Floyd McDaniel
was 78 when, in 1994, he recorded
Let Your Hair Down!
for the Chicago-based
Delmark
. Through the years, the singer/guitarist had been the type of artist who had one foot in pre-bebop jazz and one in urban blues--and that approach continues to serve him nicely on this CD.
McDaniel
's credentials as a jump blues shouter are illustrated by inspired versions of
Louis Jordan
's
"Caldonia,"
T-Bone Walker
"Blue Mood"
and
Roy Milton
"R.M. Blues,"
while his talents as a jazz singer are evident on
Duke Ellington
"It Don't Mean That Thing"
Billie Holiday
"God Bless The Child."
On this album,
leads a cohesive, swinging octet known as
the Blues Swingers
, which consists of a hard-swinging rhythm section and four horn players, including trumpeter
Mike McLaughlin
, tenor saxophonist
Dave Clark
, alto saxophonist
Paul Mundy
and baritone saxophonist/clarinetist
Martin "Van" Kelly
.
would be among
's last recordings; the veteran artist died the following year. ~ Alex Henderson