B.B. King IN FRANCE LIVE AT THE 1977 NANCY JAZZ PULSATIONS FESTIVAL

November 2, 2024

BB. KING

IN FRANCE LIVE AT THE 1977 NANCY JAZZ PULSATIONS FESTIVAL

DEEP DIGS Records

BB. King, guitar/vocals; James Toney, organ; Milton Hopkins, guitar; Joe Turner, bass; Calep Emphrey, Jr., drums; Eddie Rowe, trumpet; Cato Walker III, alto saxophone; Walter King, tenor saxophone.

Slow blues floats across my listening room and I’m transported to the Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival in the Northeastern providence of France. Deep Diggs Records, in cooperation with the B. B. King Estate, Universal Music Enterprises, and INA, have released these never-before-heard concert tapes. They were captured “live” at a concert near the West Bank of the River Meurthe.

Soon, the slow blues is replaced by the band’s uptempo shuffle rhythm on the familiar “Caldonia” tune. B. B. follows this with his hit record and original composition, “Sweet Little Angel.” Their third number invites audience participation. B. B. King encourages them on the tune “I Like to Live the Love,” to sing along, with his guitar solo taking the song to higher heights. The French audience happily submits, singing the title over and over again.

I really loved hearing B.B. King break down the blues to a slow shuffle on their tune “It’s Just a Matter of Time,” written by Belford Hendriks, Brook Benton, and Clyde Otis. This tune has a beautiful melody, arranged with the horns echoing the hook and supporting B. B.’s wildly emotional guitar solo and memorable vocals. Nobody sounds like B. B. King.

This “Live” album captures B. B.’s fifth trip to the European continent and his third appearance at the biannual Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival. The tenor sax man was B.B.’s nephew, Walter King (who was also the band conductor). B. B. King was in his prime during those 1970 years. He grandly displays his mastery on his ES-335 Gibson guitar, to the thrill of the French crowd.

On this album, King includes several of the hit records that he wrote and that helped make him famous. Those include “Why I Sing the Blues” along with “I Got Some Outside Help (I Don’t Really Need).” On both those songs, he collaborated with Dave Clark. B. B. also includes his “Sweet Sixteen” tune and “I Need My Baby” along with “When I’m Wrong.”

BB. King has left us a legacy of excellence. This is an album that celebrates that undeniable legacy.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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