(Original) Bessie Brown (1925-1929) & Liza Brown (1929)

Document Records presents 20 marvelously old-fashioned performances recorded between November 10, 1925, and April 1, 1929, by "the Original" Bessie Brown, a vaudeville entertainer and occasional male impersonator who sounded more than a little like Sophie Tucker. Clearly enunciating the words to blues and pop tunes in a deep voice with very little discernible Afro-American dialect, Bessie Brown is backed by some of Harlem's finest musicians, including cornetists Thomas Morris and Rex Stewart; trombonists Charlie Irvis and Charlie Green; reedmen Coleman Hawkins and Buster Bailey; banjoists Buddy Christian and Clarence Holiday; as well as pianists Porter Grainger, Clarence Williams, and Fletcher Henderson. The unidentified pianist on the session of April 2, 1928 (tracks 12-14) was a superbly able practitioner of the Harlem stride piano style. The singer's material covers an impressive range from the jazzy blues "There Ain't Much Good in the Best of Men Nowadays" to a theatrically wistful version of "The Man I Love," another solid link with Sophie Tucker. In addition to the famous comedic duo piano version he recorded with James P. Johnson in January 1930, Clarence Williams oversaw several different recordings of "How Could I Be Blue?," including straightforward treatments by Elvira Johnson and Bessie Brown.