Jimmy Witherspoon Quartet and Rozaa Wortham Live in Lugano

Jump blues might be considered the second iteration of the old blues tradition, an up-tempo style that preceded the advent of rock n roll and R&B. Here we witness a 1985 performance by one of its most revered practitioners. It had been half a century since the subgenre had mainstream popularity and Jimmy Witherspoon’s fame as the ‘blues shouter’ gave way to the likes of Elvis and Chuck Berry by the 50s. Yet, he remained a living legend and a man whose music illuminated the sibling relationship between jazz and the blues; just take a look at some of his collaborators: Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, and Earl Hines to name just a few.  

He is supported by the fabulous and relatively unknown Rozaa Wortham, who gives him a glowing introduction, stating that she grew up listening to Witherspoon, and he’s her Mom’s favorite which means “he’s hot!” From the first moment they take us back into the dusty history of early American music, delivering 1920s blues standards such as “Big Boss Man,” “Gee Baby, Aint' I Good To You” and his own signature tune, “Ain’t Nobody’s Business.”