The final hour of this week’s Blues Before Sunrise begins in a different register from the blues-heavy close that follows it. Basin Street Boys open with “Voot Nay on the Vout Nay,” then Wes Montgomery’s “Dour on Six” shifts the program toward guitar-led jazz. Johnny Hartman’s “Long Ago & Far Away” and Ella Fitzgerald’s “I Never Had a Chance” keep the vocal focus intact, but the pacing remains spacious. Rather than rushing directly into a final blues set, the hour gives its opening sequence room to establish a late-night atmosphere built from contrasting singers, instrumentalists, and ensembles.

Shirley Scott’s “Moon Over Manakoora” extends that opening stretch, and Cats N Jammers follow with “I Cover the Waterfront” and “One Hundred Years from Today.” The pairing is notable for its placement: two selections by the same group serve as a bridge between the jazz-centered beginning and the blues material that occupies the latter half of the hour. “Quarter to Twelve” by Little Walter arrives after that sequence and changes the program’s focus immediately. The title itself fits the hour’s closing position, but the programming does not depend on a literal narrative. It uses the transition to bring the show back to a more direct blues sound.

Little Walter remains for “Crazy Legs,” giving the performer a two-song segment before Muddy Waters takes over with “Blow Wind Blow” and “Twenty Four Hours.” The paired selections by both artists create a deliberate sense of continuity. This is not a collection of isolated cuts; the hour repeatedly gives a musician more than one selection, allowing their place in the sequence to register. The earlier Cats N Jammers pairing works one way, while the Little Walter and Muddy Waters passages work another. The names change, but the programming method remains consistent.

Sonny Boy Williamson II’s “Nine Below Zero (1951)” follows Muddy Waters, and the parenthetical date is preserved in the playlist as part of the supplied title. Freddy King’s “Now I’ve Got a Woman” then leads to Guitar Slim’s “Certainly” and “All,” two consecutive selections that tighten the focus again before the close. The program does not supply historical notes to explain these connections, so the strength of the sequence lies in what can be heard in its construction: songs by major blues artists placed in a compact final run, with each performer allowed a distinct entrance.

Fleetwood Mac’s “Albatross” provides the hour’s final selection. Its placement after Guitar Slim gives the show one last change in direction without abandoning the larger emphasis on guitar. That ending also mirrors the hour’s opening, where Wes Montgomery’s presence set a guitar-oriented tone amid the vocal selections. Between those bookends, the program travels through jazz vocals, organ-led material, group performances, harmonica-centered blues, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Freddy King, and Guitar Slim.

The hour’s design makes it a strong conclusion to the full five-hour broadcast because it gathers several of the week’s recurring ideas into one sequence. There is jazz beside blues, vocal performance beside instrumental work, and extended attention to individual artists beside brief appearances that change the color of the playlist. The selections do not need a declared special theme to feel connected. Their order supplies the argument: the show can move from Basin Street Boys to Fleetwood Mac while keeping its identity intact.

The last hour also avoids a simple escalation toward a finale. It begins with a broad jazz palette, settles into a concentrated blues run, and ends with a distinct final recording rather than another vocal or another Muddy Waters selection. That measured approach gives the close a sense of completion. Blues Before Sunrise finishes the week by letting jazz and blues share the same late-night space, then leaves the listener with a guitar-centered final word.

Hour 5 Playlist

Voot Nay on the Vout Nay — Basin Street Boys

Dour on Six — Wes Montgomery

Long Ago & Far Away — Johnny Hartman

I Never Had a Chance — Ella Fitzgerald

Moon Over Manakoora — Shirley Scott

I Cover the Waterfront — Cats N Jammers

One Hundred Years from Today — Cats N Jammers

Quarter to Twelve — Little Walter

Crazy Legs — Little Walter

Blow Wind Blow — Muddy Waters

Twenty Four Hours — Muddy Waters

Nine Below Zero (1951) — Sonny Boy Williamson II

Now I’ve Got a Woman — Freddy King

Certainly — Guitar Slim

All — Guitar Slim

Albatross — Fleetwood Mac