Monterey Jazz Fest
2008
Live At The 1972 Monterey Jazz Festival
About This Album
Blues vocalist Jimmy Witherspoon is at the peak of his performing career during this 1972 Monterey Jazz Festival set, where he is backed by a young but enthusiastic electric band that he had recruited after hearing them open for him in a club the previous year. Witherspoon is in a playful mood, frequently speaking to the crowd. The program is filled with several Witherspoon's most popular numbers, including the humorous "I'm Going to Move to the Outskirts of Town," "Kansas City," and "Early One Morning." Following his raucous take of "Walkin' by Myself," the stage curtain is evidently pulled prematurely, provoking an extended outburst from the singer, who repeatedly threatens to cut the curtain with his knife to the delight of the crowd. His relaxing "Ain't Nobody's Business What I Do" is truncated as he explains to the crowd that he is dedicating "I Want a Little Girl" to Jimmy Rushing (a blues giant who had passed away a few months earlier), incorporating a few asides to the crowd and featuring Robben Ford's blistering guitar. Ford incites the audience with his solo in "Goin' Down Slow" with the leader shouting his name repeatedly to encourage their response.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and 8)

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