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— The Analog Vault // Essential Listening —

Blues luminary John Lee Hooker’s esoteric guitar playing style - which was unbounded by strictures like melodic progression or “proper” chord changes - made him a nightmare for most bandmates. But on his sole album for Impulse! in 1966, producer Bob Thiele grouped Hooker with a dream team of jazz sidemen -  drummer Panama Francis, bassist Milt Hinton and guitarist Barry Galbraith - who not only understood their leader’s instincts, but accentuated them to their fullest degree.

As a result, It Serve You Right To Suffer remains one of Hooker’s finest albums, a rollicking effort that found his gruff and smoky pipes expressing merciless melancholy on everything from rock and roll, to boogie and blues - with a cover of Barrett Strong’s Motown classic "Money (That's What I Want)” thrown in for good measure. — The Analog Vault

John Lee Hooker's style of guitar playing has been imitated but never matched. The iconic bluesman's 1966 album It Serve You Right to Suffer for Impulse! was unusual because it teamed him with a jazz ensemble rather than a typical blues band. This setup was part of Impulse!'s broader effort to explore and expand the boundaries between jazz, blues, and other genres. The collaboration was partly driven by the growing interest in the blues among jazz audiences in the 1960s. Hooker's raw, emotional music resonated with the improvisational spirit of jazz. Impulse! wanted to showcase his talents in a new light by pairing him with a sophisticated jazz rhythm section — guitarist Barry Galbraith, bassist Milt Hinton, and drummer Panama Francis. These musicians had deep jazz credentials but were flexible enough to adapt to Hooker's deeply personal and rhythmically unique style.

The producer was Bob Thiele, head of the foundational jazz label Impulse! Records. The idea was to keep the tracklist down to just eight songs and let each one inhabit a mood, unencumbered by commercial demands for a single. The album combined Hooker's earthy, hypnotic blues sound with the polished backing of the jazz combo. Hooker's deep, gravelly voice and his raw, syncopated guitar riffs stood at the forefront, while the jazz players added a smoother, more textured groove underneath. The result was a unique fusion: it retained the grit and authenticity of Hooker's Delta blues roots but added a subtle, swinging sophistication. It Serve You Right to Suffer stands out in Hooker's discography because it formed a bridge between blues and jazz. It introduced Hooker's music to a broader audience and showcased his adaptability as an artist. For blues fans, it highlighted the universality of Hooker's sound; for jazz fans, it was a chance to experience blues in a more refined context. — via Label

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Label: Impulse!, Verve Records
Series: Acoustic Sounds Series
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo, 180g, Gatefold
Reissued: 2025 / Original Release: 1966
Genre: Blues
Style: Delta Blues, Electric Blues

File under: Jazz - Bass / Guitar
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