This double-disc anthology gathers all of the sides that
Johnny Moore's Three Blazers documented during their brief tenure on RCA Records. The outfit featured here had evolved out of
Nat King Cole's enormously successful King Cole Trio -- featuring
Oscar Moore (guitar). Oscar's brother
Johnny Moore (guitar) and
Eddie Williams (bass) -- who wanted to create a derivative of
Cole's laid-back and suave synthesis of jazz with R&B. The aggregate was solidified with the addition of
Charles Brown (piano/vocals) as his unique and personalized style was rooted more deeply in the blues, yielding a notable distinction and separating them from their contemporaries. After some unpleasant business dealings resulted in
Oscar Moore leaving
Cole in 1947 to join his sibling's act, less than two years later
Brown signed a solo deal and
Williams formed his own band. From the remnants, the
Moore brothers,
Johnny Miller (bass) -- another King Cole Trio renegade -- as well as
Lee Barnes (piano/vocals) began cutting platters for RCA Records in February of 1949, most notably "A New Shade of Blues" and "What Does It Matter." Also included are the previously unissued titles "Rosamay," "I Was Wrong" and "Fire, Fire, Fire" from this specific incarnation.
Barnes would be replaced by a
Charles Brown sound-alike -- although far less captivating -- named
Billy Valentine. While certainly not on par with some of
the Blazers' earlier recordings, there are a few standout selections, such as the incendiary instrumental "Shuffle Shuck," and some above-average overhauls of songs from their heyday with
Brown, in the form of "So Long" and
the Blazers' biggest hit "Driftin' Blues." Among the unreleased material from the latter outfit are "Los Angeles Blues," "Three Handed Woman," "Competition Blues" and "Wrackin' My Brain Over You."
Valentine's departure in the fall of 1950 effectively marked the end of
Johnny Moore's Three Blazers' -- however, packages like these are a testament to the combo's resilience.
–
Lindsay Planer, Rovi