"The Best of Louis Jordan"
Louis Jordan, 1975
Nobody
captured the spirit of jump blues and early R&B better than Louis
Jordan. Written off in his day as a novelty artist (and a black
novelty artist at that--which didn't help), he never got the mainstream
respect as more serious straight ahead jazz performers like Louis
Armstrong and Nat King Cole. It's true that humor
drives his music, but within that humor Jordan found the
perfect compliment to his upbeat swing style. What really sets Jordan
apart from other novelty artists were those undercurrents in his songs
that perfectly mirrored 1940's society and culture. Songs like "Saturday
Night Fish Fry" and "Let the Good Times Roll," in a way, deal with post
war anxiety release and economic prosperity. Then there is "Beans and Corn
Bread" which is an astute and witty race relations fable. "Five Guys Named
Moe" was even the basis for a musical loosely based on Jordan's
life. As early as 1981, artists like Joe Jackson, with the
disc "Jumpin' Jive" were paying homage to Jordan's musical
mastery. Nowadays, when you listen to the retro-swing bands, it's easy
to hear Jordan's influence in their music. We could write
volumes on Jordan's talents and influence, but we would rather
let his music speak for itself.
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