Recorded by George Mitchell between 1967 and 1968, Mississippi Delta Blues, Volume 1 is an excellent sampling of the more shadowy and esoteric sounds of the Delta. Rarest among them are two contributions from Napoleon Strickland and his Como Drum Band, a couple of the woefully few recorded examples of the Delta"s rich fife-and-drum tradition. But plenty of unlikely names turn up on this set, including Memphis Jug Band veteran Dewey Corley, who delivers a rollicking kazoo-and-washboard workout on "Fishing in the Dark"; the recorded debut of harpist Johnny Woods, a long-time friend and accompanist of Fred McDowell; and a jam-session-cum-summit meeting of the Blues and Rhythm Boys, an impromptu assemblage featuring latter-day Delta legends Robert Nighthawk, Houston Stackhouse, and Peck Curtis. Essential--if obscure--stuff. --Matt Hanks