Vassar Clements- Hillbilly Jazz

1. San Antonio Rose

2. Texas Blues

3. Take Me Back to Tulsa

4. Delta Blues

5. Fais Do Do

6. Breakfast Feud

7. Browns Ferry Blues

8. It's Dark Outside

9. Panhandle Rag

10. Blues for Dixie

11. Sentimental Journey

12. Back Home In Indiana

13. Sitting On Top Of The World

14. Crazy Cause I Love You

15. Hang Your Head In Shame

16. Vassar's Boogie

17. Little Rock Getaway

18. Yellow Sun

19. Gravy Waltz

20. C Jam Blues

21. Tippin In

22. You All Come

23. Last Song For Shelby Jean



During the '70's, fiddlin' Vassar Clements was in such high demand as a side man that it was damned near impossible to purchase an album that did NOT feature his remarkable playing.In addition to his key roles in ground breaking efforts such as "Will the Circle be Unbroken" and "Old and in the Way", Vassar made the rounds among such disparate pop stars as Paul McCartney, Elvin Bishop, and Dickie Betts - and put out some product of his own, as well.

"Hillbilly Jazz" mostly features the Bob Wills/Texas swing side of Vassar's playing, ably assisted by a strong backup group featuring David Bromberg on acoustic and slide guitars and some great pedal steel work by Doug Jerrigan. In addition to covering the Wills hits "San Antonio Rose" and "Take Me Back to Tulsa", there's a great version of Benny Goodman's "Breakfast Feud" (Jerrigan particularly shines on this one), a bluesy "Sittin' on Top of the World", and closes with a gorgeous instrumental version of Bromberg's "Last Song for Shelby Jean." What really makes this collection work is while there's some wonderful picking going on, nothing ever sounds forced. The vocals (shared by Vassar and Gordon Terry) give the session a relaxed feel that someone still keeps the listener's attention.



This effort is a must-have for fans of Vassar, and a whole lotta fun for fans of swing, country, and bluegrass music.