Just Blues / No Strain

Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in one session in 1960, Memphis Slim's "Just Blues" features the urbane singer both alone

at the piano and backed by guitarist Lafayette Thomas, jazz bassist Wendell Marshall and harp player "Harpie" Brown.

One of a handful of stellar albums Slim cut for Prestige's Bluesville label, the 12-track set offers a particularly pleasant way

to check out the pianist's tasty keyboard work and wide-ranging topical bent. Cut from the same 1960 sessions as Slim's

equally fine "Just Blues" album, "No Strain" finds the pianist and singer effortlessly working through another set of solo

piano and combo pieces.