This is a true hidden classic and an incredibly warm recording. The small combo setting really allows these two heavyweights Jimmy Witherspoon and Ben Webster to shine. The mood is laid-back and down-home. Accompanying musicians include trumpeter Gerald Wilson, pianist Ernie Freeman, bassist Ralph Hamilton and drummer Jim Miller. This version mastered by Kevin Gray sounds amazing!

• Limited Edition
• 180 Gram Audiophile Vinyl
• Plated and Pressed at QRP USA
• Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio
• Cut from the Original Analog Master Tapes

Somehow this 1961 Reprise title seems to have escaped the audiophile must-have list. It's a true hidden classic and an incredibly warm recording. The small combo setting really allows these two heavyweights to shine. The mood is laid-back and down-home. Accompanying musicians include trumpeter Gerald Wilson, pianist Ernie Freeman, bassist Ralph Hamilton and drummer Jim Miller. Roots was recorded at the often underrated or forgotten Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California. The studio, built in 1929, was one of the truly great - and great-sounding - studios of its day with an unbelievable discography of classics to its name.

"... Kudos to blues lover Chad Kassem for recognizing the sonic pearl hiding behind a good but not stellar original recording. Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio has proven yet again why vinyl rules the audiophile universe. Compared to a white label promo original, this issue is a quantum leap improvement, with three dimensional images and a big fat sound to die for." Recording = 10/10; Music = 10/10 — Dennis D. Davis, Hi-Fi +

"When the line below the artist's name says 'featuring Ben Webster,' and even if the artist is a bluesman to the core, you know there will be jazz inflections. If anyone was able to show that the to genres are inextricably linked, it's Witherspoon, who could take material by Bill Broonzy and make it sound like it was filtered through Count Basie. ... you'll be torn between filing it with blues or jazz. Buy it for one of the finest interpretations ever of 'Key to the Highway.'" — Sound Quality 90 percent — Ken Kessler, Hi-Fi News

Musicians:

Jimmy Witherspoon, vocals
Ben Webster, saxophone
Gerald Wilson, trumpet
Ernie Freeman, piano
Jim Miller, drums
Ralph Hamilton, bass

Track Listing:

Side A
1. I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water
2. I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town
3. Key To The Highway
4. Did You Ever
5. Confessin' The Blues
6. Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out

Side B
1. Your Red Wagon
2. Rain Is Such A Lonesome Sound
3. Cherry Red
4. It's A Low Down Dirty Shame
5. Just A Dream
6. Please, Mr. Webster

Click here to listen to samples on YouTube.com ♫