The Iconic Blues

Some press comments on the release of the series:

Our thanks to the blues and jazz magazines for permission to reproduce these reviews 

in whole or in part:

JAZZ RAG:  http://www.bigbearmusic.com

Blues & Rhythm: http://www.bluesandrhythm.co.uk 

blues in britain: https://www.bluesinbritain.org

blues matters:  https://bluesmatters.com

living blues: https://livingblues.com

SOUND BITES: 

Utterly fascinating (Blues Matters)

Excellent series (London Jazz)

Quite fascinating (Artsmuse London)

It just doesn’t get any better! (EarlyBlues.com)

Uniquely valuable recordings (London Jazz News Review)

An extraordinary musical archive of Early Blues (Front Row, BBC Radio 4)

The most comprehensive survey (Blues In Britain)

It is an immense undertaking (Music Web International)

It's the real thing (Henry’s Blueshouse/Jazz Rag)

An extraordinary archive of early blues (Songlines Magazine)

Explores the roots of a music that has been the back-bone of popular music (New Classics)

Scholarship and musical pleasure combined (Blues Matters)

Full of unique performances (Los Angeles Jazz Scene)

Putting this music into perspective are the masterful liner notes by respected blues historian Paul Oliver. They alone are worth the purchase (Jazz Journal)

I came to regard Johnny Parth's complete/chronological project with enormous respect (Blues & Rhythm)

Unearthing fascinating nuggets from the pioneers of the genre(London Jazz)

This piece of living social history … Wonderful blues  (Blues Matters)

This is blues-fan heaven (Jazz Journal)

These are pure blues gold (Blues In Britain)

Such fine material” (Stephen Harrison, BLUES MATTERS)

REVIEW EXTRACTS:

“This piece of living social history. Without doubt, the birth of blues music started with tracks like this. Utterly fascinating” (Blues Matters)

“An important part of the United States' musical heritage” (Los Angeles Jazz Scene)

“Matchbox … are doing the musical world a great service with this excellent series of reissues” (London Jazz)

“The Matchbox Bluesmaster Series is quite fascinating, really bringing to life the richness of the blues genre which would go on to fuel the best of our popular music. …..Highly recommended” (Artsmuse London)

“It just doesn’t get any better!.....Highly recommended” (EarlyBlues.com)

“A vivid portrait of a long-vanished society…. is painted by these uniquely valuable recordings” (London Jazz News Review)

“Explores the roots of a music that has been the back-bone of popular music” (New Classics review)

“The overarching concept of the series being to provide insight into how Black music was first released on record…. I eagerly look forward to future volumes” (Presto Music, USA)

“An extraordinary musical archive of Early Blues recordings often made on location…. Well it is a treasure trove, there’s no doubt about that” (Front Row, BBC Radio 4)

“The most comprehensive survey tracing the origins of Black American Blues Music offering a rare insight into the world of black musicians of the day… the blues here is timeless” (Blues In Britain)

“It is an immense undertaking” (Music Web International)

“It's the real thing, exactly as would have been heard when strolling down Beale Street in the late 1920s or early 1930s” (Henry’s Blueshouse/Jazz Rag)

Songlines Magazine – Jan 2021

An extraordinary archive of early blues recordings put into the spotlight once more.

MSESET 1 & 2

“A rare insight into the world of black musicians of the day….what you have in these sets is an absolute goldmine of early blues…..These fantastic albums suggest those following during the year will be well worth waiting for….these are an absolute must. …. the blues here is timeless.” 

(Blues In Britain Apr 21 sets 1+2)

MSESET 1 & 2

“…..The early blues was an amalgam of musical styles: country blues, ragtime and gospel to name but a few.  This I discovered when I received two CD box sets  of the ‘Matchbox Bluesmaster series’. 12 CDs was enough to keep me busy listening for the entire Christmas period and beyond. Presented with such choice, I found myself awed by the profusion of artists on offer. ….. All in all the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series is quite fascinating, really bringing to life the richness of the blues genre which would go on to fuel the best of our popular music. …..Highly recommended to blues enthusiasts and to aspiring musicians wishing to brush up their harp and guitar technique.” 

(Artsmuse London – Jan 2021)

MSESET 1 & 2

“This major release from Saydisc Records is an extremely well-produced and comprehensive compilation from across the whole blues music genre…. the liner notes are from the writings of Paul Oliver, a world authority on the blues…. It just doesn’t get any better!.....Highly recommended.” Alan White (EarlyBlues.com)

MSESET 1 & 2

“….[that] this music richly rewards close listening merely for its own sake is demonstrated over and over again by the 12 albums that constitute the initial releases….Paul Oliver (who died in 2017) has provided characteristically learned notes, and the recordings have been skilfully transferred to CD by Norman White…. It is the cumulative effect, though, of the eight hours or so of music in these two sets that really lingers in the mind…. a vivid portrait of a long-vanished society…. is painted by these uniquely valuable recordings.” (London Jazz News – Jan 2021)

MSESET 1 & 2

“…This comprehensive new Matchbox Bluesmaster Series explores the roots of a music that has been the back-bone of popular music from rhythm and blues to reggae, rock and roll, Motown and gospel music….” (New Classics – Jan 2021)

MSESET 1 & 2

“This week I have been immersing myself in the root of all jazz, the blues, and the first two volumes in the Matchbox Bluesmaster series, which documents some of the earliest recordings of blues, ragtime, hokum and gospel music. Drawing on the legendary forty-two LP set released by the UK’s Saydisc Records in the eighties, Bluesmaster focuses on extremely rare 78s recorded between 1926 and 1934, with the overarching concept of the series being to provide insight into how Black music was first released on record…. I eagerly look forward to future volumes in the Bluesmaster series.” (Presto Music, USA - Jan 2021)

MSESET 1 & 2

“….Authentic historical detail is the very essence of the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series, an extraordinary musical archive of Early Blues recordings often made on location…. Well it is a treasure trove, there’s no doubt about that, but because the Blues is a generic term and you have all of these different schools, these different approaches, these sub-genres…They absolutely remain a pleasure to listen to but more to the point they still resonate through modern day popular music.”

(Front Row, BBC Radio 4, 5th Jan 21)

MSESET1

The UK-based classical label Nimbus is overseeing the digital and CD reissue of the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series, which debuted on vinyl in the 1980s. It was one of several reissue projects envisioned by Austrian collector Johnny Parth, whose goal was to bring to pre­war blues reissues the scholarly oversight and completeness then largely associated with jazz. He enlisted the dean of British blues scholars, Paul Oliver, in his cause and Oliver brought his gravitas and years of research to the notes he contributed to the Matchbox releases. Decades later, their accomplishment remains impressive. (Living Blues Magazine, USA)

MSESET1

It is an immense undertaking……The Bluesmaster series offered and still offers a very special panorama of blues roots, sourced from largely excellent copies which have been finely transferred. The discs are laced with those top of the range booklet notes and full discographical information. The price per set is extremely competitive and it’s invigorating to see this pioneering series back in the marketplace. (Music Web International)

MSESET1

One of the many great pleasures of being a blues fanatic, and a writer for this wonderful magazine, is exposure to collections like this. Listening to the huge amount of music presented on this six-disc set, I felt less like a reviewer, and more like a musical archaeologist, digging down into the hidden foundations of the blues music we all love and enjoy so much…. Listen, and hear the influences being formed and created, scholarship and musical pleasure combined. Andy Hughes 

(BLUES MATTERS Jan/Feb 2021)

MSESET 2

Blues Matters - April / May 2021

The second set in this peerless retrospective of vintage blues recordings turns the spotlight on country blues and the great harp players from 1927 to 1932….a fascinating set of vintage blues recordings being released for the entertainment and education of the blues scholar, but lets not forget the avid listeners who read about such collections and should be steered towards these compilations to find out the rich heritage and even greater influences that these early blues Masters would bring on the artists who followed, developing their basic earthy styles in the multiple blues styles and genres that followed, and continue to follow today. Without doubt, the birth of blues music started with tracks like this. Utterly fascinating.     Andy Hughes

