In the early Fifties, Zuzu Bollin, a journeyman jump-blues singer-guitarist from Dallas, cut four superb sides for the tiny Torch label before fading away. Despite a deep, charcoal voice and a guitar style that, at times, echoed the poetic precision of T-Bone Walker, Bollin was somehow forgotten by all but the most avid blues collectors. That changed, however, in 1987 when it was discovered that Bollin was still living in the Big D and anxious to return to the blues after a thirty-five-year hiatus.

The propitious find led to a recording session and the local, vinyl-only release of Bollin's first-ever album, Texas Bluesman, in 1989. But Bollin's comeback was short-lived; he died in 1990 before he had the chance to resuscitate both his career and a big-band blues sound that had disappeared in the Sixties. Fortunately, Clifford Antone, owner of the Austin blues club and the record label that bear his name, thought so much of Texas Bluesman that he decided to re-release the album on CD and make it available to blues fans beyond the Lone Star State. Whether or not Bollin's reputation will grow larger is uncertain. But one thing is sure: Bollin should have been recording all the years he wasn't.

The proof is found in renditions of tunes like "Big Legs," "Hey Little Girl" and the Jimmy Rushing-Count Basie beauty "Blues in the Dark," all of which artfully depict how blues, rhythm & blues and Texas swing can mesh and, in the process, create big-band grooves that beckon feet to the dance floor. With Bollin at the mike and the smooth Juke Jumpers, complemented by old friends like saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman and guitarist Wayne Bennett, shoring up a swinging background, Texas Bluesman blows through contemporary music like a blast of fresh air. Bollin wasn't afraid to share the spotlight, either – just check out Bennett's eye-opening guitar work on "Cold, Cold Feeling."

On Texas Bluesman we get a taste of the state's blues legacy, but we're left with the sad wish that Bollin were around to enjoy the fun.

Texas Bluesman is available from Antone's Records, 2928 Guadalupe Street, Austin, TX 78705. (RS 624)

ROBERT SANTELLI