The Essential Bessie Smith

Bessie Smith was the most powerful singer on record in the 1920s and one of the most dynamic performers of all time. Known rightfully as The Empress of the Blues, Smith mostly sang classic blues but was also versatile enough to excel on popular standards of the era. She was documented fairly extensively during 1923-33 and, even on the most primitively recorded selections of 1923, she was able to overcome both the technical limitations of the recording equipment and some indifferent playing from her accompanists to create performances that still sound relevant and timeless to today's listeners.

Bessie Smith recorded enough material in her career to fill up nine CDs. This two-CD set has the very best selections from her career. Most of her classics are here including 'Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do, St. Louis Blues, Cake Walkin' Babies From Home, Careless Love Blues, Backwater Blues, Trombone Cholly, Send Me To The 'Lectric Chair, Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out and Gimme A Pigfoot. With assistance from many of the top players of the era (including Louis Armstrong, trombonist Charlie Green, cornetist Joe Smith and pianist James P. Johnson), Smith is heard throughout at the peak of her powers.

No jazz collection is complete without some Bessie Smith, and this two-fer is quite definitive.

-Scott Yanow

Although there are a multitude of box sets chronicling Bessie's entire recorded career, this two-disc, 36-song set sweats it down to the bare essentials in quite an effective manner. Bessie could sing it all, from the lowdown moan of "St. Louis Blues" and "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" to her orch treatment of the jazz standard "After You've Gone" to the downright salaciousness of "Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl." Covering a time span from her first recordings in 1923 to her final session in 1933, this is the perfect entry-level set to go with. Utilizing the latest in remastering technology, these recordings have never sounded quite this clear and full, and the selection -- collecting her best-known sides and collaborations with jazz giants like Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, and Benny Goodman -- is first-rate. If you've never experienced the genius of Bessie Smith, pick this one up and prepare yourself to be devastated. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide