Albert Ammons & Meade Lux Lewis

[Late]

Every fan of Blue Note should have this in their collection.

January 6, 1939

[brownie]

True BN fans purchased the Mosaic box

[gmonahan]

True BN fans purchased the Mosaic box

Sigh, one of the few I didn't get. It came out when I was much younger and dumber (if that's possible)...and poorer!

gregmo

[mjzee]

Every fan of Blue Note should have this in their collection.

January 6, 1939

This is missing one track from the session (as stated in the liner notes). I think it's available on the Mosaic and on a Chronogical Classics.

I concur about this being great stuff. I much prefer Ammons to Lewis - more fire.

[danasgoodstuff]

MLL for me - my dad was a huge fan of his "Honky Tonk Train" and of trains in general, honky tonks not so much. But I'vwe come to appreciate them both, and Pete Johnson and many other properly two-handed pianists, over the years.

[Late]

True BN fans purchased the Mosaic box

I do have Disc II. Does that count as being (half) a true fan? I've tried to open the "booklet" to that disc many times, always forgetting that it's just a single, unfolded piece of paper. Or at least that's how I purchased my copy (sans the box, sadly).

About the missing Lewis track — there are actually two (older) threads on this board in the Discography forum regarding why it was left off. I made a CDR just yesterday — adding the track from the Mosaic back in — and the disc was still under 79:59. I guess, in 1992 (when "The First Day" was released), CDs didn't hold up to 80 minutes? Chuck actually explained the reason for this in one of the older threads.

I like Ammons a lot, but I guess — if I had to play favorites — I'd go with Meade. I love his "The Blues," parts 1-5. Goes well with a snifter of (insert choice of whiskey).

According to the liner notes (of "The First Day"), Alfred Lion went out of his way to make Ammons and Lewis feel at home in the studio (purchasing their favorite foods was one example). I also didn't know that these recordings were released on 12" (rather than the more common 10") 78 rpm.