The Best of Little Walter (2026 Reissue)

 

'The Best of Little Walter', released in 1957 on The Chess label, is a compilation of twelve songs. Ten of these songs achieved the Top 10 position on the Billboard R&B charts between 1952 and 1955.  This is the only LP released during Little Walter's lifetime.  The Best of Little Walter is arguably, one of the most influential blues harmonica albums ever released.

Normally, I'm a not big fan of "best of" or "greatest hits" albums. There are however exceptions, and this album is one of them.

Walter revolutionized the harmonica by plugging it into a microphone and pushing it through an amp, creating a dirty, distorted tone that forever changed the sound of blues.  This compilation features some of "Little" Walter Jacobs' most iconic sides, including "Juke" (the only harmonica instrumental to ever reach the top of the Billboard R&B chart), "My Babe", "Blues With a Feeling", "Off the Wall", and more. These tracks not only set the standard but also became the benchmark for electric blues harp, influencing countless musicians.

Today's freeload, is a 24bit/192kHz vinyl rip of the reissue from the Acoustic Sounds label, released on February 20, 2026.  The audio on this is sublime, it was mastered by Matt Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original Chess tapes.  This reissue smokes.

For the freeload, what some of your favorite "best of" or "greatest hits" albums?

Eddie Palmieri & Cal T'jader – 'Bamboleate'

'Bamboleate' was recorded at Bell Sound Studios in June 1967, and released on the Tico Records label, later in the year.  It was produced by Pancho Cristal, and engineered by Fred Weinberg. The freeload is a 2007 reissue on the Fania Records label (the parent company of Tico Records).

This was the second collaboration between Eddie and Cal, which followed their 1966 album 'El Sonido Nuevo' and to my ears is the better of their collaborations.

This album is a masterpiece of the era, bridging Cal T'jader's "West Coast" cool with Eddie Palmieri's "East Coast" energy.  Together they blend Descarga (a type of improvised Cuban jazz jam session popularized in the 1950s), Salsa, and Latin jazz into a cohesive, sophisticated sound.

Along with Cal's vibraphone and Eddie's piano are:
Barry Rogers, Mark Weinstein and Julian Priester on Trombone
George Castro on Flute
Bobby Rodríguez on Bass
Manny Oquendo on Bongos
Tommy López on Congas
Kako (Francisco Bastar) on Timbales

Tracklist
1. Bamboleate
2. We’ve Loved Before
3. Resemblance
4. Mi Montuno
5. Samba Do Suenho
6. Guajira Candela
7. Pancho's Seis Por Ocho
8. Come An' Get It

This thing cooks from start to finish.

1967 was a remarkable year for music, so for the freeload, what are some of your favorite records from that year?

My Rough & Rowdy Ways, Vols. 1& 2 - Early American Rural Music Badman Ballads and Hellraising

"Gamblers and drinkers, and rowdies, oh my!"
"Gamblers and drinkers, and rowdies, oh my!"
"Gamblers and drinkers, and rowdies, oh my!"
—Dorothy Gale

Both volumes of 'My Rough & Rowdy Ways, were released by the Yazoo Records label on October 20, 1998.  It was produced and remastered by Richard Nevins.

This collection of folk, blues, and traditional country music brings to life the "rough and rowdy" spirit of "Old-Timey" music, focusing on the darker or more rebellious side of folk traditions.

These recordings have a certain charm to them, and they’re a lot of fun to listen to.

Betcha a certain Mr. Zimmerman has these two sets.

For the Freeload, tells us about friends you have or had who were decidedly rough and or rowdy.

Good Ol' Grateful Dead - Dave's Picks Volume 58 - Curtis Hixon Hall in Tampa, Florida. December 18, 1973

 

This was released a few days back on May 1st. 

CD 1
First set:
"Tennessee Jed"
"Me and My Uncle"
"Don't Ease Me In"
"Looks Like Rain"
"They Love Each Other"
"Me and Bobby McGee"
"Brown-Eyed Women"
"Beat It On Down the Line"
"Peggy-O"
"El Paso"
"Deal"
"Jack Straw"

CD 2
First set, continued:
"China Cat Sunflower" >
"I Know You Rider"
Second set:
"Promised Land" > 
"Bertha" >
"Greatest Story Ever Told"
"Row Jimmy"
Encore:
"Uncle John's Band"
Bonus tracks – December 12, 1973 – Omni Coliseum:
"Eyes of the World" >
"Morning Dew"

CD 3
Second set, continued:
"Weather Report Suite" >
"Prelude"
"Part I"
"Part II (Let It Grow)"
"Dark Star" > 
"Drums" >
"Eyes of the World" >
"Wharf Rat" >
"Sugar Magnolia"

Link
https://workupload.com/file/BE88rCR9my2

But wait, there's more!

Dave's Picks 2026 Bonus Disc
December 12, 1973 – Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, GA.
"Sugaree"
"Peggy-O"
"Playing in the Band"
"China Cat Sunflower" >
"I Know You Rider"
"Weather Report Suite"
"Prelude"
"Part I"
"Part II (Let It Grow)"
"Wharf Rat"

Link
https://workupload.com/file/KvDqNdBSWwF

Enjoy my friends!

