Reviewed by Tony Cummings

No information is known about this quartet-cum-quintette who had two recording sessions, one in Richmond, Ind in 1928 and one in New York City in 1931. About half the 25 sides assembled here were made with an accompanying pianist (and pretty good he is too). It's the group's up tempo numbers that work best while their version of the old warhorse "This Train" is a delight. The reading of the song, pillaged by bluesman Little Walter in the '50s as "My Babe", contains some original lyrics ("This train don't carry no loafers, chewing tobacco and cigarette smokers/This train don't carry no liars, whiskey-beggars and the home-brew buyers/This train don't carry no gamblers, easy-rockers and the all-night ramblers/This train don't carry no dancers, boogie-woogie and the all-night ranters"). This track alone makes this absorbing compilation worth searching out. Who knows? One day some intrepid field researcher may find out some information about these obscure harmonizers who had no truck with all-night ranters.

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