Jimmy Smith - Home Cookin' (1959) (1996 Reissue)

01.See See Rider
02.Sugar Hill
03.I Got A Woman
04.Messin' Around
05.Gracie
06.Come On Baby
07.Motorin' Along
08.Since I Feel For You
09.Apostrophe
10.Groanin'
11.Motorin' Along (Alternate Take)
12.Since I Feel For You (Alternate Take).

Drums: Donald Bailey
Guitar: Kenny Burrell
Organ: Jimmy Smith
Saxophone [Tenor]: Percy France
BLUE NOTE RECORDS. 1959-1996.

Smith's superb keyboard technique is only half of his musical magic. The other is his astonishing ability to paint atmospheres and create exquisite moods. The feeling of this album is perfectly evinced, relaxed and cool, spacious yet textured and sophisticated enough to keep the ear consistently intrigued. The album's title and cover photo are an homage to a soul food diner in Harlem called Kate's Home Cooking, and the tunes parallel a range of subtle, carefully prepared flavors.

Traditional slow and mid-tempo blues predominate, such as "See See Rider" and "Come On Baby," kept fresh though Percy France's Lester Young-influenced playing, Kenny Burrell's clean guitar lines and Smith's deeply soulful leads. The sly riffing on "Gracie" and the jazz thematics of "Apostrophe" are also highlights. HOME COOKIN' offers the perfect blend of style and substance, of traditional soul and modern cool (not to mention five bonus tracks unissued on the original LP) in a mix that's tasty and utterly satisfying.
Recording information: Van Gelder Studios, Englewood, NJ (07/15/1958); Van Gelder Studios, Englewood, NJ (06/16/1959).

Jimmy Smith's - Finest Hour (2000)

01.Walk On The Wild Side
02.Ol' Man River
03.Organ Grinder's Swing
04.Got My Mojo Workin'
05.Hobo Flats
06.Blues For Del
07.The Cat
08.Blues In The Night
09.The Sermon
10.James And Wes
11.Papa's Got A Brand New Bag.

Jimmy Smith (organ, vocal)
Oliver Nelson, Lalo Schifrin (conductor)
Jerry Dodgion, Phil Woods (alto saxophone, woodwinds)
Al Cohn, Zoot Sims (tenor saxophone)
Jerome Richardson (baritone saxophone)
Ernie Royal, Doc Severinsen, Clark Terry, Thad Jones, Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton (trumpet)
Ray Alonge (French horn)
Jimmy Cleveland, Urbie Green (trombone)
Don Butterfield (tuba)
Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery, Mark Whitfield (guitar)
George Duvivier, Milt Hinton, Christian McBride (bass)
Ed Shaughnessy (drums, percussion)
Grady Tate, Bill English, Mel Lewis, Bernard Purdie (drums)
Ray Barretto (congas).

Recorded between 1962 and 1995.

Few musicians have ever been able to generate the sheer excitement of organist Jimmy Smith, straddling the worlds of jazz and R&B and matching keyboard wizardry with an ability to find the funky essence of a groove. His Verve recordings of the 1960s presented him in big-band and small-group formats, and there's a good sampling of both here. His hit "Walk on the Wild Side," arranged by Oliver Nelson, and Lalo Schifrin's "The Cat" effectively update the big-band tradition, with the brass acting as an effective balance to Smith's surging, electric power. He's more inventive in the small groups, though, especially when matched with comparable giants of the bluesy end of the jazz spectrum, like frequent partner Kenny Burrell or Wes Montgomery on "James and Wes." This is an excellent introduction, with Smith's adding blazing runs and electric soul to familiar material from James Brown and Muddy Waters, as well as originals and older pop and swing tunes. --Stuart Broomer.

Jimmy Smith - Monster (1965)

01.Goldfinger
02.St. James Infirmary
03.Gloomy Sunday
04.Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
05.Munsters Theme Marshall
06.Man With the Golden Arm (Theme)
07.Moonlore
08.St. James Infirmary
09.Munsters Theme
10.Man With the Golden Arm
11.The Creeper
12.Monlope (A.K.A. Moonlore).

Robert Ashton - Saxophone
Danny Banks - Wind
Raymond Beckenstein - Wind
Kenny Burrell - Guitar
Richard Davis - Bass
George Dorsey - Wind
Harvey Estrin - Wind
Budd Johnson - Saxophone
Oliver Nelson - Arranger, Conductor
Jerome Richardson - Saxophone
Jimmy Smith - Organ (Hammond)
Warren Smith - Percussion
Grady Tate - Drums
Rudy Van Gelder - Engineer
Phil Woods - Saxophone.

Review by Scott Yanow

Due to the material, which includes the two-part "Goldfinger," and the themes from Bewitched, The Munsters and The Man with the Golden Arm, this is one of organist Jimmy Smith's lesser recordings. The LP does have some reasonably inventive arrangements for the accompanying big band by Oliver Nelson and some spirited organ playing, but overall is a rather forgettable and overproduced effort.