Walking The Blues (2024 Remaster) Otis Spann

• 1 It Must Have Been The Devil (2024 Remaster) 03:48
• 2 Otis' Blues (2024 Remaster) 04:21
• 3 Going Down Slow (2024 Remaster) 04:03
• 4 Half Ain't Been Told (2024 Remaster) 04:45
• 5 Monkey Face Woman (2024 Remaster) 05:06
• 6 This Is The Blues (2024 Remaster) 03:13
• 7 Evil Ways (2024 Remaster) 03:54
• 8 Come Day, Go Day (2024 Remaster) 04:14
• 9 Walking The Blues (2024 Remaster) 05:00
• 10 Bad Condition (2024 Remaster) 04:27
• 11 My Home Is In The Delta (2024 Remaster) 03:14
• Total Runtime 46:05

Info for Walking The Blues (2024 Remaster)

Although Spann made a name for himself in Chicago by the mid-1940s, it wasn't until 1960 that he got the opportunity to record an album of his own. The sessions Spann did with Candid Records co-founder Nat Hentoff that year resulted in the legendary album Otis Spann Is the Blues. (Incidentally, this was also the first album ever recorded for the fledgling New York City-based label.)

The tracks on Walking the Blues were recorded during those same sessions in August of 1960 in New York City. Left on the cutting room floor, they would not be officially released until 1972, two years after Spann's untimely death.

Robert Lockwood, Jr., also from Muddy Water's group, accompanies Spann on guitar here as he does on the Is the Blues album. But Walking the Blues also features Spann's close friend, veteran singer and composer James Oden, better known to blues fans as St. Louis Jimmy.

Stripped down to just the these musicians, this magnificently performed and produced set showcases Spann's voice as well as piano. Spann stretches out with his pulsing two-handed rhythmic attack, and brings the barrelhouse piano style of his youth in line with the modern Chicago style he embodied.

More than a simple showcase of talent, Walking the Blues serves as a testament to Spann’s legacy, presenting a blend of solo and ensemble settings that emphasize both his virtuosity and his sensitivity as an accompanist. The album’s raw, unfiltered feel captures the essence of blues as lived experience, making it a vital listen for fans of the genre and a fitting tribute to a musician whose influence continues to resonate.

"Walking the Blues is arguably the finest record Otis Spann ever cut, boasting 11 cuts of astounding blues piano. On several numbers, Spann is supported by guitarist Robert Jr. Lockwood and their interaction is sympathetic, warm, and utterly inviting. ... Most importantly, however, is the fact that Walking the Blues simply sounds great -- it's some of the finest blues piano you'll ever hear." 8Thom Owens, AMG)

“His playing is rich with tradition but always carries his own stamp, full of warmth and expressive power.” – The Guardian

“Walking the Blues is a reminder of just how central Spann was to the Chicago sound, his piano lines as essential as any guitar riff.” – Rolling Stone

Otis Spann, vocals, piano
Robert Lockwood Jr., guitar (tracks 1, 3–5, 7, 8, 10 & 11)
St. Louis Jimmy, vocals (tracks 3, 5, 8, 10)

Digitally remastered

Please Note: we do not offer the 192kHz version of this album, because our analysis clearly showed, that the 192kHz does not reach a frequency spectrum, that would justify to offer 192kHz. Hence we offer the 96kHz version.

Otis Spann
the first piano player inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, did more than anyone to define the pianist’s role in postwar Chicago blues. His rock-solid support of Muddy Waters throughout the ’50s and ’60s was superb, and during his last decade Spann was able to record an impressive number of his own albums, which showcased the depth of his blues even more convincingly. Many of Spann’s recordings were made with various configurations of the Muddy Waters band, but among his most memorable sessions were those pairing him with only a guitarist or a drummer. Spann’s rumbling piano and ruminant vocals were sometimes reminiscent of the previous Chicago blues piano king, Big Maceo Merriweather. Ironically, Spann’s only minor hit single, “Hungry Country Girl,” recorded with the Fleetwood Mac band, was not released until after his death from cancer on April 24, 1970. His age was officially listed as 40, based on a March 21, 1930 birthdate that appears in various documents, but many who knew Spann thought him to be considerably older. (All Music Guide)

This album contains no booklet.