BookerFan

Hi Debra I've got most of James Bookers available material and am working to get the unavailable stuff released so here's my top five 1) Piano Prince of New Orleans / Blues & Ragtime from New Orleans Two LP's cut from a gig at Onkel Po's Carnegie Hall in Hamburg on Bookers first European tour. He is at the top of his game on these recordings. Quite difficult to track down these days but they do pop up now and then. Check out Ebay or Gemm. 2) Ressurection of the Bayou Maharajah / Spiders on the Keys Twin CD release culled from 70 hours worth of performances at the Maple Leaf in New Orleans. 3) Junco Partner The best of only 2 studio albums cut in Booker's lifetime. Produced by Joe Boyd this has classical interpretations and definitive versions of New Orleans standards and Booker originals. 4) New Orleans Piano Wizard Live! Bookers winning set from the Boogie Woogie and Ragtime Piano Contest in Switzerland 1977. Apparently he edited a tape of all the appluase that he used to listen to. Makes a change from the talking and plates being dropped that forms the background for most of his N.O. tapes. 5) Classified He was far from his best by 1982 but Bookers second and last album still has some amazing moments. His version of Angel Eyes is breathtaking. There is a major Booker release in the pipeline at the moment that will compile a lot of unreleased material and some long sought after video. Keep an eye out for that late 2008.