Witherspoon Puts Twist in Old Favorites

There’s an atmosphere hovering near singer Jimmy Witherspoon, but it’s not the storm clouds that dog other bluesmen. Witherspoon radiates optimism, personal charm and enough charisma to whip a substitute organist into shape in a matter of minutes.

Witherspoon, who opened five nights at Elario’s on Wednesday, leaned on the blues standards he’s favored for years. That sounds potentially boring, but by the end of the set he had proved how a true blues master can give an old song a fresh turn.

At 66, Witherspoon seems not to have lost any of the skills that initially made him a hit with Jay McShann’s band in the ‘40s. In fact, he claims surgery for throat cancer in the early 1980s actually improved his voice, and the evidence is there.

Compared with some of his ‘50s and ‘60s work, Witherspoon now has more range, and his voice has taken on a smoky, mellow tone all the more suited to the material.

Wednesday’s first set began with two numbers from Witherspoon’s band, including Maurice Simons Jr. on drums, Richard Taylor filling in on organ for Roy Alexander plus the T-Bone Walker-influenced sounds of guitarist Terry Evans, the band’s workhorse.

All through the set, Evans served as a perfect foil for Witherspoon, supplying all the soul of the classic blues guitarists, but with concise jazz runs and chords instead of the usual radical string bends.

Witherspoon stepped to the stage for “Gee Baby Ain’t I Good to You,” stretching single words through several notes, punctuating an emotional accent with a yelp and giving Taylor his first solo almost immediately. With Witherspoon’s coaxing and encouragement, Taylor’s playing soon moved from tentative to swinging, and the band hit its stride.

Next up was a medley beginning with Count Basie’s “Don’t You Miss Your Baby” and ending with the blues standard “One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer,” featuring another solo from Taylor, coached by a clapping, moving ‘Spoon.

Witherspoon’s version of “C.C. Rider” is not to be missed, taken at a snail’s pace that lets the singer weave sensuous new melodic twists and turns around every word and phrase. Besides encouraging Taylor, Witherspoon is clearly the group’s musical guru, singing out new guitar patterns that Evans picked up on the spot, controlling the tempo and dynamics with a wave or a nod.

Evans’ solo was a highlight of the medium tempo “You Got Me Runnin,’ ” mixing single note lines, subtle melodic chord progressions and repeated blues motifs.

The balance of the set included the slow, sensuous blues ballad “In the Dark,” which Witherspoon just recorded for the first time for an album due later this year. Also coming is an album with a mega-talented Chinese blues guitarist, Witherspoon said.

Not only is Witherspoon’s voice in top shape, but the years seem to have provided the range of experiences to pack each blues standard with authentic, raw emotion.