Saturday 23 February 2013

BLUES INCORPORATED

SKY HIGH: Alexis and Duffy blow away the London Blues





This is a real gem of British blues and one of Alexis Korner's best recordings. Recorded in 1965 with a much changed line-up from earlier sessions here we have Duffy Power and Alexis sharing vocal duties backed up by Danny Thompson and Terry Cox. Duffy sings on four tracks and plays harp throughout. For me this is British blues at its finest. Lo-fi and plaintive, the sound of the coffee bars and the night buses. Alan Skidmore and Chris Pyne bring a jazz feel that is always modern and tasteful. The title refers to the studio's location above a chemist in South Moulton St, at that time a hub of weed dealing. Producer Jack Winsley is one of the forgotten heroes of the British independents in the 1960s working with Mike Berry and Slade among others.

Here is the story of the sessions from Neil Slaven's liner notes to the reissue

and here is the story of its various releases

Get the LP  here  BONUS Chris Jagger tells the story of Alexis Korner for BBC Radio in three parts 1, 2, 3


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