Alberta Hunter, who also recorded under the names Josephine Beatty, Helen Roberts, May Alix, and Alberta Prime, cut about 90 sides for ten different labels between the years 1921-1940. As a sort of dessert platter in the wake four volumes of her reissued "complete works" that were released during the late '90s, Document brought out a beautifully decorated edition containing 22 alternate takes dating from 1921-1924. This is for people who love antiquated jazz and blues recordings, and might even enjoy an occasional taste of historic 78 rpm phonograph record surface noise.
Hunter, who sang contralto or even borderline mezzo-soprano during the '20s, is heard backed by pianists
Fletcher Henderson or
Eubie Blake and various ensembles under their leadership; by
Sam Wooding's Orchestra, the
Original Memphis Five, the Paramount Boys (cornetist
Tommy Ladnier, clarinetist
Jimmy O'Bryant, and pianist
Glover Compton); cornetist
Joe Smith (soon to make his all-time best records with
Bessie Smith); pianist and bandleader
Lovie Austin with clarinetist John Obrigant (whose name was also spelled Oubrigant and Obregon) and, on the two old-fashioned harmony vocal tracks that close the collection, the
Elkins-Payne Jubilee Quartette, who, as the
Elkins-Payne Jubilee Singers have their own collection in the Document catalog.
–
arwulf arwulf, Rovi