Most Definitive Black & Blue compilations (those associated with Cat Anderson, John Hardee, Charlie Shavers, and Budd Johnson, for example) are excellent, and the two volumes in the series that feature Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson are no exception. Released in 2000, Kidney Stew is a worthy counterpart to Black & Blue's other Vinson offering, Jumpin' the Blues, a smoky set of interactions with the Jay McShann Trio recorded in Paris in 1969. Drawing upon two albums of that same 1969 vintage (Wee Baby Blues and Old Kidney Stew Is Fine), this 14-track parcel of gutsy blues and jazz finds the tough-as-nails singer and saxophonist jamming with pianist Jay McShann, guitarist T-Bone Walker, saxophonists Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Hal Singer, trombonist Al Grey, and organist Wild Bill Davis. Serve hot with rice, beans, greens, and Tabasco sauce.
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