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Who
we are
| | Jimmy Witherspoon: Spoon's
Blues
(Stony
Plain 1995)
"Jimmy WItherspoon's "Singin the Blues" is already on one of the
Top 25 Essential Lindy Hop CDs. To supplement that CD, this recent random
find of mine in a used CD bin brings 'Spoon deep into the Groove. Many of
'Spoon's greatest Lindy tunes are re-recorded on this album with an amazingly
grooving rhythm section that really gives some rhythmic intensity and
low-frequency "ummph!" to some staid old standards. It includes
my favorite versions of "Lotus Blossom," "Low Down Dirty
Shame" and "I'll Always Be In Love With You," a slower tune
featuring acoustic guitar accompaniment. Many jazz critics pan
Witherspoon's later work, in large part because his voice did start to fail him
in later years, especially in live performances. But the voice is not all
gone on this album, and his vocal phrasing is always rich and
"real." Moreover, it is the overall package, not just how Jimmy
sings in isolation, that makes this album shine for Lindy Hoppers.
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