MSESET3 and 4

From lowdown blues to goodtime music, traditional folk songs to spontaneous originals, the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series is full of unique performances that, while mostly by long-forgotten artists, are an important part of the United States' musical heritage. And most importantly, the music is enjoyable to hear, even 90 years later. (Los Angeles Jazz Scene - July 2021)

MSESET3

“I remember grumbling a bit when the Bluesmaster series first appeared, as at first I just didn't get what they were trying to do. The penny dropped eventually and I came to regard Johnny Parth's complete/chronological project with enormous respect” (Blues & Rhythm Sept 21)

MSESET3

Jazz Journal June 2021

“Putting this music into perspective are the masterful liner notes by respected blues historian Paul Oliver. They alone are worth the purchase….Saydisc say that they have in their vaults many more pre-Bluesmaster blues albums which may be issued on CD in due course. Let us hope so. The CD sets are available at a realistic price (£29.99) and the release of this important series for the first time on CD should appeal to serious blues collectors and also attract (hopefully) a new generation of early blues lovers.” 

MSESET3

London Jazz

With this latest set of discs, the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series continues to perform a valuable service to early blues, unearthing fascinating nuggets from the pioneers of the genre. 

MSESET3

2021 seems to be shaping up to be a good year for those of us who are interested in those earliest recorded blues, with the release of seven CD sets, each set comprising of six CDs, in the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series…. it's the real thing, exactly as would have been heard when strolling down Beale Street in the late 1920s or early 1930s. (Henry’s Blueshouse/Jazz Rag - May 2021)

MSESET 3

Space sadly does not permit a full analysis of this six-CD collection of vintage blues, the next in the Matchbox series. But hopefully a brief excursion will encourage the serious blues collectors and historians among the BM community to acquire and enjoy this piece of living social history.

(Blues Matters - Aug/Sept 21)

MSESET3

The third box in this reissue series proves just as invigorating as its confreres…. has plentiful variety, from harmonica to solo guitar and vocal, vocal duets and good old ‘Country Girls’…. The late Paul Oliver’s notes were always a wonderful addition to this series telling the reader everything necessary and known about the musicians and their backgrounds and songs. There’s much more to come in this sequence and much to relish here. 

Jonathan Woolf (Music Web International)

MSESET4

Matchbox triumphantly vindicates the 1912 prediction of pioneering civil rights activist James Weldon Johnson that the music of the South he so beguilingly describes in his Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (as productive of ‘one of the most thrilling emotions which the human heart may experience’) will one day constitute African Americans’ ‘most treasured heritage’….plus Paul Oliver’s “characteristically erudite liner notes”

There are, it is good to report, three more six-CD sets to come from Matchbox; they are doing the musical world a great service with this excellent series of reissues. (London Jazz)

MSESET4

“This collection is a look as far back into blues history as blues history goes, it’s some of the very earliest recordings ever made…. Wonderful blues” (BLUES MATTERS Sept 2021)

MSESET4

Set 4 comprises six CDs with meticulous track-listing and original liner notes by the respected blues historian Paul Oliver…. Comprising just under 100 tracks and lasting approximately five hours, this is blues-fan heaven…. The sound is more than acceptable considering the variable quality of the sources. This is pre-war US country blues at its finest and its rawest….. Matchbox have done a splendid job – first in preserving and committing the source to vinyl and then digitalising the entire Bluesmaster Series…. This Bluesmaster Series should not be seen as the preserve of the serious blues collector. It can be appreciated by anybody with an interest in the history of music, America and social change…. This may not be your usual CD purchase, but I doubt you will be disappointed if you take a chance. 

(Ian Lomax, JAZZ JOURNAL Sept 2021)

MSESET3 + 4

Recorded between 1926 and 1950, these are pure blues gold. Many of the artists you may not have heard of before but don't let that put you off…. Along with the six discs in each set, Paul Oliver's extensive original notes make very interesting reading, an insight into these largely unknown musicians and their recordings. (Pete Clack BLUES IN BRITAIN)

MSESET3 and 4

July 2021 issue of the Los Angeles Jazz Scene

From lowdown blues to goodtime music, traditional folk songs to spontaneous originals, the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series is full of unique performances that, while mostly by long-forgotten artists, are an important part of the United States' musical heritage. And most importantly, the music is enjoyable to hear, even 90 years later.

