B.B. King - In France: Live At The 1977 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival
(Deep Digs Records, 2024)
By a rough count, B.B. King released nine live recordings between 1960 and 1980. Among these live releases are the definitive live recordings Live At The Regal (ABC, 1965) and Live In Cook County Jail (ABC, 1971). It was during this 20-year period that King made his ascension to the best known blues artist of the time. The period also saw King at the very top of his game, one that lasted 50 years. CD and digital streaming spawned the release of exceptional archival live material from King. These releases include Live/Fillmore East - New York, NY June 19, 1971 (Geffen Records, 2009) and King’s set performed prior to Ike & Tina Turner, during the Rolling Stones’ famous appearance at Madison Square Garden, November 27-28, 1969 during the tour that would be documented in Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!: The Rolling Stones in Concert (London, 1970). These performances were among the most exciting of King’s long career. They captured King's guitar outside the mix in each case, overdriven and urgent, full of excitement and anticipation. This is thrilling stuff!
Fast forward a few years, and King recorded In France: Live At The 1977 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival. Never released commercially, the show was a popular item in the gray area of bootlegged recordings. By this time, King and his band had fully formed, maturing into a crack road ensemble. The show was fluid and well-captured. During the middle to late ‘70s, King abandoned the use of his working band, limiting himself to duo dates with Bobby Bland cut with all-star combos. King appeared in Nancy with a new septet every bit the equal of his ‘60s outfits that made Live At The Regal and Live In Cook County Jail, if not better. The jazz festival format allowed the group stretched out on much to the material and in particular the instrumentals like “I Need My Baby,” “When I’m Wrong,” and “Have Faith.” The band—tenor saxophonist Walter King (B.B.’s nephew and band director), alto saxophonist Cato Walker III, trumpeter Eddie Rowe, organist James Toney, guitarist Milton Hopkins, bassist Joe Turner, and drummer Calep Emphrey, Jr.—is allowed much space to contribute.
This is a slightly different show than those heard on Live At The Regal and Live In Cook County Jail making In France: Live At The 1977 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival a rare treat of the creative King and his fine band. This album is an official release of Record Store Day, Black Friday, November 29, 2024.
Remembering my brother, Gil Newman, with whom I listen to Live in Cook County Jail exactly a zillion times riding in his convertible when we were both impossibly young and good-looking.
Hi Matt: I thought so too. Well paced with more surprises than the old 1960s and '70s sides.
I collect a lot of B.B King shows and this is one of the best I’ve heard. He and his band are on fire.