Guitarists like Jennings were solid riff-'n'-pickin' players who could keep swinging time and solo with pronounced lines. Many R&B guitarists like Tiny Grimes, Carl Hogan and Floyd Smith saw minimal jazz recording work in the LP era due to the wealth of studio players like Barry Galbraith, Mundell Lowe, Kenny Burrell and Chuck Wayne and heavy-lifter headliners like Wes Montgomery and Grant Green.
A left-handed picker who also could play while holding the guitar upside down, Jennings was an R&B showman with an earthy sound and urgent attack. Late in his career, he lost a finger on his fretting hand and had to switch to the bass. His last known recording was in 1968.
Enough Said stands out for Jennings' improvisation on an assortment of bluesthe loping title track, the up-tempo Tough Gain, the slow-as-syrup Brillin' And Bluin' and the slithery Blue Jam. There's also a savvy theme-like tune called Dig Uncle Will. On many tracks, particularly the last one, Jennings' notes sound like rifle shots zinging on canyon walls in '50s Westerns.
JazzWax tracks: Much of Bill Jennings' Enough Said has
MP3:
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved.