It Serve You Right to Suffer

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Released on the jazz label Impulse!, 'It Serve You Right to Suffer' places John Lee Hooker's raw, hypnotic blues in a unique and sophisticated setting. Producer Bob Thiele paired Hooker with seasoned jazz musicians, including bassist Milt Hinton and drummer Panama Francis, whose polished, swinging grooves provide a refined counterpoint to Hooker's raw guitar and gravelly vocals. The album's material consists of both new compositions and reworked Hooker standards, creating a cohesive and atmospheric session that stands as a distinctive, jazz-inflected entry in his discography.