Alberta Hunter - Collection 1921-40 (CD)

Alberta Hunter was one of the most prominent jazz and blues singers of the early inter-war years, working with many of the major names of the period, as well as being a noted song writer. This great-value 94-track 4-CD set covers the two decades which comprised the greater part of her core recording career - she recorded only a couple of times after 1940 while she was travelling to entertain troops, and retired from the business to take up nursing when her mother died in 1957, returning to singing in her 70s after she was obliged to retire from nursing. Her style spanned the blues and jazz genres, in that while her accompaniment was often jazz-flavoured, the songs were very much in the blues idiom. She worked with solo or small band accompaniment, collaborating with many luminaries of early jazz, such as Eubie Blake, Fletcher Henderson, Clarence Williams, Fats Waller, Lovie Austin, Tommy Ladnier and Perry Bradford, with the likes of Louis Armstrong Lil Armstrong, Sidney Bechet and Buster Bailey featuring in the groups she worked with. Also included are recordings she made in London in 1934 with the Jack Jackson Orchestra. This anthology comprises a very high proportion of the recordings she made during the period, and is a thorough overview of her work, so provides a comprehensive showcase for her unique talent.

Track List:

Disc: 1

1. He's a Darned Good Man (To Have Hanging Around) - Alberta Hunter/Ray's Dreamland Orchestra
2. How Long, Sweet Daddy, How Long - Alberta Hunter/Henderson's Novelty Orchestra
3. Bring Back the Joys - Alberta Hunter
4. Someday Sweetheart - Alberta Hunter
5. Downhearted Blues - Alberta Hunter/Eubie Blake's Orchestra
6. Why Did You Pick Me Up When I Was Down, Why Didn't You Let Me Lay? - Alberta Hunter/Eubie Blake's Orchestra
7. Gonna Have You - Ain't Gonna Leave You Alone - Alberta Hunter/Eubie Blake's Orchestra
8. Daddy Blues - Alberta Hunter/Eubie Blake's Orchestra
9. Don't Pan Me (Don't Talk About Me) - Alberta Hunter/Eubie Blake's Orchestra
10. After All These Years - Alberta Hunter/Eubie Blake's Orchestra
11. I'm Going Away Just to Wear You Off My Mind - Alberta Hunter ; Eubie Blake
12. Jazzin' Baby Blues - Alberta Hunter ; Eubie Blake
13. You Can't Have It All - Alberta Hunter/Sam Wooding's Orchestra
14. Lonesome Monday Morning Blues - Alberta Hunter/Sam Wooding's Orchestra
15. Come on Home - Alberta Hunter/Henderson's Novelty Orchestra
16. You Shall Reap What You Sow - Alberta Hunter/Henderson's Novelty Orchestra
17. 'Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do - Alberta Hunter/The Original Memphis Five
18. If You Want to Keep Your Daddy Home - Alberta Hunter/The Original Memphis Five
19. Bleeding Hearted Blues - Alberta Hunter/The Original Memphis Five
20. Chirpin' the Blues - Alberta Hunter ; Fletcher Henderson
21. Someone Else Will Take Your Place - Alberta Hunter ; Fletcher Henderson
22. Vamping Brown - Alberta Hunter ; Fletcher Henderson
23. You Can Have My Man (If He Comes to See You Too) - Alberta Hunter ; Fletcher Henderson

Disc: 2

1. Aggravatin' Papa (Don't You Try to Two-Time Me) - Alberta Hunter/Henderson's Dance Orchestra
2. I'm Going Away - Alberta Hunter/Henderson's Dance Orchestra
3. Loveless Love - Alberta Hunter/Henderson's Dance Orchestra
4. You Can Take Me Man But You Can't Keep Him Long - Alberta Hunter/Henderson's Dance Orchestra
5. Bring It with You When You Come - Alberta Hunter/Henderson's Dance Orchestra
6. Mistreated Blues - Alberta Hunter ; Fletcher Henderson
7. Michigan Water Blues - Various Performers
8. Down South Blues - Various Performers
9. Stingaree Blues - Alberta Hunter ; Fats Waller
10. You Can't Do What My Last Man Did - Alberta Hunter ; Fats Waller
11. Experience Blues - Alberta Hunter ; Her Paramount Boys
12. Sad 'N' Lonely Blues (Lonely Blues) - Alberta Hunter ; Her Paramount Boys
13. Miss Anna Brown - Alberta Hunter/Lovie Austin's Orchestra
14. Maybe Someday - Alberta Hunter/Lovie Austin's Orchestra
15. Old Fashioned Love - Various Performers
16. If the Rest of the World Don't Want You (Go Back to Your Mother and Dad) - Various Performers
17. Everybody Loves My Baby - Various Performers
18. Texas Moaner Blues - Various Performers
19. Nobody Knows the Way I Feel - Various Performers
20. Early Every Morn' - Various Performers
21. Cake Walkin' Babies from Home - Alberta Hunter/The Red Onion Jazz Babies
22. Your Jelly Roll Is Good - Alberta Hunter/Perry Bradford's Mean Four
23. Take That Thing Away - Alberta Hunter/Perry Bradford's Mean Four
24. Everybody Does It Now - Alberta Hunter/Perry Bradford's Mean Four

