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You hold in your hands a companion album to the ever-popular ‘Groove-
Jumping!’. The letters keep coming in requesting more of the same - so here it is!
RCA’s Groove label functioned as an independent organ for the release of black
product in the early/mid-fifties. Some of the hottest rockin’ blues and black
rock’n’roll ever came out on Groove, so undo the wrapping and try some yourself.
‘Groove Jumping’ our first album of Groove tracks did much to stimulate interest
in this previously neglected label. Now we’re fulfilling the promise made on that
first album and issuing sixteen more marvellous sides, five of which have never
been released before! This new selection is again dominated by the explosive
guitar playing of Mickey Baker, perhaps at its most powerful on
Country Boy
and
Down To The Bottom
which he also wrote! (His story is to be found in the notes to
‘Groove Jumping’ - blatant sales ploy #1!) And once again the superb Groove
house band is much in evidence - sax players such as Sam ‘The Man’ Taylor,
Heywood Henry and King Curtis, bassists like Al Lucas, Jimmy Lewis, Lloyd
Trotman and drummers such as Herb Lovelle and Panama Francis. It’s no
coincidence that most of them were jazz men, for New York was always known as
a jazz town and they brought rare precision and musical skills to these rhythm and
blues sides. But their assured playing brought few hits - the record buying public
seemingly preferred a looser, dirtier sound. Ah well, as mon oncle would say,
“Tant pis”.