Frog Records has quite a history of re-releasing early jug band music recordings, to their immense credit. Their catalogue features artists such as the Dixieland Jug Blowers, Earl Hines & Clifford Hayes, Earl MacDonald & The Great Louisville Jug Bands, and four volumes of The Memphis Jug Band. My belief is that part of the appeal of these groups is clear counterpoint: a strong bass (often provided by a jug and/or another bass instrument), with countermelodies over the top. My opinion is that this might be considered analogous to the textures used by J.S. Bach. While there might be some who would curse my grave for making such a comparison, I believe it is not without merit.
The wanton snobbery of some individuals aside, there is much on this album that merits deep listening. The first four tracks on the CD have only ever been rereleased once before (by the Austrian RST Records label on LP in 1988. They are the first recordings by Lloyd Buford Threlkeld (AKA “Whistler” of Whistler’s Jug Band) made in 1924. The Frog Records versions are far superior insofar as they have a greater understanding of the technical limitations of the original Gennett records. As a result, the audio restoration is quite remarkable. The third track (“Jail House Blues”) has been recorded many times, and can be found on DGF72, (Earl MacDonald) as “She’s In the Graveyard Now.” It’s also