MSESET4

London Jazz

Matchbox triumphantly vindicates the 1912 prediction of pioneering civil rights activist James Weldon Johnson that the music of the South he so beguilingly describes in his Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (as productive of ‘one of the most thrilling emotions which the human heart may experience’) will one day constitute African Americans’ ‘most treasured heritage’….Paul Oliver’s “characteristically erudite liner notes”

There are, it is good to report, three more six-CD sets to come from Matchbox; they are doing the musical world a great service with this excellent series of reissues.  

MSESET 3

Blues Matters Aug/Sept 21

Space sadly does not permit a full analysis of this six-CD collection of vintage blues, the next in the Matchbox series. But hopefully a brief excursion will encourage the serious blues collectors and historians among the BM community to acquire and enjoy this piece of living social history.

The Matchbox Bluesmaster Series 

Tracing the Origins of Black American Blues Music. 

Released on CD and digital for the first time ever, the Matchbox Bluesmaster series is the most comprehensive survey tracing the origins of Black American Blues Music offering a rare insight into the world of black musicians of the day……. All the releases are tied together by the erudite notes of Paul Oliver, a leading authority and researcher on jazz and blues music. Fascinating for blues enthusiasts and collectors, this series will bring to the attention of younger people, the power and importance of this music. It is clear that 'black music matters' and that it has been the back-bone of almost all popular music forms, from rhythm and blues, to reggae, rock and roll, Motown and gospel…….These fantastic albums suggest those following during the year will be well worth waiting for. For any follower of country blues guitar these are an absolute must. Even allowing for the background noise because of their age, the blues here is timeless.

BLUES IN BRITAIN

Matchbox Bluesmaster Series – Set 3 (Six-CD set)

LONDON JAZZ May 2021

Album Review by Chris Parker)

The latest set in the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series, like its two predecessors is taken from the 42 albums released by Saydisc between November 1982 and June 1988. They concentrate on blues recordings, but also contain examples of hokum (described by Paul Oliver’s exemplary liner notes as ‘a kind of arch, nudging blues style … entertainment with suggestive lyrics’) and gospel, originally recorded by companies such as Okeh and marketed to the black community

…….. With this latest set of discs, the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series continues to perform a valuable service to early blues, unearthing fascinating nuggets from the pioneers of the genre. 

It just doesn’t get any better! Highly recommended. EarlyBlues.com

Valuable service to early blues, unearthing fascinating nuggets from the pioneers of the genre. 

LONDON JAZZ

This week I have been immersing myself in the root of all jazz, the blues , and the first two volumes in the Matchbox Bluesmaster series I eagerly look forward to future volumes in the Bluesmaster series. 

PRESTO MUSIC, USA

The Matchbox Bluesmaster series is the most comprehensive survey tracing the origins of Black American Blues Music offering a rare insight into the world of black musicians of the day…. the blues here is timeless. BLUES IN BRITAIN

…..All in all the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series is quite fascinating, really bringing to life the richness of the blues genre which would go on to fuel the best of our popular music. Highly recommended. ARTMUSELONDON

….It is the cumulative effect, though, of the eight hours or so of music in these two sets that really lingers in the mind…. painted by these uniquely valuable recordings. London Jazz News Review – Jan 2021

One of the many great pleasures of being a blues fanatic, and a writer for this wonderful magazine, is exposure to collections like this…. Listen, and hear the influences being formed and created, scholarship and musical pleasure combined. … Without doubt, the birth of blues music started with tracks like this. Utterly fascinating. BLUES MATTERS

It is an immense undertaking……The price per set is extremely competitive and it’s invigorating to see this pioneering series back in the marketplace. It represents a primary go-to resource for Blues and roots aficionados everywhere…These Bluesmasters have been adroitly selected and make for excellent boxes. (musicweb-internationa)

They absolutely remain a pleasure to listen to but more to the point they still resonate through modern day popular music….. Well it is a treasure trove, there’s no doubt about that, but because the Blues is a generic term and you have all of these different schools, these different approaches, these sub-genres….. I think is important and that really comes across in the collection. 

