Four albums recorded in a four year period in the late fifties capture Joe Williams at a career highpoint. Working with the Count Basie Orchestra, Williams' distinctive baritone voice lent itself to fronting a big band and singing the blues. The titles of the LPs (originally released on the Vanguard and Roulette labels) encapsulate Williams' working environment and popular appeal - A Night at Count Basie's (Basie's club in Harlem, NYC, backed by organist Marlowe Morris' small group featuring trumpeter Emmett Berry), A Man Ain't Supposed to Cry (Williams positioning himself as the vulnerable singer of ballads with orchestral string arrangements by Jimmy Mundy), Every Day I Have the Blues (the title track became Williams' signature tune with the Basie band) and Just the Blues (a recording featuring Basie playing piano and organ).
Each album has its appeal, A Night at Count Basie's is decidedly 'live' with audience chatter evident but not distracting as Basie acts as MC for the night, Every Day I Have the Blues is Williams at his best with Basie's all-star swinging band, and the 1960 meeting in Chicago of Williams and Basie is best summed-up by the album's original sleeve notes: Truly, it can't be better if it's Basie/Williams - and "Just the Blues". Russell
Four Classic Albums (cat no. AMSC1389) by Joe Williams is available from (www.avidgroup.co.uk).
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