Mose Allison

Ol’ man Mose in his young man’s clothes, this is one in a recent round of Concord two-fer reissues that actually makes consumer sense. The program packages a pair of the vocalist/pianist’s early Prestige platters, Back Country Suite and Local Color, in full, and replaces their paltry previous single disc versions in the process. Listening to Allison’s early oeuvre its hard not to think of Harry Connick, Jr., a guy who’s early career is convincingly eclipsed by the elder’s superior shadow. Dryly laconic vocals? Check. Pithy and precocious blend of bop, R&B and pop? Double check. Ear arched astutely to the clever cover tune? Checkmate. Allison taps both Mercy Dee Walton’s seminal “One Room Country Shack” and Ellington’s “Don’t Ever Say Goodbye”. He also turns in early versions of “Young Man Blues” and “Parchman Blues”, two slices of minor songwriting genius that have since graced the set lists of artists as divergent as The Who and Michael Chapman. There’s also a subtle stab at radio-friendly avant garde as Allison’s hoists trumpet, backed only by bass and drums on a rundown of “Trouble in Mind”. Like Connick Jr., he’s sometimes considered lightweight in purist jazz circles. These effervescent early sides argue insouciantly otherwise.