In 1967, inspired by his idol Junior Parker, Butterfield formed a "big band" that featured a Gene Dinwiddie-arranged horn section and by the late '60s included Ralph Walsh (guitar), Rod Hicks (bass), Ted Harris (piano), and George Davidson (drums). Seasoned in blues, jazz, and R&B, the group assembled at L.A.'s Troubadour club in March of 1970 to play the gigs recorded for this release. Sophisticated yet free-ranging, this unclassifiable ensemble proved the perfect backing for Butterfield's "heavy feeling." This expanded release contains a second disc of previously unreleased performances from the same series of shows at The Troubadour.  More than any other Butterfield release, this CD shows Paul's debt to one of his main inspirations, Little Jr. Parker. A horn heavy funky work out, "Live" showcases a series of shows done at the Troubadour in Los Angeles in the spring of 1970. The entire 2 LP set is included on disc one and another 60+ minutes from the same shows make up disc two. Butterfield always drew from many sources of inspiration and this band reflects his eclectic taste and "big ears."

George Sylvester “Red” Callender was born in Haynesville, Virginia, on March 6, 1916. His family moved to New York, where he immersed himself in the local scene, particularly in Harlem. Moving to Los Angeles in 1936 he found work, if not much renown, along Central Avenue, the city’s jazz focal point. Recognized as being among the city’s top bassists and arrangers of the 1940s and 50s, he played and recorded as a sideman with such greats as Lester Young, Nat King Cole, Erroll Garner, Charlie Parker, Benny Carter and Art Tatum. Outside the jazz scene, Red was also one of the leaders in the early Rhythm and Blues years, recording for almost all LA s independent labels. Finally, he signed for the blues and r&b department of RCA Victor. During 1951 and 1952 he recorded sixteen tunes as leader of both a sextet and fourtette groups of great musicians. All these fine, long forgotten recordings, restored from the master tapes, appear here for the first time on CD, including six previously unreleased tracks that will fill a gap in Red Callender’s long and successful career. 

While known primarily for his pre- war discography, in this era he embraces the world of R&B and enjoys several chart hits in an often very pop orientated style or hard-core blues mode. Johnson's breakout hit for the King label was his version of the 1939 pop hit Tomorrow Night. This peculiar choice topped the R&B charts for seven weeks and made the pop top 20, selling a reputed 3 million copies. The song also made an impact on Elvis Presley who recorded it during his tenure at Sun Records as did label mate, Jerry Lee Lewis. Lavern Baker had a hit with it in 1956 and Bob Dylan featured it on his 1992 album Good As I Been To You. Featured on his King sessions that lasted until 1962 are more chart hits and R&B session players and band leaders of the caliber of Todd Rhodes, Tiny Bradshaw, Hal Singer, Red Prysock and Hot Lips Page. Also included here in its entirety is his 1953 session recorded for Rama Records in New York. 

As a jazz musician, Bill Jennings always insisted on soul as well as sound. Although an ardent admirer of the great guitars in jazz, Jennings was always biased towards reeds and (admittedly a frustrated saxophonist) claimed that his style had been heavily influenced by Charlie Parker and Herschel Evans. Between 1959 and 1960 Prestige engaged Jennings to record two albums: Enough Said! and Glide On. He had the backing of organist Jack McDuff who provides some neat and clean-cut support. These sessions also include bassist Wendell Marshall and drummer Alvin Johnson. 

Mississippi native and early post war Chicago Blues pioneer Snooky Pryor first recordings date back to the late 40’s. These recordings from 1979 in Austria are a real find. This CD features both enthusiastic live recordings and well-done studio sides some with Homesick James in support. It's rare to see something new from Snooky, so this is a welcome release.

Born on the same Mississippi plantation as Muddy Waters, and a half-brother of Memphis Slim, Boyd moved to Memphis in the late '30s and in 1941 headed for Chicago, working in steel mills to finance his music activities. He played on many musicians' sessions, and from 1947 recorded under his own name, initially for RCA, but subsequently for Regal, J.O.B., Herald and most notably Chess, before working with several other labels at the start of the '60s. His combination of boogie and jazz-tinged styles brought him an R&B No. 1 in 1952 with Five Long Years and subsequent Top 3 R&B hits with 24 Hours and Third Degree. This two disc set comprises selected sides from the 66 tracks he released on singles across this era for the RCA-Victor, J.O.B., Herald, Chess, Bea & Baby, Keyhole, Mojo & Art-Tone labels. 

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