I’ve heard about Jimmy Smith from time to time on the internet, but haven’t yet checked him out. I know he was hugely influential in connecting jazz and soul, especially through the use of a hammond organ. I also know that Jimmy Smith is one of my favorite artist’s, Quintron’s, influences in his playing. Jimmy Smith played with artists from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson to any number of jazz artists through his career. This album in particular is one recommended by the Apple Music store, so I figured I’d give it a listen. There are only 3 long tracks, but I’m really looking forward to it. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“The Sermon” starts out with a super cool groove with the hammond organ swirling around some nice jazz lines while the drums create a great airy soundscape around it. The bass line really gives this song a sturdy foundation that gently back and forth. Oh wow, this song is absolutely awesome. The guitar work is super nice too with subtle little accentuations to the lead lines played by Smith. This tune has Kenny Burrell on the guitar and Art Blakey on the drums. Wow, I can’t believe I’ve never listened to Jimmy Smith before, this is absolutely awesome. The lines by Smith really melt and swirl into the sweet, nearly bluesy jazz swing the backing members have going on this one in this one.
Oh wow, the guitar has taken over the lead with some super punchy mids that sort of melt into a bluesy jazz style that reminds me a lot of Grant Green. Oh wow, those lines from the guitar really whirl around quite nicely in this one, nearly mimicking the swirl of an organ with the speedy playing by Burrell. Something sort of neat, I think at least, is that Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn have cited Burrell as an influence.
Oh wow, the saxophone from Lou Donaldson comes on bright and strong seemingly out of nowhere. Donaldson really leans into that blues-inflected jazz style prevalent in this song really nicely. Wow, those drums from Art Blakey have kept on a-swingin’ so extremely consistently and well throughout. Smith slams some nice organs down in the background while Donaldson really explores the musical soundscape thoroughly, and the lead sounds like it’s gradually reverting back to the organ as Smith seems to framing the direction the song is headed to some degree, though that may have only been a tease. I’m not sure who is playing that walking bass line in this one, but I really dig it. Oh wow, the saxophone really goes a-hollerin’ into this one. The last line of the sax gets super tasty and groovy.
I’m really digging this tune a whole lot. Lee Morgan comes on with some really groovy trumpet that really gets deep and low at times while exploring different depths and directions to take this song. Oh wow, this tune has me making a whole bunch of different faces as I get further into the groove. Oh wow, this tune gets really exploratory with the trumpet before rippling back into the groove.
Oh wow, the song switches up to a tenor saxophone played by Tina Brooks with almost no interruption in the flow of the music. Really awesome. Brooks takes things really mellow for the beginning part of the groove. Oh wow, Brooks gets things grooving nicely with a lot of swift movement between some low and high notes. I don’t really know too much about playing saxophone, but this makes me wish I did because this playing whirs around almost at its own pace while still keeping my head turning trying to follow along. Smith lays down some really nice organs in the background to seemingly flesh out the playing even further. It’s been far too long since I took a night to listen to some jazz like this. Oh wow, the end of the song the drums change up and bring things to a different zone as all the instruments seemingly sync up to provide a nice backdrop to the drums. Smith comes back on at the very end for a quick mellow line as things fade to a close. Absolutely awesome tune.
“J.O.S.” has a really quick, almost urgency to the playing between the light rapid swing cymbals and drums and the rapid swirls from Smith’s organ. Eddie McFadden lays down some really groovy guitar chords that bring the jam further out alongside the drums from Donald Bailey and Smith’s organ, all while George Coleman really gets a free wheelin’ saxophone solo that gets quite exploratory at times. Oh wow, the jamming from the drums, organ, and guitar really subtly evolves as the groove continues along with the saxophone really playing off the band really well. Holy smokes, this is awesome. The interplay between the lead and backing musicians is so quick, but hearing it happen is awesome.
Oh wow, Smith slams down a bright line from the organ really quickly, nearly symbolizing the time for the trumpet from Lee Morgan to come on. The band has slowed playing at all, and the style change between the sax and trumpet is quite large, but it flows incredibly well. The little pulsating swirls from Smith’s organ are absolutely awesome as Smith and Morgan seem to converse about the direction of the song through their playing. Holy smokes, this trumpet solo is absolutely insane.
Smith throws down that bright line again, which was seemingly ignored in lieu of one last line by Morgan with the trumpet, but afterwards it’s Eddie McFadden and his guitar’s turn to take the lead. Oh wow, the playing has a pretty punchy sound and gets pretty bright at times, but the playing easily melts and goes between a bluesy jazz style to a rapid, nearly hectic flurry of punchy lines from the guitar.
Oh wow, it’s Smith’s turn to take the lead with only accompaniment from those stellar drums from Bailey and light accompaniment from the guitar. Smith really takes the lines played by each instrument, seemingly having kept them in his memory throughout the groove, and incorporates and elaborates them further in his groovy jam. Oh wow, everything falls back in place to the intro of the song extremely well as the tune comes to a close. I can hardly believe this album is nearly over – it’s been so incredibly interesting, groovy, and tasty that it feels like maybe 5 minutes have gone by since I started playing.
“Flamingo” is a super mellow, nearly heartfelt, caressing jazz tune, with subtle trading of lines between the members at the beginning. The drums have a super airy sound with the gentle crashes of the cymbals. Oh wow, the trumpet from Morgan really has a sweet sound at the beginning of things. The guitar from Kenny Burrell has a really nice meltingly bluesy style to the playing at first. Oh wow, things switch up in style a little bit getting a little boppier as the tune continues on, especially with the heartbeat-like pulses from the organ and the sturdier swing from the drums alongside the really sweet trumpet that sort of gets the groove going a little quicker without taking things too far. The organ comes on for some super sweet lines that really mellow the playing of the tune back to the guitar for its turn at the lead, playing some really sweet blues-inflected jazz lines that have a really nice sweetness to them. Smith really has the organ mixed super well in this track as it begins to swell from the background to the foreground. Oh wow, there’s some incredibly tasty notes hit by Burrell on the guitar. The drums from Art Blakey hit some really tasty strikes for a quick moment, almost teasing an elaboration on them for a moment before the trumpet comes back on for some really sweet, weighty playing at the end of the track. The tune starts to break down really nicely a little bit at the end with each instrument bringing the tune to a close in their own ways. Really awesome tune.
Wow, this album is awesome, and definitely makes me think about how much more often I need to listen to jazz: a lot. If you’re a fan of the hammond organ, or of jazz in general, and you haven’t checked this album out, I would really recommend you do. I’ll be listening to a lot more Jimmy Smith in the near future and will likely pick some stuff up on vinyl. The album absolutely flew by as 40 minutes went by in the blink of an eye. Definitely a really groovy album. If you do decide to give this one a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the album at least as much as I did.
-A