Jazz Reviews : Blues Shouter Jimmy Witherspoon in Good Voice

Jimmy Witherspoon’s mojo was working just fine at the Vine Street Bar & Grill, where he opened Thursday and closes tonight. The Arkansas-born blues shouter, now 64, settled long ago into a pattern with which he feels comfortable, and it suits him as well now as it did back in his Jay McShann days.

Dressed formally in his urban suit for his urban homilies (but with plenty of back-country roots), he dips into his everlasting blues bag: the opening ballad (“Gee Baby Ain’t I Good to You”); a Kansas City double-time blues; a greasy old Jimmy Reed song; a shuffle rhythm blues, as well as “Goin’ to Chicago” and other verses that have been heard around the century.

Sometimes it does not seem to matter what the words may be. His sly, suggestive sound and occasional soundless, mouth-moving hesitations have their own inimitable eloquence. Even the non-sequitur medley of songs that had nothing in common but their 16-bar form--from “The Saints” to “One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer” to “Loveless Love”--made senseless sense.

Spoon, as his fans call him, never seems to look for new material. He had his first record hit with “ ‘Tain’t Nobody’s Business” in 1952 and it continues to serve him well, as does his famous “Don’t Gotta” verse (“Don’t gotta take you to the dentist tomorrow morning ‘cause I’m knocking out your teeth tonight”). Still, a few additions to the repertoire surely wouldn’t hurt.

Outstanding in a generally excellent rhythm section was the remarkable guitarist Terry Evans, who was alloted ample solo space for his sometimes single-string, sometimes chorded, always swinging solos. Larry Gales, playing some of his bass choruses with a bow, was in typically able form. Roy Alexander on piano and Maurice Simon Jr. completed the backup foursome.