Trailblazin' the blues

"Jasmine's aptly titled 2-CD set presents 60 tracks culled from 11 labels and eight recording venues over the period 1951-1957, which puts the spotlight on Turner's skills not only as a singer, pianist, guitarist and bandleader, but also as a talent scout and record producer ... history should never be allowed to dim Ike Turner's role as a trailblazer of not only the blues, but of rock and soul as well. Though not exhaustive, this collection presents a carefully chosen (by Neil Slaven and Bob Fisher) overview of the first phase of Turner's long and influential career".