James Cotton's
It Was a Very Good Year is a tribute CD that has been restored from its "live" performance in Montreal's the New Penelope Cafe in the late '60s. The benefit of today's technology has assisted in capturing the chomaticism inherent in the harmonica playing of
James Cotton, excitement of
Albert Gianquito's piano (you may remember him from his stints with
Santana), Bobby Anderson on bass,
Francis Clay on drums, and
Luther Tucker on guitar. This blues band features a broad selection of tunes that range from the opener, "It Was a Very Good Year," in a sultry Latinized version to "The Midnight Creeper," a number loosely based on
Little Walter Jacobs' "Juke."
Cotton performs excellent covers of
Muddy Waters' famous "Hoochie Coochie Man" and
Otis Rush's big hit, "I Can't Quit You Baby." The highlight of this great set is the
Paul Butterfield Blues Band hit "One More Mile," written by
Cotton and featuring a dark elemental blues, which is a stark contrast to
Cotton's well-known style. This is a great find for those that may have thrown out their
Cotton LPs, and this newly restored CD is a nice treasure for blues fans.