Live at the Apollo (CD - 1990)

Personnel: B.B. King (vocals, guitar); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Jeff Clayton, Jerry Dodgion (alto saxophone); Plas Johnson, Ralph Moore, Gary Smulyan (tenor saxophone); James Morrison, Joe Mossello, Glen Drews, Harry "Sweets" Edison (trumpet); George Bohanon, Robin Eubanks, Paul Faulies, Urbie Green (trombone); Gene Harris (piano); Ray Brown (bass); Harold Jones (drums).

Producers: Carl Griffin, Josiah Gluck, Sidney A. Seidenberg.

Recorded live at the Apollo Theater, New York, New York on November 10, 1990. Includes liner notes by Andrew Whist.

Personnel: B.B. King (vocals, guitar); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Jeff Clayton , Jerry Dodgion (alto saxophone); Plas Johnson , Ralph Moore, Gary Smulyan (tenor saxophone); Glen Drews, Joe Mossello, Harry "Sweets" Edison, James Morrison (trumpet); George Bohannon, George Bohanon, Robin Eubanks, Urbie Green, Paul Faulise (trombone); Gene Harris (piano); Harold Jones (drums).

Audio Mixers: Josiah Gluck; Carl Griffin.

Audio Remasterer: Kevin Reeves.

Liner Note Author: Andrew Whist.

Recording information: New York, NY (11/10/1990); The Apollo, New York, NY (11/10/1990).

Photographer: Morris Lane.

Unknown Contributor Role: Gene Harris & the Philip Morris Superband.

LIVE AT THE APOLLO is a straight reissue of a famed 1990 recording by blues guitar master B.B. King at Harlem's famed Apollo Theater. Opening with a gospel-tinged take on U2's "When Love Comes To Town," the set features nine of King's most beloved songs, including his signature song, "The Thrill Is Gone." Backed by an 18-piece big band, King sings and plays at his most impassioned throughout. Though it contains no new material, the 2008 reissue is remastered.

There are both good and bad points to this CD. Of the latter, the Phillip Morris "Super Band" is confined to background work with -- other than a few spots for Plas Johnson's tenor -- no soloists being heard from. As an ensemble, the all-star orchestra performs well, but is essentially anonymous. Also, despite the backing, B.B. King does not attempt to play jazz, a wasted opportunity. But, switching to the good points, Live at the Apollo is an excellent example of a strong B.B. King live performance. Somehow he always makes his combination of blues and familiar hits sound fresh. With a liberal amount of space set aside for his guitar solos, B.B. is in top form throughout the well-paced set, which is far superior to most of his overproduced studio sessions for MCA. Even if the big band is mostly irrelevant, this CD is recommended for B.B. King's singing and playing. ~ Scott Yanow

If you've seen B.B. King in concert, you know that his sense of showmanship in virtually unmatched. LIVE AT THE APOLLO captures every ounce of the distinct flair and finesse that the world has come to expect from this constantly-touring blues legend. With the Philip Morris Superband as his swinging sidekicks, B.B. sinks his tight, string-bending bite into ten immaculately arranged tracks, including such classics as "The Thrill Is Gone," "Paying The Cost To Be The Boss," and "Ain't Nobody's Bizness." And while recent times have seen B.B. do more singing than string-bending, this set showcases him in top form with plenty of his signature vibrato-laden, jazz-blues leads.

Other notable cuts include B.B.'s remake of "When Love Comes To Town," which he performed with U2 on their 1988 RATTLE AND HUM album. Here, B.B. takes the song to another level. It's the album's opening track, and within forty-five seconds of its brassy Chicago-style intro, B.B. already has the audience in the palm of his hand, doing "yeah-yeah-yeah" call and responses. And once the tune gets going with full-on horn arrangements, barrelhouse piano, dizzying trumpets flying overhead and killer tenor sax and guitar solos, you just might say "U who?" minimize