Otis Spann – Otis Spann Is The Blues (with Robert Lockwood, Jr.) (Pure Pleasure Records)

Recorded August 23, 1960 at Fine Recording Studios in New York by George Piros, the same recording engineer who did many of the great Mercury Living Presence releases. Excellent recording. Highly recommended.

Another absolute gem from Alan Bates’ Candid label, this may be Otis Spann’s finest piece of work on wax. He may not have been the blues, but he was sure close to being the blues pianist. Spann provided wonderful, imaginative, tasty piano solos and better-than-average vocals. He was arguably the best player whose style was more restrained than animated. Not that he couldn’t rock the house, but Spann’s forte was making you think as well as making you dance.

This is another in Pure Pleasure’s Candid Series, featuring reissues from an incredible label that met its demise some 40 years ago. The American Candid label has achieved a near legendary status among the critics and the International jazz and blues public. The series was born in 1960 when Archie Bleyer, owner of the Cadence label decided to indulge his love of jazz and blues and create his own line – called Candid. Archie approached Nat Hentoff – a likeable and knowledgeable critic, author and journalist active in New York at the time. Hentoff accepted the challenge of producing the albums and history was made. However, the label went out of business in 1961 and remained that way for a quarter of a century. Then Alan Bates acquired the masters and renamed his Black Lion Productions company Candid. Bates made the Candid titles available again on CD. These Candid titles were very well recorded and the performances generally are stunning. Great sound and music.

Format : Vinyl Record

1 Lp