Are you a Hollywood producer seeking the perfect soundtrack for your next nostalgic blockbuster? Well, I think I may have found it. If I could have just a minute of your time, I’ll sketch you a picture of how it might all fit together.
Chicago, 1930-something. Our hero(ine) is in trouble, someone’s chasing them through the back alleys of the South Side (cue “Radio Rhythm”). They’re caught, they’re in a jam—we pan up to the murky gray sky and the titles roll. Through them we see snapshots of the Windy City during the Jazz Age, at both its best and worst (cue “Georgia Jubilee”).
We flash back to the sorry events leading up to this sticky situation (cue “Nobody Knows [You] When You’re Down And Out”). Flash forward to the present. They escape the mob, meet a guardian angel, a plan is hatched, a montage ensues (cue “Moten's Swing”). The wheels are put in motion (cue “Roll ’Em”)—it’s a success! They get away with the loot/their lives/their beaus (cue “Climax Rag”), roll credits (cue “When The Sun Sets Down South”).
And you know what? Superb versions of every one can be found on one album called Blue Label: Radio Rhythm by Lester’s Blues. Okay, so I took that metaphor to extremes, but that’s the overwhelming sense I got from this disc: that I was watching an enthralling movie. It has all the moods, all the energy, all the polish of somethi
