Bob Wilber is an internationally renowned instrumentalist, arranger and composer who has been a leading figure in keeping the spirit of classic jazz alive.

9 MP3 Songs in this album (36:27) !
Related styles: JAZZ: Contemporary Jazz, BLUES: Jazzy Blues



Details:
Interest in the blues is at an all time high today when you stop to think about it. Joe Williamâs blues shouting has put Count Basie back on top and Ray Charles is listened to and admired by musicians and Jon Q. Public alike. The best of the kidâs rock ânâ roll music is based on the blues while the current rage in jazz is âsoulâ or âfunkâ music.

The blues have always been around and they donât really change much. We can hear that same intensity and power that made Bessie Smith so wonderful when Joe Turner sings today. Jimmy Yancey, Pinetop, Horace Silver and Ray Charles are all âsoul brothersâ when it comes to blues piano. Johnny and Baby Dodds were blowing âfunkâ on the South side of Chicago before Nat and Cannonball Adderly were born.

Of course each generation adds a new twist and thus enlarges the scope and variety of the blues. The Kansas City riff idea of Basie and Co. set the style for the 1930âs swing bands. Bird, Monk, and Diz enriched the harmonic patterns in the 40âs. In the last decade, the combination of elements of negro church music, blues, and so-called âhard bopâ has produced the âsoulâ jazz of today.

In this collection, our purpose was to record a group of originals demonstrating the various directions the blues have taken over the years, from the simplest twelve-bar pattern to the 12/8 blues we hear today.
-Bob Wilber
*These are the liner notes from the original release of this album in 1961