The influence of Louis Jordan on American music has often been overlooked, but it cannot be underestimated. From the 1930s until the 1960s, Louis Jordan had more singles on the best-seller charts than all but a handful of artists. His style of music combined jazz, jump-blues, vaudeville, and novelty songs, and is as American as baseball and the Liberty Bell. Without Louis Jordan, rhythm and blues and rock ’n’ roll would be very different animals. Music lovers in New Orleans should be familiar with Louis Jordan, whether via John Mooney’s version of the classic “Early in the Morning,” the Neville Brothers’ cover of “Saturday Night Fish Fry,” or the assorted choruses of “Caldonia” done by the ReBirth Brass Band or Kermit Ruffins and the Barbeque Swingers. Now B.B King, another one of the great American music masters, has put out a record, Let the Good Times Roll, dedicated to the music and memory of Louis Jordan.

B.B. King has been playing Louis Jordan songs for several decades, so these songs fit him like a comfortable suit. He sings the good time tunes like “Beware” and “Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens” with humor and a good-natured smile in his voice. On the more down-and-out numbers such as “Early in the Morning” and “I’m Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town,” his voice rings with just the right touch of world-weariness and experience. The record captures an intimacy in King’s voice where he sounds like he is next to you casually talking or whispering in your ear. King’s guitar playing is as soulful as ever, and he shares the solos with his band mates, who are the not-so-secret weapon on this recording. They include Dr. John on piano, Earl Palmer on drums, and several members of the Ray Charles’ Atlantic horn section including David “Fathead” Newman, Hank Crawford, and Marcus Belgrave. All these musicians are stalwart veterans who have been playing this music for forty years, and it shows in the best of ways. The horns are tight in the ensemble sections, and they honk and wail like they used to back in the good old days. Dr. John’s piano adds the barrelhouse touch, and Earl Palmer’s backbeat never varies.

All of this combines into a record that is friendly and full of great songs that make you laugh and sing. The good nature and relaxed, fun attitude of the tunes and the players make B.B. King’s Let the Good Times Roll one of the best party records of the year.