Celebrating his 80th birthday this year, B.B. King is universally hailed as the reigning king of the blues, and a legend in his own time. He is without doubt the most influential electric blues guitar player of our time, having had a formidable impact on the development of both modern blues and rock & roll music. Any conceivable contemporary blues guitar solo boasts at least a couple of bent notes, noticeably influenced by king. Disc one of blues d’azur features a concert by B. B. King and his orchestra, recorded in January 1983, at the Palais the festivals in Cannes, France, during Midem, the annual convention for professionals of the music industries. King performs splendid renditions of some of his signature tunes, such as: The Thrill Is Gone, Paying The Cost To Be The Boss, and Everyday I Have The Blues. The late great jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, who was also performing that night, joins King for "Jam", the closing track making this a truly unique album. Disc two contains no less than twenty-two vintage recordings of the 50s, from the beginning of the artist’s career, notably his very first hit Three O’clock Blues. There simply can be no doubt that B.B. King will reign as the genre's undisputed king for as long as he lives - so happy birthday B.B. King, long live the king, and may we all be so privileged as to enjoy his royal highness of blues, and his music, for many more years to come.