Концертная запись великого Би Би Кинга, принесшая ему премию Грэмми в номинации "Лучший альбом современного блюза".
Musicians:
B.B. King — Guitar, Vocals
Gary Smulyan — Sax (Tenor)
Gene Harris & the Philip Morris — Superband
Gene Harris — Piano, Conductor
George Bohannon — Trombone
Glen Drews — Trumpet
Harold Jones — Drums
Harry "Sweets" Edison — Trumpet
James Morrison — Trumpet
Jeff Clayton — Sax (Alto)
Joe Mossello — Trumpet
Kenny Burrell — Guitar
Paul Faulise — Trombone
Plas Johnson — Sax (Tenor)
Ralph Moore — Sax (Tenor)
Ray Brown — Bass
Robin Eubanks — Trombone
Urbie Green — Trombone
Album credits:
Andy Baltimore — Creative Director
Andy Ruggirello — Design
Anthony Benjamin — Assistant Engineer
Carl Griffin — Producer, Engineer, Mixing
Dan Serrano — Design
Dave Grusin — Executive Producer
David Gibb — Design
J.B. Chupick — Mixing Assistant
John McClure — Engineer
Joseph Doughney — Post Production
Josiah Gluck — Producer, Engineer, Mixing
Larry Rosen — Executive Producer
Michael Landy — Post Production
Michelle Lewis — Production Coordination
Morris Lane — Photography
Ron Bowen — Assistant Engineer
Scott Johnson — Design
Sidney Seidenberg — Producer, Executive Producer
Sonny Mediana — Design
Ted Jensen — Mastering
Tracklist:
01 When Love Comes to Town 4:40 (Bono, U2)
02 Sweet Sixteen 7:20 (Josea, King)
03 The Thrill Is Gone 3:30 (Darnell, Hawkins)
04 Ain't Nobody's Business 2:40 (Grainger, Robbins)
05 Paying the Cost to Be the Boss 2:20 (King)
06 All over Again 7:28 (Adams, King)
07 Night Life 3:56 (Breeland, Buskirk, Nelson)
08 Since I Met You Baby 3:50 (Hunter)
09 Guess Who? 4:57 (Belvin, Belvin)
10 Peace to the World 2:53 (Martin)
Total Time: 43:34
Концерт состоялся в Нью-Йоркском театре "Аполлон" 16 апреля 1990 года. Би Би Кинг в прекрасной форме как в отношении вокала, так и в отношении игры на гитаре. Джаз-бэнд Филлипа Мориса представлен множеством звёзд Кенни Баррелл (Kenny Burrell), Ерби Грин (Urbie Green), Гарри 'Свитс' Эдисон (Harry ' Sweets' Edison), Плас Джонсон (Plas Johnson), Рэй Браун (Ray Brown) и, собственно, Джеймс Моррисон (James Morrison). Несмотря на обилие джазовых звёзд, роль им отводилась лишь в качестве бэк-оркестра.
When Love Comes To Town — зажигательная, блюзовая версия главного хита группы "U2" в конце 1980-ых.
Sweet Sixteen – новое прочтение известной песни Кинга с более продолжительным звучанием.
The Thrill is Gone – песня, ставшая визитной картой Би Би Кинга. В данной интерпретации Кинг превосходным взаимодействует с басистом Рэем Брауном.
Ain't Nobody's Business – прекрасное исполнение классики.
Профессиональное видео исполнения "Paying the Cost to be the Boss" Би Би Кингом и Джеффом Беком
All Over Again – менее известный, медленный блюз Кинга.
Nightlife / Please Send me Someone to Love – попурри из двух известных композиций с несколько бОльшим гитарным исполнением.
Since I Met You Baby – ещё один стандарт Би Би Кинга с превосходным соло на саксе от Пласа Джонсона.
Профессиональное видео исполнения "Since I Met You Baby" Би Би Кингом и Гэри Муром
Guess Who? — исполняется маэстро на бис.
Peace to the World – весёленькая песенка под занавес шоу.
В целом, качество звука на альбоме весьма хорошее.
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It’s not that there’s anything wrong with this 1990 recording: King’s expressive guitar work and vibrant vocals rarely disappoint in a live setting, and this release here he has a top-notch big band behind him.
In addition to U2’s "When Love Comes to Town,” King rolls through nine staples, including "Sweet Sixteen,” "Thrill is Gone,” and "Paying the Cost to Be the Boss.” On the other hand, King has produced a number of absolutely riveting live albums, including Live at the Regal, Blues Is King, and Live in Cook County Jail. They remain high points of blues history, relegating this solid release to the second tier. Marc Greilsamer
There are both good and bad points to this CD. Of the latter, the Phillip Morris "Super Band" is confined to background work with — other than a few spots for Plas Johnson's tenor — no soloists being heard from. As an ensemble, the all-star orchestra performs well, but is essentially anonymous. Also, despite the backing, B.B. King does not attempt to play jazz, a wasted opportunity. But, switching to the good points, Live at the Apollo is an excellent example of a strong B.B. King live performance. Somehow he always makes his combination of blues and familiar hits sound fresh. With a liberal amount of space set aside for his guitar solos, B.B. is in top form throughout the well-paced set, which is far superior to most of his overproduced studio sessions for MCA. Even if the big band is mostly irrelevant, this CD is recommended for B.B. King's singing and playing. Scott Yanow
