Album Review: Jimmy Witherspoon & Robben Ford – Jump Blues Live 1972

The heyday of jump blues had long since come and gone by 1972; the style enjoyed its moment in the time between the big band era and the birth of rock and roll. In fact, with its muscular arrangements, jump blues is sometimes thought of as the “missing link” connecting those two styles. But with the latter’s ascendancy, jump blues was all but forgotten for a time.

Thank goodness nobody told Jimmy Witherspoon. By ‘72 he was still out there, shouting and crooning, backed by a band that understood power and nuance, swing and swagger. And though his time would have seemed to have passed, in the very early 1970s Witherspoon was working with crossover artists like Eric Burdon. In 1972 he recorded a studio set for Blue Note, Spoonful. At that point in his career, Witherspoon had assembled and was touring with a band that included a young lead guitarist called Robben Ford.

Just past his 20^th birthday, Ford had already earned a spot playing with Charlie Musselwhite; just a few years later he’d take a prime role in Tom Scott’s fusion project, L.A. Express. But in between, he toured with Witherspoon, playing on Spoonful and a live album released in ‘77 with the inventive title Live. The latter is a highly-regarded release that was last in print in 1993. Other live recordings featuring Witherspoon and Ford have surfaced – documenting festival gigs in Monterey, Notodden and elsewhere – but the appearance of a new set from Liberation Hall remains a revelation.

Jump Blues Live 1972 isn’t a festival recording. It’s an expertly-recorded tape of a show in front of an intimate and enthusiastic audience at West Hollywood’s famed Troubadour. Mixing standards and the occasional original, this nine-song set showcases Witherspoon in fine form, with formidable guitar from Ford. The band is on fire: the rhythm section of Stan Poplin (bass) and drummer Jim Baum lays down a sold foundation, and when pianist Paul Nagel lets loose on a solo (as he does on a reading of “Kansas City”), the sparks fly.

At the center of it all, of course, is Jimmy Witherspoon. With full command of the mic, he pours his heart out, whipping up the crowd one moment and then seamlessly shifting gears for smoky numbers like “Nothing’s Changed.” Playful tunes like “Around the Clock” showcase Witherspoon’s rapport with the band and hint at young Ford’s bright future. And set-closer “Goin’ Down Slow” illustrates Witherspoon’s knowing way with a slow burner.

Thane Tierney’s brief liner note provides the necessary context; as he writes, even in 1972 Witherspoon was at the top of his game. Joined by a future star, on this Hollywood night, he brought the house down.