Otis Spann Is the Blues
| Otis Spann Is the Blues | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 1961[1] | |||
| Recorded | August 23, 1960 | |||
| Studio | Fine Recording, NYC | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Length | 44:40 | |||
| Label | Candid CJM/CJS 9001 | |||
| Producer | Nat Hentoff | |||
| Otis Spann chronology | ||||
| ||||
Otis Spann Is the Blues is an album by the blues pianist and vocalist Otis Spann. It was released in January 1961 through Candid Records.[1] The recording was made in New York in 1960.[5][6][7][8]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [9] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [10] |
| DownBeat | [11] |
AllMusic reviewer Ron Wynn stated: "Spann provided wonderful, imaginative, tasty piano solos and better-than-average vocals, and was arguably the best player whose style was more restrained than animated. Not that he couldn't rock the house, but Spann's forte was making you think as well as making you dance, and the tracks on Otis Spann Is the Blues will do both".[9]
John Wilson assigned the album 4 stars in his DownBeat review.[11] He wrote, "Spann plays compelling, pungent piano accompaniment to his own singing and to Lockwood’s as well and the two men team up for an unusual mixture of starkness and polish in their accompaniment to Lockwood’s singing of My Daily Wish. Between them, they have put together an attractive collection of strongly projected, un-gimmicked blues that draw heavily on the basic essentials of the style".[11]
Track listing
All compositions by Otis Spann except where noted
- "The Hard Way" − 5:02
- "Take a Little Walk with Me" (Robert Lockwood Jr.) − 3:25
- "Otis in the Dark" − 4:32
- "Little Boy Blue" (Lockwood) − 3:38
- "Country Boy" − 4:24
- "Beat-Up Team" − 5:59
- "My Daily Wish" (Lockwood) − 4:26
- "Great Northern Stomp" − 4:15
- "I Got Rumbling On My Mind #2" (Lockwood) − 4:02
- "Worried Life Blues" − 4:20
Personnel
- Otis Spann − vocals, piano
- Robert Lockwood Jr. − guitar, vocals
References
- ^ a b [2][3][4]
- ^ Ostrow, Marty, ed. (December 17, 1960). "All That Jazz" (PDF). The Cash Box. Vol. XXII, no. 14. New York: The Cash Box Pub. Co. p. 8.
- ^ Ackerman, Paul, ed. (January 9, 1961). "Candid Completes Jazz Recordings". Billboard Music Week. New York: The Billboard Pub. Co. p. 53.
- ^ Ostrow, Marty, ed. (January 28, 1961). "All That Jazz" (PDF). The Cash Box. Vol. XXII, no. 20. New York: The Cash Box Pub. Co. p. 32.
- ^ Edwards, D., & Callahan, M., Candid Records discography accessed November 11, 2019
- ^ Jazzlists Candid Label Discography, accessed November 11, 2019
- ^ Wirz' American Music: Otis Spann Discography accessed November 11, 2019
- ^ Jazzdisco: Candid Records Catalog: 8000/9000 seriesy accessed November 11, 2019
- ^ a b Jurek, Thom. Otis Spann: Otis Spann Is the Blues – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. p. 603. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.
- ^ a b c Wilson, John S. (March 30, 1961). "In Review". DownBeat. Vol. 28, no. 7. p. 48.