Posers come and posers go (such as Michael Bubbles, but we won’t mention names) but they all pale when compared to the real thing, and the real thing is Jimmy Witherspoon. He could shout the blues, milk a ballad or croon a love tune like no one else. Here are some sessions, from 1959 and 1961 that define what a MAN, and not some pasty skinned, tight jeaned and man-bunned pansy, is supposed to sound like.
He’s teamed here with a mix of big swing bands and bands with strings, which include Gerald Wilson/tp, Lanny Morgan/as, Al Viola/g, Ben Webster/ts, Dick Nash/tb, Gerald Wiggins/p Land/ts and Mel Lewis/dr. Except for the commercial “Hey, Mrs Jones,” everything here is bona fide blues, which means it’s either about a) not wanting to sin b) wanting to sin c) sinning or d) sorry that you sinned with some lady. After a gorgeous intro, he belts out “Lover Come Back To Me,” and then delves deep into the dark recesses of KC blues wailing on “A Blues Serenade” and “Wee Baby Blues.” Wonderful emotions of regret drip on “Music, Maestro, Please” and “Don’t Worry About Me,” while the Spoon gives a sermon on “If You Live the Life, You Pay the Price.” Of the love tunes, he will make you swoon on”We’ll Be Together Again” while getting in your face on ”I Ain’t Mad At You.” In other words, he covers the waterfront of real life, and makes it sound real. This is blues how it’s supposed to be swung. WHEW!
Fresh Sound Records