Pinetop Perkins and Jimmy Rogers knew and liked each other. They were fishing buddies. They had a lot in common, both having been born in Mississippi and made their way to Chicago, although by different paths. But they had never played together on stage until Little Mike brought them together in the 80’s. It turned out their sounds complemented each other perfectly, and lucky for us, Little Mike  had the foresight to preserve a show in 1988 and we get to hear that special alchemy now.

From the start, it is obvious that both the stars and Little Mike are comfortable together. Pinetop leads the band for the first four songs, Rogers takes tracks 5-7, and then Perkins takes the lead again for the last three numbers, but it a genuine collaboration throughout, with Perkins’ piano, Rogers’ guitar, and Little Mike’s harmonica all adding to the thoroughly enjoyable and exciting mix.

The recording is raw and it is amazing that the sound is so clear given that it was made more than 25 years ago.

As for the songs, all of them are wonderful. When I started to list highlights,  I realized it was most of the track listing. But favorites include “Hi Heel Sneakers,” featuring Perkins,”Big Boss Man” with Rogers on vocals: “When I Lost My Baby” with Perkins and the  final tracks, “Pinetop’s Boogie” and “Pinetop and jimmy’s Stomp.”

This is a fascinating and thoroughly entertaining bit of blues history as well as a chance to experience real blues genius in action. We all owe Little Mike a vote of thanks for the opportunity.