Lloyd "Tiny" Grimes was a vital force in swing, bebop, and R&B. Ungratefully jettisoned from the roster of the Atlantic record company in 1949,
Grimes lined himself up with Gotham Records in Philadelphia. In 2004, the Classics
Blues & Rhythm Series reissued all of
Grimes' Gotham recordings made between 1949 and 1951. While this is rocking R&B at its very best, the jazz element runs strongly through these tasty vintage jams, and is personified by saxophonists
Benny Golson,
John Hardee, and
Red Prysock; bassist
Ike Isaacs; and pianists
George Kelly and
Freddie Redd. On the first two tracks the great
Sonny Payne, later famous for his work with
Count Basie, is all over the drums.
Grimes himself had developed by 1949 into a first-rate jam-up electric guitarist. No melody was safe from this man's good-time sensibilities, be it "Frankie and Johnny," "Down by the Riverside," "Things Ain't What They Used to Be," or even "Loch Lomond." So successful was this last tune when performed in person that
Grimes and his guys put on kilts and started calling themselves
the Rocking Highlanders. Most of this stuff is solid, groovy, exciting instrumental dance music. There are only two vocalists on the entire compilation -- Georgia native
Claudine Clark and
George Grant, who went by the name of
Haji Baba. As slim as
John Hardee's discography is (mostly Blue Note sides, usually mentioned in the same breath as those of
Ike Quebec), his instrumental collaborations with
Tiny Grimes are precious indeed. This outstanding compilation ends with a surprise tidbit predating the scope of this segment of the
Grimes chronology; inadvertently omitted from an earlier volume in the series, "Jackie's Dance" was recorded near the end of 1947 and features
Red Prysock on the tenor sax.