Witherspoon Sings Blues for His Own Label : Jazz: For the veteran vocalist, years of discontent with the record industry have made doing it himself seem the logical choice.

SAN DIEGO —  After more than 40 years in the music business, singer Jimmy Witherspoon sounds ready to write a low-down blues tune about the recording industry.

He’s not at all happy with his newest album, “Rockin’ L.A.”

“I didn’t like the way it was produced,” said Witherspoon, who opens a two-week stay at Elario’s in La Jolla tonight. “I don’t know, I could have been off that night. But at least I could have had some objective things to say. An artist is entitled to that.”

Witherspoon said he never had a hand in selecting takes for the album. He didn’t hear the finished product until about the time it was released. “I knew it wasn’t right, man.”

Witherspoon’s voice--a powerful instrument capable of dishing up gritty urban blues in a variety of shouts, howls, cries and moans--sounds a bit ragged on “Rockin’ L.A.” Witherspoon wishes he could have done some of the songs over.

His associations with record labels over the years have convinced him the companies don’t care enough about blues artists.

“They don’t spend any money. I heard about one rock group that did a ‘quick’ album. It took six months. They give a black artist six hours and expect him to come out with a hit record.”

Witherspoon has decided to take

control of his music by forming his own label. He’s calling it Loffel, from the German for spoon , his nickname.

Though critically acclaimed and in constant demand for live performances, Witherspoon said he is not well off financially.

“I’m in bad shape. I’m living in the ghetto,” he said.

He said he has been mistreated by the recording industry over the years, losing the rights to many of his albums. Only recently has he been receiving royalties from reissues, he said. With Loffel, he plans to oversee his own rereleases and put out previously unheard material.

“I’ve got stuff in my catalogue you won’t believe,” he said.

The first of the “new” albums will be a duo with War guitarist Howard Scott, recorded a few years ago and due out early next year.

Despite his disenchantment with the business, Witherspoon is obviously in love with music and musicians.

Take tenor sax genius Ben Webster, with whom the singer made three albums.

“I’m the most fortunate man in the world to have been on the same stage with the late, great Ben Webster. And we never realize what we have around us until it’s gone.”

Or trumpeter Harry (Sweets) Edison, another frequent collaborator.

“Sweets was on my first hit album, ‘Singin’ the Blues,’ with Teddy Edwards and Hampton Hawes. I’ve been lucky with musicians. They won’t play with every blues singer.”

Jazz greats Stanley Turrentine, McCoy Tyner, Count Basie, Miles Davis, Coleman Hawkins and Gerry Mulligan have also been among Witherspoon’s musical associates.

Which brings up the old question of jazz versus blues.

Though Witherspoon is generally categorized as a blues man, he doesn’t like labels.

“It’s not ‘versus’ anything. If you can’t play blues, you can’t play jazz. I think Mr. (Charlie) Parker said that, Dizzy (Gillespie) said that.”

But Witherspoon’s career began in a different direction.

“I didn’t want to sing the blues. I was trying to sing like the Ink Spots. I didn’t want to be a black man, I wanted to be a Neeeeegro. But hearing Joe Turner sing the policeman’s part in Duke Ellington’s theatrical ‘Jump for Joy’ in Los Angeles inspired me.”

Witherspoon acknowledges the influence of many musicians, but believes he’s always had his own sound. His deep, soulful voice, which seems to slide effortlessly from note to note, often stretching a single word over an octave or more, immediately gives away his identity, even when he’s just talking.

“You can’t find too many who can emulate Jimmy Witherspoon,” he said. “I don’t sing the same way twice. I’m lucky and blessed; God has given me this gift.

“I can be talking in a supermarket and people turn around and say, ‘That’s Jimmy Witherspoon.’ Talk about strokin’ a person’s ego!”

Witherspoon earned his first big-time job in 1944 in Vallejo, Calif., when he filled in for Walter Brown in pianist Jay McShann’s band. He was asked to join, and stayed four years.

McShann became something of a father figure.

“Oh, did he have the wisdom,” Witherspoon said. “I became like part of his family.”

In 1952, Witherspoon chalked up his own first hit with “Ain’t Nobody’s Business,” which stayed on Billboard’s R&B; chart for 34 weeks. Over the years, he’s had other hits, including “Big Fine Girl,” “The Wind Is Blowing” and “No Rollin’ Blues.”

The spiritual side of Witherspoon’s singing dates back to childhood Sundays in church. He still sings Gospel at the True Vine Baptist Church in Los Angeles.

Witherspoon says his music is more soulful today than ever before, due in part to a brush with death in the early ‘80s, when he was successfully treated for throat cancer.

During a six-month layoff, he said, he became profoundly thankful for both his life and music. Not only that, but his voice emerged with a full octave of additional bottom end, while he could still hit the same highs.

He spends several weeks each year on the road. This year, the press lavished attention on him during a 13-day tour of Australia. He just returned from three 12,000-seat sellouts in Mexico City, and later this year he’s off to Venezuela.

Witherspoon has other amusements besides playing and recording. For four years, he played host to a Sunday night blues show on KMET-FM in Los Angeles. In a new movie called “To Sleep With Anger,” starring Danny Glover (“Lethal Weapon”) and scheduled for January release, Witherspoon sings “See See Rider” during a party scene. Other movies roles have included a part in “The Black Godfather.”

His live performances tend to be spontaneous. Witherspoon doesn’t plan his sets ahead of time.

“I watch the audience,” he said. About all he would give away is that he usually opens with a slow blues number, such as “I Want a Little Girl.”

In San Diego, Witherspoon is playing with his longtime road band, including organist Roy Alexander, drummer Maurice Simon Jr. (whose father, Maurice Sr., used to play sax with Witherspoon) and guitarist Gene Edwards.