The father of urban blues, song crooner and guitar master Alonzo "Lonnie" Johnson had been cutting records 35 years when he made this solo session on December 28, 1960, yet the vitality, grace, and haunting emotional quality of his music were undiminished by time. A collection of nine blues tunes and three popular standards, Losing Gameincludes one rare example of Johnson accompanying himself on piano--"Evil Woman"-- and a stunning guitar instrumental--"Slow and Easy"--on which he further developed the surprise-filled triplet patterns he'd made famous with his 1927 solo chorus on Louis Armstrong's "I'm Not Rough." Not rough, indeed, Johnson was one of the smoothest, sweetest blues and jazz stylists who ever lived.