Been Here and Gone In a time when virtually every piece of music is up for grabs, free for the taking with a click of a mouse, it is a joy to realize that hidden in the shadows of technology are pockets of rare recordings like Been Here and Gone. The term "labor of love" falls short of describing the effort in putting this type of project together. Woody Mann, among his many talents as a player and writer, has systematically devoted a significant amount of his career to documenting and preserving the legacy of the Blues. Another CD Woody produced, Lasting Love, by Attila Zoller, is another example of his determination to have important artists record, if for the last time, to leave their indelible imprint as musicians. Been Here and Gone, is in a way, a sampler of sorts, volleying between the guttural quality on Son House's voice and Jo Ann Kelly's free wheeling singing, anchored by Woody on guitars. This recording has a spiritual feeling, casting vocals on an undercurrent of strings, as if the singers are out at sea with their sails set to the wind. Son House is a little bit of everything-a singer, a grunter, a hummer, a poet. While declining to back himself up on guitar, he gets Woody to jump on board. And he does so admirably, undaunted by the fact that Woody was a mere pup, playing with a historically important figure when they recorded in 1972. There is an "all or nothing" quality to Son's singing, combining the experience of life, wrapped in despair and his testimonial reckoning with the blues. Ironically, the song titled, 'Blues Ain't Nothing' belies Son's life story of singing the blues, and fortunately, he is caught on record with the help of engineer and founder of Yazoo Records, Nick Perls. Son's unaccompanied version of 'Come to Die' is eerily haunting, imploring the Lord to have mercy on his soul in a measured chant-like tone. Jo Ann Kelly's sound is an amalgamation of styles, qualities cast from the depth of the Delta. She bends her voice to suit each message of the song. In Baby Where You Been, she sings in an airy manner compared to 'Bothering that Thing', where Jo Ann adds a textured layer, sounding more like an instrument than a vocalist. The glue to this recording is Woody's guitar and his keen insight as a producer. Interspersed among the vocal tunes are touching renditions of songs like his own 'Tacit-Slow Motion' which he later added to cleanse the pallet between rich courses of the blues. Gems like Been Here and Gone set Woody, Jo Ann and Son apart from the crowd and here they deliver a blues compilation that should be in every fan's collection. --Jeffrey Meyer