that was originally done by Alberta Hunter. There are several double CDs in the box so I made decision to enjoy them slowly month by month and I am very happy so far. 

My new CDs

The places that I visit these days are cold and windy - not much fun to travel on the Mediterranean these days - if the rest of Europe is covered with snow, coast towns of Italy, France and Spain are just icy & freezing. Only Barcelona seems to keep sunny,smiling face and is always the most beautiful and exciting port that we visit. It also happens to be the place with excellent CD shop that somehow resist closing down - there are few in downtown area, despite of trend of CD shops to close down and disappear as people buy music on line or simply download somewhere. I am old fashioned,so I like to buy CDs with liner notes,photos and informations who played where and when,its important to me. 

So - here are some of my new purchases.

Little Richard's first two LPs from 1957 and 1958 are now released on one CD and I love them dearly. I probably wouldn't care for them several years ago, but in the meantime I've heard many of his contemporaries and can understand what exactly he was doing and how it continued to influence other artists. He combined several exciting ingredients into his own musical style and its really good. Strange his moment in the sun seemed to have been relatively short and he never again got this white-hot inspiration like in 1950s.

Bobby "Blue" Bland's early recordings are now available as "The Duke Sides 1952-1960" (sub-titled "Little Boy Blue") and its excellent introduction of his classic work, how and why he became legend in the first place. I already have some of his work from 1960s and beyond but this is the first time that I hear this material. He wails backed by excellent guitar playing,horns and big orchestra - in my opinion this is in the same league as B.B.King's classic work, first rate and I really love it despite the fact that most of songs are lyrically downbeat (but curiously they are very upbeat musically). You click your finger to Bobby's heartbreak stories!

Same thing for Bessie Smith Complete Recordings Box set. I loved Bessie for many years now (listened her more than decade - or had it been two?) and enjoyed two compilations of her work - "The Collection" was released long time ago as part of "Columbia Jazz Masterpieces" and  two-CD "Essential Bessie Smith" not long after that. Of course she worked in 1920s so she had never released LP albums, her singles were sporadically re-discovered by every new generation and compiled just like music by Billie Holiday - who in fact, often mentioned Bessie as her main inspiration (I think it was Billie that turned me on to Bessie in first place). Back to CD Box - as I browsed in Barcelona's CD shop nothing particularly interested me until I saw this Box - Heaven sent for classic blues connoisseur like me - well,I did not have money to buy it immediately but waited next week and than walked back for my Christmas present for myself. It wasn't even particularly expensive - in fact it was very affordable, considering this is box after all with COMPLETE RECORDINGS - I enjoy it very much in spite of the fact that she sings the Blues and lyrics are mostly downbeat - this music suits me so much that I feel it in my bones and suspect I used to live in 1920s. 

Latest purchase was Mina (what else to buy in Italy) and second of her multi-lingual trilogy. Recently I wrote about her spanish-language compilation and yesterday I bought english one. Not convinced this is the best way to introduce her to my english speaking friends, because her particular magic somehow gets lost in translation - whatever is passionate and dramatic in italian, sounds somehow empty banal here and though the voice & music are exactly same as in original recordings, I suspect its better to stick to italian originals. 

Essay on Bessie Smith coming soon.

"Yo soy Mina" - Spanish recordings by Mina

Compilation of spanish re-recordings by italian pop goddess - she frequently released singles focused on specific markets,for example "Brother Bear" had already collected all of her 1960s german recordings on a rich single CD. Majority of these recordings were released during Mina's golden years (early 1970s) when her voice was at the peak of its beauty and power. Similar to twin projects in english and french, this one is titled "Yo soy Mina" ("I am Mina") and has some of her best, classic work but this time with spanish lyrics - as expected, its not so much different from italian originals, in fact it follows them note by note except that it is sung in another language.

But oh,the music - penned by such giants like Mogol,Lucio Battisti,Sergio Endrigo and Gianni Ferrio,it is literary a who's who of best in italian music - melancholic stunners as sung by best voice in italian pop. Even in another language, Mina is strong, powerful, expressive and virtually untouchable when it comes to this kind of material. There is a big chunk of her 1974. LP "Mina®" which raises question was spanish release of this album planned but never realized? The most interesting songwriters on this album were Shel Shapiro/Andrea Lo Vecchio who wrote songs that suited the lady like a glove. Two interesting spanish-language rarities are included here, both from late 1960s - one is beautiful "Canzone per te" by Sergio Endrigo, another collaboration with Astor Piazzola "Balada Para Mi Muerte" that in itself is recommendation enough for purchase of this CD.