Diane Witherspoon - Thanking You

All Music Guide

Thanking You may very well be Diane Witherspoon's most obscure album. Recorded for flutist Art Maxwell's Tonal Gravity label in 1989 and 1990, this CD had limited distribution and wasn't in print for very long -- many of Witherspoon's fans are unaware of its existence. Although not earth-shattering, Thanking You is a generally decent collection of live and studio performances. The live material was recorded at ~Yoshi's in Oakland, CA, in December 1989 and March 1990, while the six studio tracks are from a July 1990 session in Hollywood, CA. Thanking You is the sort of disc that has one foot in post-bop jazz and the other in RB -- Maxwell obviously wasn't catering to jazz purists or bop snobs when he released this CD in 1990. But those who hold jazz and RB in equally high regard will enjoy the material, which ranges from performances of "When You Wish Upon a Star" and Buddy Johnson's "Since I Fell for You" to soul-minded Witherspoon originals like "Everlasting Memory" and "Yes, I'll Dar...e." The latter manages to be ethereal and gritty at the same time, not unlike some of the fusion that Lonnie Liston Smith recorded with his Cosmic Echoes in the '70s -- in fact, "Yes, I'll Dare" is a song that would have been perfect for Cosmic Echoes vocalist Donald Smith (Lonnie's brother) back then. It should be noted that the acoustic pianist on all of the studio tracks is the late Johnny "Hammond" Smith (no relation to Lonnie or Donald). Although Hammond was best-known for his organ playing, his contributions to this CD demonstrate that he was also a capable pianist. Thanking You isn't Witherspoon's most essential release, but hardcore fans will appreciate the album if they're able to track down a copy. - Alex Henderson, All Music Guide Read more Less