Johnson and
Victoria Spivey had known one another for decades (they duetted on the ribald "Toothache Blues" way back in 1928), so it's no surprise that their musical repartee on 1961's
Idle Hours seems so natural and playful.
Spivey guests on three tracks (including the title number) and plays piano on her one solo entry.
Johnson does the majority of the disc without her, benefitting from pianistic accompaniment by
Cliff Jackson.