Description

Included with this deluxe reissue is a striking six-panel booklet complete with rare photos, a 1,600-word essay by Jordan Taylor on the album and a 1,200-word essay by Michael Fremer about the remastering process. This truly is a no-expenses-spared project, resulting in the ultimate version of this title.

An influential figure in the early 20th century development of blues and popular music as a music scholar and as the composer of numerous popular songs, W.C. Handy has often been called the Father of the Blues. When two of the finest and most popular of mid-20th century musical figures, jazz and popular music icon Nat King Cole and style setting arranger extraordinare Nelson Riddle undertook an album dedicated to the music of W.C. Handy, the results were at once a worthy tribute and transformative. Particularly smooth vocals by Nat King Cole were aptly backed by resourceful orchestrations from Nelson Riddle. From the landmark laments of St. Louis Blues and the loving appreciation of Morning Star on through to the colloquial rag of Joe Turners Blues, the varied facets of W.C. Handys songs were given a lastingly freshened interpretation. Along with the contemporary Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (also available here at Acoustic Sounds), this album is considered by many to be the best anthology of the music of W.C. Handy.

Using the original first generation 3-track session tapes from Capitols vaults and all-analogue systems including custom headstacks, 3-track preview heads, console and monitoring chain installed at AcousTech specially for these releases, mastering engineers Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman realize the rich beauty of these recordings in this double 45-RPM 180-gram album set. Included with this deluxe reissue is a striking six-panel booklet complete with rare photos, a 1,600-word essay by Jordan Taylor on the album and a 1,200-word essay by Michael Fremer about the remastering process. This truly is a no-expenses-spared project, resulting in the ultimate version of this title and a historic reissue.

Originally released in 1958.