Junior Watson

playing style is a living link to the pre-rock era, when six-stringers like Charlie Christian, T-Bone Walker and Tiny Grimes were paving the way for the rock ‘n’ roll explosion of the 1950s. That immediately recognizable style is showcased on (Little Village Foundation), his fifth album as a leader. It’s full of swingin’ blues executed with Watson’s fat tone, trademark humor and penchant for surprising listeners — like a ska version of the Duke Ellington swing standard “Caravan” — along with doses of string-weeping “deep” blues.