Witherspoon's Voice, McDuff's Groove, Pure Blues
Witherspoon at his most relaxed and assured, his voice hugely expressive and in top form.
Jimmy Witherspoon's voice dominates here, but Jack McDuff's organ is what gives The Blues Is Now its particular character. McDuff doesn't play like a sideman backing a singer — he's a full partner, trading space, pushing the groove, letting the organ breathe under and around Witherspoon's phrasing. The organist's touch is conversational rather than flashy; he knows when to lay back and when to lean in, and that restraint is what makes this album feel so natural.
Witherspoon had recorded plenty by 1967, but Thomas Ward's assessment for AllMusic holds up — this really is among his finest moments on Verve. His voice here is relaxed, confident, neither straining for drama nor settling for routine. The blues aren't being performed for an audience; they're being lived in a room with friends. Ray Appleton's drumming keeps things loose and swinging without ever feeling busy. There's no horn section cutting through with fanfare, no string arrangements softening the edges. It's just organ, drums, and one of the great blues singers doing exactly what he does.
This is a late-night album, the kind you put on when you want company but not company that demands anything from you. It doesn't break new ground and doesn't need to. What it does is prove that when the right musicians find the right pocket together, restraint and simplicity can be enough. Witherspoon's relaxation is audible in every phrase, and that ease spreads to everyone else in the room.
Who's playing
Ray Appletondrums
