Amtrak Blues by Alberta Hunter (CD - 11/24/1987)

Description

"Amtrak Blues" (11/24/1987) Pop Vocal Hunter, Alberta, Columbia (USA)Personnel: Alberta Hunter (vocals). Alberta Hunter's second recording since launching her remarkable comeback (she was 83 when this album was cut) finds the veteran blues singer (a survivor of the 1920s) still in surprisingly strong form and full of spirit. Such songs as "Darktown Strutters' Ball," "My Handy Man," "Old Fashioned Love" and "I've Got a Mind to Ramble" are given fine treatment by Hunter, who is joined by the Gerald Cook quartet, trombonist Vic Dickenson, trumpeter Doc Cheatham and tenorman Frank Wess on various tracks. ~ Scott Yanow There aren't many musicians who can claim to have honed their chops in the 1910s, recorded a string of stellar jazz sides from the '20s through the early '50s, then taken a 20-year hiatus before making a stunning comeback in the '70s. Alberta Hunter is one such musician. Following a long "retirement" from music, during which she worked as a nurse, Hunter returned with a vengeance, recording music that, as always, straddled blues, jazz, and pop modes. The difference was that Hunter's voice, with 80 years of living built into it, was now much grittier and textured. Hunter's 1980 recording AMTRAK BLUES helped endear her to a whole new generation of fans. With crisp production by John Hammond and the help of a tight-knit combo, Hunter sounds as vital and spirited as ever. Her voice, recorded close-up and high in the mix, is deep and finely nuanced, and she displays her skill equally on classic blues ("Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out"), and on sprightly, uptempo numbers ("I'm Having a Good Time"). Overall, AMTRAK BLUES may be one of Hunter's most important and enjoyable recordings, testifying to her astounding trajectory and her ever-impressive abilities as a performer.

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