Musical chemistry is a fine art and putting two stellar players together is no sign of success, those molecules could either crackle and sparkle or fizzle out and implode. And when those artists are as diverse as Jimmy Witherspoon and Robben Ford, that admixture is all the more difficult; one was the elder statesman of blues, the other a young hotshot guitarist and it seemed that never the twain would meet. However, proving that opposites do attract, Jimmy and Robben formed a formidable partnership not only on several studio outings, but in the live arena too. Proof to their combined prowess arrives in the shape of Jump Blues Live 1972, a collection of nine live tracks that finds them pooling their considerable talents for one explosive album.
No matter what your musical preferences, the sheer effervescence of opening track ‘Don’t Start Me Talkin’’ cannot be denied. It bristles with nervous energy and bursts from the speakers with unbridled enthusiasm; the golden rays it omits are highly contagious and will have all but the frail and infirm up and shaking their stuff (or, at least, anyone with a pulse). It has a life-affirming quality that only this type of blues has, it fills the listener with joy and could do more to cure depression than anything a doctor could prescribe. However, both Jimmy and Robben prove themselves a versatile pairing meaning that the title of this disc doesn’t really do the music inside justice; it covers the whole spectrum of blues and visits all the various facets. It also evidences how the genre was pillaged for popular culture. ‘Ain’t Nobody’s Business’ set the template for early (and best) Fleetwood Mac, and we all know what Cream did with ‘Spoonful’, these original tunes were appropriated by everyone from The Rolling Stones to Led Zeppelin, but here they are presented at their most authentic to deliver an abject lesson in the blues.
The real magic of this recording is how well Jimmy and Robben work together; there’s a lot of mutual respect here and it would have been easy for the rich voice of Jimmy to dominate (as it does on the aforementioned ‘Ain’t Nobody’s Business’), yet he’s content to step back and let Robben take centre stage (most notably unleashing some fretwork fireworks on ‘Nothing’s Changed’). Ably supported by a fine band (Paul Nagel, piano; Stan Poplin, bass; Jim Baum, drums) who create fertile ground from which much goodness grows, this evening of March 14th, 1972, at California’s Troubadour venue proved itself one of those moments of musical serendipity when the stars align and magic occurred. Thankfully, the tapes were rolling, and despite the age of the source material you can almost feel some of the energy that was crackling the air on that fateful night.
Liberation Hall are a label which release all genres of music, but following key releases from Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, and Lightnin’ Hopkins, they’ve proved themselves premier dealers in the blues, and Jump Blues Live 1972 is the jewel in their crown.
- Jump Blues Live 1972 is released via Liberation Hall on 26th September 2025 (available here).
Track List:
- Don’t Start Me Talkin’
- Ain’t Nobody’s Business
- My Babe
- Spoonful
- Past Forty Blues
- Kansas City
- Nothing’s Changed
- Around The Clock
- Goin’ Down Slow
