[.ca] Best Of The Vanguard Years

From Amazon.com:
The list of superstar blues pianists is a small but illustrious one, and no name shines brighter than that of Otis Spann, the Windy City wonder who was a conspicuous component of Muddy Waters's most legendary bands. Spann, who also recorded classics with Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, and other blues greats, was a peerless pianist, and this expansive 18-track compilation, complete with three previously unreleased tracks, enjoyably exhibits his keyboard expertise. Spann jumps right in with the rollicking instrumental "Marie," pounding the piano with force and finesse from the first note in a wide-ranging overview of his recorded work as a leader that spotlights his talents in several different contexts, including a rare Hammond B-3 organ instrumental via "Cryin' Time." Spann's signature solos are the main attraction, but his singing also gets ample attention. His wife, Lucille, joins in on several tracks, including two superheated gospel numbers, to further diversify the proceedings. It may not be Spann's most significant work (check out the Muddy Waters box for that), but the collection is definitely his best individual showcase. It's also an unmitigated delight for blues fans tired of guitars but still eager to immerse themselves in the music of the masters. --Michael Point

Solid Spann, but not his best:
It was with great anticipation that I acquired this CD--I am a longtime Otis Spann fan(atic) who welcomes each and every new release. Since Spann had his life cut short by cancer at age 40 (in 1970), and since he spent so much of his career as a sideman to the likes of Muddy Waters, there isn't nearly as much solo Spann as we fans would like. But I didn't do my research--I didn't realize that this album is really the 1969 Vanguard album Cryin' Time with 8 other miscellaneous tracks. I already had Cryin' Time on cassette. A good album, but not as tasty as some of Spann's stuff from earlier in the '60s. Some of this is reflected in the album's cuts from the excellent Chicago/The Blues/Today compilations that Vanguard issued in the early and mid-60s. One particular track, Burning Fire, is vintage Spann, with an anguished vocal and searing piano runs--gives you chills. The rest is good, not great. The previously unreleased tracks at the end are shared with Spann's wife Lucille, and the result is only middling. A must for the serious Spann fan, especially if you don't have Cryin' Time, but not the first one by him to get (I recommend "Otis Spann is the Blues" or the Candid stuff).

Master Of Blues Piano:
Otis Spann was a master of blues piano. In a field dominated by guitars, it is refreshing to hear some true, deep blues being played on the piano. The track "Sometimes I Wonder" was worth the price of the CD to me. The other reviews here pointed out that the sound quality is not state of the art. But you have to realize that these recordings were made in the 1960's and I'm sure the producers did the best they could with the source material. Yes a vocal cuts out on one song for a few seconds, but the alternative would be to leave the song of the album and I'd rather hear it somewhat less then perfect then not at all. Otis plays a good variety of slow and fast blues, swing type music, organ and even has his wife joins in on a few songs (she has good voice by the way). I would recommend this CD to anyone looking for good piano blues and definately to any Otis Spann fan.

Do not purchase this CD!:
Being a lover of the Blues, and especially Muddy Waters and his band, I decided to order a few Otis Spann CDs. The music on this CD is great, but the sound quality is bad. At least two tracks have the voice component cut out in the middle of the piece, for about 30 seconds (maybe a bit more). The sound on most tracks is also fuzzy, but I could live with this if not for the voice dropout problem.

• Marie
• Burning Fire
• S.P. Blues
• Sometimes I Wonder
• Spann's Stomp
• Home to Mississippi
• Blues Is a Botheration
• You Said You'd Be on Time
• Cryin' Time
• Blind Man
• Some Day
• Twisted Snake
• Green Flowers
• New Boogaloo
• Mule Kicking in My Stall
• Blues Jam \o#\c
• He's Got the Whole World in His Hands \o#\c
• My God \o#\c