Muddy Waters At Newport 1960

The cover photograph of Muddy Waters holding John Lee Hooker's guitar gave the impression that he was at a folk festival rather than the prestigious Newport Jazz Festival. However, the record revealed the King of Chicago blues at his very best, shouting his music above the discordant wail of a band that included Otis Spann, James Cotton, Pat Hare, and Francis Clay. Film of the event shows a sharply dressed Waters shimmying and jiving around the stage with the energy of a man half his age. Some of that atmosphere is apparent on the record, in a program that includes Hoochie Coochie Man, Big Bill Broonzy's I Feel So Good, then-recent singles I Got My Brand on You and Soon Forgotten, and a massive Got My Mojo Working. The set ends in poignant mood with the announcement of the end of the festival and Otis Spann's improvised Goodbye Newport Blues.