JIMMY RUSHING — Five Feet of Soul (review)

JIMMY RUSHING — Five Feet of Soul album cover Album · 1963 · Vocal Jazz Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Matt
As I sit here listening to Jimmy Rushing start "Just Because", the band is really swinging and when Jimmy starts singing one cannot mistake the Blues which was Jimmys love and could he sing them. Jimmy Rushing meet up with Count Basie back in 1927 while Playing with "The Blue Devils" and soon they became the best of friends and would work together from 1934 to 1950 until Jimmy decided to go it alone. Jimmy was the master at this art in the forties and fifties and boy could he sing those Blues. He had soul, and most of all joy, he really could convey that special feeling across with that slight rasp behind his voice and could he hit the notes. No shortage of work for Jimmy in the fifties with clubs, concerts and Jazz festivals and he twice won top singer in "Downbeat". The album has a host of muscians in the band, seventeen in all, the most notable would be Zoot Sims, with Arrangements by Al Cohn and recorded in January 1963.

Swing it is which leads us into the album with the band giving one great intro with brass everywhere and Jimmy with a quick delivery launches into this sprightly number which kicks in always with great time and trumpets are always at the top with the song, "Just Because". Ten songs on the album with a real mix of swing and ballads and we even get "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It". One thing though when Jimmy sings it is blues and the second song on the album "' Tain't Nobody's Biz-Ness If I Do" is one great Blues song with its slow trombone intro and Jimmy's vocal throughout. "Heartaches" is next and the swing is back with the band kicking in every chance they get and a great tune is the result. There are two Jimmy Rushing Compositions on the album and both are blues with " Please Come Back" being one and Mid Tempo is the best place to describe the time of the song. Although it is sung and played competently it is one of the weaker songs but the other "Did You Ever" is a different kettle of fish with its blues dominated structure and is one great slow blues tune with superb trumpet. A great lively version of "My Buckets Got a Hole In It" is the album finisher. The other tunes on the album are a mix of ballads and swing with that band always providing that Big Band sound behind and Jimmy singing as always with the blues.

Great effort and some real swinging stuff with some terrific blues included. I find it hard to say which is the best Jimmy Rushing album as they all have great moments and this one is another but usually there always seems to be the odd song that does not quite get there but all in all still a good album from Jimmy.
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