James Booker

Taped in 1977 at a concert in Germany. It's amazing to hear the sounds that Booker was able to let fly out of the keys, from the rollicking "On the Sunny Side of the Street" to the slow blues of "Please Send Me Someone to Love." His voice is strained but it's also real, and while the crowd is almost too excited, nobody plays piano as fluidly and soulfully as this.

Booker's legendary prestidigitation put me off at first--this is the most ornate piano style ever to escape New Orleans, and I prefer my boogie sans soupcons of Chopin and Tatum. Eventually, though, his arpeggios, harmonies, and insidious timing create an irresistible roller coaster effect--I even started to groove with the dips and slides of his singing. Believe me, "On the Sunny Side of the Street" was never like this before and will never be the same again. (Grade - A-)