Disc: 3

1. A Master Man with a Master Mind - Alberta Hunter/Perry Bradford's Mean Four
2. Don't Want It All - Alberta Hunter/Perry Bradford's Mean Four
3. I'm Hard to Satisfy - Alberta Hunter
4. Empty Cellar Blues - Alberta Hunter
5. Double Crossin' Papa - Alberta Hunter
6. You for Me, Me for You - Alberta Hunter ; Clarence Williams
7. I'm Tired Blues - Alberta Hunter
8. Wasn't It Nice? - Alberta Hunter
9. Everybody Mess Around - Alberta Hunter
10. Don't Forget to Mess Around - Alberta Hunter/Perry Bradford's Mean Four
11. Heebie Jeebies - Alberta Hunter/Perry Bradford's Mean Four
12. I'll Forgive You 'Cause I Love You - Alberta Hunter ; Mike Jackson
13. I'm Gonna Lose Myself 'Way Down in Louisville - Alberta Hunter ; Mike Jackson
14. My Old Daddy's Got a Brand-New Way to Love - Alberta Hunter ; Mike Jackson
15. I'm Down Right Now But I Won't Be Down Always - Alberta Hunter ; Mike Jackson
16. Sugar - Alberta Hunter ; Fats Waller
17. Beale Street Blues - Alberta Hunter ; Fats Waller
18. I'm Going to See My Ma - Alberta Hunter ; Fats Waller
19. Gimme All the Love You Got - Alberta Hunter
20. My Particular Man - Alberta Hunter
21. Two Cigarettes in the Dark - Alberta Hunter/Jack Jackson Orchestra
22. Miss Otis Regrets (She's Unable to Lunch Today) - Alberta Hunter/Jack Jackson Orchestra
23. Soon - Alberta Hunter/Jack Jackson Orchestra

Disc: 4

1. Where the Mountains Meet the Sea - Alberta Hunter/Jack Jackson Orchestra
2. A Lonely Singing Fool - Alberta Hunter/Jack Jackson Orchestra
3. What Shall I Do? - Alberta Hunter/Jack Jackson Orchestra
4. I Travel Alone - Alberta Hunter/Jack Jackson Orchestra
5. Two Little Flies on a Lump of Sugar - Alberta Hunter/Jack Jackson Orchestra
6. Stars Fell on Alabama - Alberta Hunter/Jack Jackson Orchestra
7. Long May We Love - Alberta Hunter/Jack Jackson Orchestra
8. Be Still My Heart - Alberta Hunter/Jack Jackson Orchestra
9. Driftin' Tide - Alberta Hunter
10. You Can't Tell the Difference After Dark - Alberta Hunter
11. Second Hand Man - Alberta Hunter
12. Send Me a Man - Alberta Hunter
13. Chirpin' the Blues - Alberta Hunter
14. Downhearted Blues - Alberta Hunter
15. I'll See You Go - Alberta Hunter
16. Fine and Mellow - Alberta Hunter
17. Yelpin' the Blues - Alberta Hunter
18. Someday Sweetheart - Alberta Hunter
19. The Love I Have for You - Alberta Hunter
20. My Castle's Rockin' - Alberta Hunter
21. Boogie-Woogie Swing - Alberta Hunter
22. I Won't Let You Down - Alberta Hunter
23. Take Your Big Hands Off - Alberta Hunter
24. He's Got a Punch Like Joe Louis - Alberta Hunter