James Harman - Extra Napkins: Strictly The Blues... Vol. 1 (1988) [CD Rip]

Originally released on Rivera Records in 1988, this is the first of a projected series of compact discs chronicling the recording sessions that went into the making of James Harman's first fully formed studio endeavor. Harman approached the entire recording as if each song was a single, using whatever personnel were right for the song -- his regular band on some tunes, horns and other guest artists on others. This initial volume in the set collects the 12 songs that appeared on the original album, which laid the groundwork for Harman's later recorded efforts. As some 53 tunes were recorded in that fertile two-year period between 1985 and the album's final lineup here, this batch is apparently just the tip of iceberg. ~Review by Cub Koda