BBC Radio 4 – Front Row Tuesday 5th January 2021

MSESET 5

“I wish I could write more about this compilation so that I could exude my delight at the production of such fine material” (Stephen Harrison, BLUES MATTERS)

MSESET 5 

“this collection is a motherlode of gems for fanciers of pre-war guitar styles” 

LIVING BLUES (USA) Jan-Feb 2022  Matchbox Bluesmaster Series Vol. 5 Here it is, box set no. 5 in this wonderful series, another six albums and 107 tracks of the very finest in recorded blues, hokum and gospel recorded between 1926 and 1932. Previous sets have included some fairly unknown artists, but this time we have some real nuggets of blues gold. First released on LP between 1982 and 1988, the wait for them to be available on CD has been worth it…. Age has done little to diminish the quality of these performances. Pete Clack, Blues In Britain Jan 2022  

Blues From The Avon Delta - The Matchbox Blues Story Mark Jones's book chronicles the history of the Saydisc label and its series of 1920s and 1930s blues music CDs, itemising who did what and when, through the manufacturing process, the artists, the tracks and the sleeves. This is a hugely informative book that's been made possible with the help and input of the people who were there. Pete Clack, Blues In Britain Jan 2022  

RnR Jan 2022 Matchbox Bluesmaster Series – Set 5 **** This latest six-disc set from the Saydisc archives will be a welcome treat for blues historians and collectors alike….. So sit back and enjoy the sources behind the birth of so much of the music we enjoy to this day. (Morgon Hogarth, RnR Jan 2022) 

“…every backwater and flowing mainstream of Western popular music is rooted in this stuff. .. collections like the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series, which Saydisc has reissued with such meticulous care in these multi-disc sets, are so important …It’s a helluva legacy.” STUART MAXWELL (JAZZ RAG) Set 5 Review   

Blues & Rhythm set 6, Mar 22 This penultimate set of 42 albums that were originally released in the 1980s, has some interesting and some fine music…. As always it is a pleasure to read Paul Oliver's comprehensive and detailed notes and using some recent information, Tony Russell has updated a couple of Oliver's comments. 

BLUES IN BRITAIN MARCH 2022-02-25  Matchbox Bluesmaster Series Volume 6  MSESET6 (6 CD box set) Matchbox   When I began reviewing these amazing box sets last year I said they were a rare insight into the world of black music and, as each set comes along, that view has grown stronger… These are nuggets of pure blues gold. This series is proving beyond doubt to be something to treasure. Pete Clack 

LIVING BLUES, USA (July 2022)

Songsters & Saints: Vocal Traditions on Race Records

Matchbox Bluesmaster Series - MSESET7

The seventh and final instalment in the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series, which brought to CD and the digital realm 42 LPs of pre­war blues and related material first issued in the 1980s on the English Matchbox label, is among the most interesting, if potentially controversial, of the lot. ….. It’s a strong closing movement for Oliver's opus to traditions that preceded the blues to which he had devoted a lifetime of research. Nearly 40 years since his book and its complementary albums and over 90 years since these recordings were made, revelations may yet be found here.

Mark Humphrey, LIVING BLUES, USA (July 2022)

 JEFFERSON BLUES MAGZINE, SWEDEN:

All in all, great sets, which give a nice insight into early blues…. the opportunity to get a peephole into a magical time (Jefferson Blues Magazine, Sweden)

Blues from the Avon Delta

ASSOCIATION OF RECORDED SOUND COLLECTIONS JOURNAL, VOL. 53.1 (SPRING 2022). USA

For blues readers, Blues from the Avon Delta is an excellent resource for LP reissue collecting, and it also tells the story of a significant British effort at curating vintage blues on reissues from the mid-1960s to the present day..… This is one of the best label discographies I have read in a long time, and I urge blues LP collectors to buy this book. Reviewed by Ed Komara