Fred Longshaw

To be mentioned in association with a masterpiece by Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith is a banana split, to use one of classic blues diva Smith's most appealing metaphors. The whipped cream on top is to have accomplished this using weird instruments, reed organ or harmonium, for example, inspiring critics to describe the results with heartfelt wordplay, for example "wheezing" or, even better, "full throttle." Fred Longshaw's main instruments were piano and organ, to be sure, utilized on about 20 recording sessions in less than ten years beginning in 1924. Much larger numbers w...