Lou Rawls

Lou Rawls cut many of his best sets for Capitol before he became a big star, and he was given free reign to put out tough, gritty jazz-blues records. These two platters feature Rawls growling through a bevy of blues numbers that would stay in his repertoire for the rest of his life. Arranger Onzy Matthews' work is creative (check out that post-bop solo on "Summertime"), though his charts can be a little overpowering on occasion. The band features some of the best soloists on the West Coast: Teddy Edwards and Sonny Criss on saxes and "Groove" Holmes on the Hammond B-3.