Reviewed by Paul Poulton

Not quite sure why the word "Quartets" is used on the cover, because this is one group. On 17th August 1922 their lead singer James (Buddy) Butts was stabbed to death by his 19 year old girlfriend, Estelle Jones. She had a beef with him about some other woman and stabbed poor Buddy in the heart. Personnel changes then took place trying to find someone to fill the tenor's shoes. So, the changing line up could be one reason for the plural word "Quartets" on the artwork of this CD. If things weren't bad enough for the band, they not only lost Buddy but also lost their recording contract with Okeh Records. Paramount picked the group up and sent them back into the studio in 1923, with a new lead tenor. The group originally formed by its members singing on street corners in the Norfolk area of Virginia. They soon started performing on stage and in churches. Their stage name was Norfolk Jazz Singers and their church name was Norfolk Jubilee Singers. Hee Hee, clever marketing and another reason why "Quartets" is applicable to this group: one ensemble, two names. The Norfolk area of Virginia, along with Newport News, was a seminal area for blues; itinerant potato pickers would teach youngsters how to play the guitar. The syncopated acapella four part harmonies of the quartet were influenced by their surroundings. However, although some of their songs end in the word "Blues", ie, "Monday Morning Blues", "Jelly Roll Blues" and "Preacher Man Blues" to name three, the overall feel of their early recordings is minstrel/stage musical type songs. They were a part of the Mamie Smith Review in May of 1922 where 19,000 paying members of the public saw them. "Strut Miss Lizzie" and "My Mammy" sound more like the song titles that the music itself portrays. I've heard better quality recordings from this era before, the low-fi is even lower than usual, in fact many of today's recording engineers would love to get this very sound.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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