"The Bluesville Years" Vol. 12 - Jump, Jumpin' The Blues 1960-63

The title might lead you to believe that you're going to hear a jump blues collection, but many listeners wouldn't find that categorization strictly accurate. It would be better to say that these 22 songs, all recorded for Bluesville and Prestige between 1959 and 1964, concentrate more on the upbeat, uptempo face of the blues experience, rather than the more downbeat aspects that have more visibility in popular culture. (In fact, they're given more visibility on compilations such as this one's direct predecessor, The Bluesville Years Vol. 11: Blues Is a Heart's Sorrow.) Most of the names here are mid-to-upper-level blues icons -- Otis Spann and James Cotton (playing together), Sonny Terry, Lightnin' Hopkins, Memphis Slim, Willie Dixon, Billy Boy Arnold, Roosevelt Sykes, and Jimmy Witherspoon -- though rather more obscure performers like K.C. Douglas, Homesick James, and Mildred Anderson are here too. Both rural and urban styles are represented, but urban styles are more in evidence. Sometimes, the blues is not just urban but urbane, with a jazzy feel on cuts by Little Brother Montgomery, Witherspoon, and Anderson (the last of whom has a band including tenor saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and organist Shirley Scott). A more hard-hitting brand of brash electric blues, however, is on board via cuts by Arnold, Homesick James, Spann, and Cotton. The Spann-Cotton duet on "Lightnin'" (with Muddy Waters on guitar) is the high spot of the disc. This is a good sampler of the Bluesville/Prestige catalog. (Richie Unterberger, All-Music Guide)

trax:

1. You Got A Good Thing Now - K.C. Douglas 2. My Baby Done Gone - Sonny Terry 3. High Powered Woman - Sonny Terry 4. Good Potatoes - Memphis Willie B. 5. Wine Spodee-O-Dee - Lightnin' Hopkins 6. Frankie And Johnny Boogie - Memphis Slim 7. Don'y You Tell Nobody - Willie Dixon & Memphis Slim 8. Santa Fe - Little Brother Montgomery 9. Get Out Of Here - Billy Boy Arnold 10. You Better Cut That Out - Billy Boy Arnold 11. Working With Homesick - Homesick James 12. Lightnin' - Otis Spann/ James Cotton 13. It Won't Happen Again - Shakey Jake 14. Runnin' The Boogie - Roosevelt Sykes 15. Hey Big Momma - Roosevelt Sykes 16. Good Time Special - Curtis Jones 17. One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer - Jimmy Witherspoon 18. Kansas City - Jimmy Witherspoon 19. Drinking Beer - Jimmy Witherspoon 20. I'm Free - Mildred Anderson 21. Cool Kind Of Poppa - Mildred Anderson 22. Slim's Shout - Sunnyland Slim

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