Blues At Montreux by King Curtis & Champion Jack Dupree

06 Jul

Written by Mark Keresman
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One night of the Swiss Montreux Jazz Festival in 1971 saw two legendary musical figures join forces: blues singer/piano ace Champion Jack Dupree (1909-1992) and soul/R&B saxophonist King Curtis (1934-1971) [the sax on those Coasters hits: him]. With minimal preparation, these two got together with underrated guitarist Cornell Dupree (no relation) and jammed the 12-bar blues, both slow ("Poor Boy Blues") and uptempo ("Get With It"). Needless to say, these guys don’t plumb any depths here - but in this case it’s not what is played, it’s how. Spirit and chops are what’s on the menu here, delivered loose ‘n’ lively, without a lot of attention to "detail." (The pizza doesn’t "look" neat, but sure tastes fine.) Dupree sings in a barroom-big, rollicking voice (recalling at times Big Joe Turner) and joyously bangs the keys in his boogie-driven style, Curtis wails on tenor with that big, rough-hewn, wallopin’ tone and the other Dupree plays shiny, sharp and clean in that Memphis tradition. But that’s not to imply there are no surprises here: since this is a "live" context, you can experience the Champion’s side as a raconteur, and his piano on the closer "I’m Having Fun" edges into percussive/dissonant Cecil Taylor territory! While not exactly a "lost classic," this platter IS a lotta fun. Kudos to the folks at Collectables for reaching deep into the Atlantic Records vaults and making this available again.

Additional Info

Artist / Group Name: King Curtis & Champion Jack Dupree
CD Title: Blues At Montreux
Genre: Blues
Year Released: 2002
Reissue Original Release: 1973
Record Label: Colectables
Musicians: King Curtis: tenor & alto saxes; Jack Dupree: piano, vocals; Cornell Dupree: guitar; Jerry Jemmott: bass; Oliver Jackson: drums.
Label Website: http://www.oldies.com
Rating: Three Stars