J.B. Hutto - Stompin' at Mother Blues

J.B. Hutto - Stompin' at Mother Blues  - Delmark

The late J.B. Hutto was among the most gifted of those slide guitarists who were heavily indebted to the legendary Elmore James. The Georgia-born Hutto played a fierce broom dusting slide mixed with his powerful vocals that probably are best  captured on the first volume of the classic series, “Chicago, The Blues Today.” Delmark has just released a new cd of previously unissued tracks, Stompin' at Mother Blues, that makes available a complete session with the same band (bassist Herman Hassell and drummer Frank Kirkland) that appeared on those celebrated recordings and six recordings from a 1972 session with Lee Jackson on second guitar, Elbert Buckner on bass and Bombay Carter on drums. 

From the first session, only “Hip Shakin’” (heard here) was previously issued on Hutto's first Delmark album, “Hawk Squat,” while of the six tracks (along with some studio chatter) come from the session that produced “Slidewinder,” three are unissued, two alternate takes and one was issued on Delmark Records - 50 Years of Jazz and Blues. The two sessions were done during the day at the now-defunct Mother Blues.

There are some exceptional tracks here as on the opening “Evening Train,” with its “Dust My Broom” riff and Hutto's insistent vocal while on other tracks, the backing does not seem as balanced as on “My Soul” and the rendition of “Alcohol Blues” is not as charged as Hutto and the Hawks' performance on “Chicago The Blues Today.” One of the performances, “If You Change Your Mind,” was recut with a slightly different band including pianist Sunnyland Slim for the “Hawk Squat” album, and was stronger than this earlier recording, which is by no means poor. “Married Woman Blues” and “Sorry,” have strong vocals although the backing is not as crisp as this band was at its best. With respect to the 1972 tracks, Hutto is upfront as always, but the band seems more in the background and not nearly as sympathetic accompanists. None of these tracks comes close to the level of the chilling original “Too Late,” which was a highlight of “Slidewinder.” 

This is a release more for blues slide guitar fans and Hutto completists. For those not familiar with J.B. Hutto, you should get  “Chicago The Blues Today Volume 1” (which also has excellent Junior Wells and Otis Spann) and “Hawk Squat” before this release.

This review originally appeared in the November-December 1999 Jazz & Blues Report. I have made minor stylistic changes. I likely received a review copy from Delmark. Here is a vintage clip of J.B. Hutto.