Sleepy John Estes - 'The Legend Of Sleepy John Estes'

 

'The Legend Of Sleepy John Estes' was recorded on March 24, June 3, and June 4, 1962, at the Women's Club Hall (of all places), in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  It was released in January 1963 on the Delmark Records label (then known as Delmar).  It was produced by the label founder, Bob Koester, and recorded/engineered by E. D. Nunn.

The backstory to this album is a familiar one: a Blues artist whose career was sidelined by World War II, falls into obscurity, and thought to be possibly dead gets rediscovered.  In this case it was documentary filmmaker David Blumenthal who on a tip from Blues legend Big Joe Williams "rediscovered" Sleepy John in 1962, living in poverty near Brownsville, Tennessee.

On this historic session Sleepy John revisits old favorites like "Divin’ Duck Blues", "Drop Down Mama", "Someday Baby Blues", "Stop That Thing", "Milk Cow Blues" and "Married Woman Blues".  He is joined Ed Wilkinson on bass, John "Knocky" Parker on piano, and last but certainly not least, long-time accompanist Hammie Nixon on harmonica, who recorded many sides with Sleepy John from 1935 until World War II.

'The Legend Of Sleepy John Estes' was the first of several recordings Sleepy John Estes made in the 60s, and it remains a cornerstone in his catalog. This album also led to international tours and a late-career resurgence.

The freeload is a 24bit/192kHz vinyl rip of a 1974 reissue of the 1963 release.  This Japanese stereo pressing from The Button Factory Archives sounds sweet, with crystal clear stereo separation, and a warm and intimate soundstage.

As a teenager I suffered from Insomnia, and spent many a night listening to a transistor under my pillow as not to disturb my parents in the next room.  Of course the Dexamyl aka "Greenies" (a mix of amphetamine and barbiturate), that Denise "The Grease" stole en masse from her mother didn't help my sleeping situation.  But I digress.  The first time I heard Sleepy John Estes was one late sleepless night on either the radio station WWRL "The Big RL" or WLIB, both stations' target audience was African Americans in New York City, and my favorites.  Their mix of Jazz, Blues, (early) Rock and R&B shaped my taste in music.

So, for the freeload, what were your favorite radio stations when you were a teenager?

Thelonious Monk – 'The Complete Prestige Recordings'

 

'The Complete Prestige Recordings' is a 3CD set that was released on July 25, 2000. The reissue producer was Eric Miller.  The original recordings were produced by Prestige Records founder Bob Weinstock and Ira Gitler, they were recorded by Rudy Van Gelder, at his original studio in Hackensack, New Jersey.

Monk recorded for the Prestige label as a leader and sideman between October 1952 (after leaving Blue Note) and December 1954 (before bolting for Riverside). 

By the time Monk secured a contract with Prestige, a run-in with the law resulted in the revoking of Monk’s cabaret card, which resulted in a lack of any potential income-generating gigs in New York City.  But the Prestige recordings offered him the opportunity to reach wider critical and commercial acceptance.

This era of Monk’s career marks what many Jazz fans refer to as his "genius in development" phase, during which he recorded many of his most popular compositions for the first time.  Prestige's initial LPs sliced and diced these sessions, on this release they're in chronological order.

The musicians here are a who's who, of early 1950s Jazz, including Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Curly Russell, Percy Heath, Art Blakey, Max Roach, Art Taylor Milt Jackson, Kenny Clarke, Frank Foster to name but a few.

Thanks to the 20-bit K2 Super Coding remastering by Shigeo Miyamoto, the clarity to the piano, bass, and drums is a "knockout".

For the freeload, tell us about a run-in with the law, you had.

Santana - 'Caravanserai'

Santana's Caravanserai was recorded at Columbia Studios in San Francisco, California between February and May 1972, and released on October 11, 1972.  It was produced by Carlos Santana and Michael Shrieve.  This was the band's fourth studio album.

The album was inspired by Carlos Santana's growing interest in spiritual themes and jazz improvisation, influenced by artists like Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders.   'Caravanserai' was the first of Santana's "spiritual trilogy" along with 'Welcome' from 1973 and 'Borboletta' from 1974.

As Carlos began to fall under the influence of Indian spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy, he was encouraged to use his music not for commercial gain but to express his spirituality.  Thankfully this only manifests itself in the form of song titles like "All the Love in the Universe" and "Eternal Caravan of Reincarnation".  How many perfectly good Return to Forever albums were spoiled by ramblings about dolphins, butterflies, and Transcendental Meditation (TM)? (for the record, I've been practicing TM twice daily since 1970)

Be that as it may…

'Caravanserai' has no hit singles, and was deemed "Career suicide" by Columbia Records head Clive Davis.  Carlos was likely tired of doing covers ("Oye Como Va", "Evil Ways" and "Black Magic Woman") and focused on music.  That and there wasn't a radio friendly songwriter in the band.  Clive Davis was wrong (again), and the album reached the Billboard Top 10.  However, I can clearly remember many people who only listened to Rock were disappointed, as they wanted a continuation of Santana's first three albums.

Caravanserai is a highly produced album that incorporates phasing, backward tapes, and occasional brass sections. The production is so well-executed that you can listen to it repeatedly without growing bored or disinterested.  I’ve been listening to it since its release, and I often discover new things that I hadn’t noticed before.  The cohesion here is truly commendable.

For the freeload, what have you been listening to over the past few days?