1965 · Album
Spoon In London
Recorded 1965, England · Prestige · Produced by Unknown
Blues Out of London, 1965
Witherspoon takes his Kansas City blues to London and sounds completely at home among the British players.
Spoon In London finds Jimmy Witherspoon, the blues vocalist known for his work with Count Basie and his own sturdy postwar recordings, working in England in 1965. The album was released on Prestige, and it captures him in a loose, unpretentious setting, singing the blues with the easy authority that marked his best work.
What you get is Witherspoon doing what he does best: a big, relaxed voice riding on swinging, straightforward arrangements. There is little experimentation here and no attempt to reinvent him for a new audience. The pleasure is in hearing a seasoned singer settle into material he knows well and enjoy it.
As a place to start with Witherspoon, this is not the obvious choice. His earlier recordings with Basie and his Prestige sessions with a stronger focus on his own repertoire are better entry points. But for listeners already familiar with him, this is a solid, enjoyable record from a period when he was still in peak voice, and it shows how well his style traveled outside the American club circuit.
Where next?
More by Jimmy Witherspoon
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