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Your cart is empty.Harmonica player/singer/semi-professional gambler James D. "SHAKEY JAKE" Harris remains one of The Blues' shadowy, "Great Unknown" figures. His name came from his awesome ability to shoot dice; by all accounts, fellow-gamblers would call "Shake 'Em, Jake" at him. This compilation comprises his two rare-as-hens-teeth LPs, "Good Times" (1960) and "Mouth Harp Blues" (1961), both recorded for Prestige/Bluesville, plus an earlier, one-off 45rpm for Artistic (1958), a subsidiary label of Cobra Records. On his Artistic 45rpm he was backed by the Willie Dixon Band, whose personnel included guitarists Magic Sam (who was Shakey Jake's nephew) and Freddie King. His Prestige/Bluesville LPs feature sidemen like guitarists Bill Jennings and Jimmy Lee Robinson, organist Brother Jack McDuff, pianist Robert Banks, bassist Leonard Gaskin and drummer Junior Blackman. This material is impossible to find elsewhere on CD.
tchou-tchou
Reviewed in France on April 24, 2023
J'ai acheté 2 fois le même CD. L'enregistrement du premier CD était inaudible, le son sautait continuellement. Les 2 premiers titres du deuxième CD ne correspondent pas aux titres annoncés dans le livret accompagnant le CD. Je ne pense pas qu'Amazon soit responsable de ces fautes. Mais le labelJasmine, puisqu'il faut le nommer, joue un drôle de jeu: il existe sur le marché 2 CD édités sous lemême nom mais de contenu différant! Quel est le but? Faire acheter 2 fois le même CD? Le prix ayantaugmenté entre les deux achats évidement, n'est ce pas Amazon?Un acheteur chez Amazon depuis 15 ans au moins, très déçu de ces comportements bassement mercantiles.
Norrie
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 12, 2022
Worth having but the first two tracks are not the Artistic single as stated.
Stuart Jefferson
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2022
Because I'm a blues fan and have listened to Shakey Jake from the original LP days--four "stars". But for fans of authentic blues harp this two album set on one CD (77 + minutes) is worth owning. Plus getting both 'A' and 'B' sides of a single from '58 on the Artistic label, is just extra candy in the bag.The album "Good Times" from '60 features Jake-harp/vocals, Jack McDuff-organ, and Bill Jennings-guitar. Tracks like "Sunset Blues", "Still Your Fool", "Huffin' And Puffin'", and others make this set worth hearing.The second album, "Mouth Harp Blues" from '61 has a full band, with Jake-harp/vocals, Jimmie Lee Robinson-guitar, Leonard Gaskin-bass, Robert Banks-piano, and Junior Blackman-drums. This album has that West Side Chicago sound with "Mouth Harp Blues", "Easy Baby" and other good performances. The single from '58 features Willie Dixon and his band (including Magic Sam and Freddie King-guitar) with Jake doing "Roll Your Money Maker", and "Call Me If You Need Me".The sound is actually very good--especially for albums recorded so long ago--even the single has good sound. The booklet has a complete track list and a list of personnel. There's a three panel essay on Jake and his music, a photo of Jake in action with his harp, and both original album covers.Shakey Jake never really gained the attention he deserved. Even when he released albums under his own name he never became well known among blues fans. But these two albums and single hopefully will go some way to correct that oversight.
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