aworks listening log :: jimmy smith

Cover of Back at the Chicken Shack

1. Back at the Chicken Shack (lala). Jimmy Smith was a superbly talented jazz organist. I was too young to have seen John Coltrane before he died but I do regret never seeing Smith play. With the bounty of music on lala, I find myself veering towards his music (as well as the organ music of Bach).
2. The Cat (lala). The brass is over-bearing and I don't think of cats as being this joyous, but still, this is a great track.
3. When Johnny Comes Marching Home (lala). The crisp, military-style snare drumming manages to fit into this context.
4. See See Rider (lala). This being lala and so no liner notes, it's not obvious who is on tasteful guitar; probably Kenny Burrell.
5. The Jumpin' Blues (lala). Such clear lines from all the soloists.
6. Funjii Mama (lala). The melody is a little too cute.
7. Time after Time (imeem). This is the most played Jimmy Smith track on imeem. Unfortunately, imeem's clutter makes it difficult to figure out what album this on and therefore, who is the saxophonist. Smith is really just a sideman on this track.

Comments

[Zak44]

Back when Jazz musicians played bar gigs, I saw Jimmy Smith at the Baltimore Tavern in West Philly (my buddy and I were the only two white faces in the place, but no one did or said anything to make us feel unwelcome). It was sometime in the mid-60s. The bar was a racetrack-shaped elongated oval and Smith's combo was in the middle, with his Hammond just above eye level. Being able to get that close to music that good was an unforgettable experience, but at the time we didn't know how quickly that whole scene would fade away. If I think hard, I can take myself back to that night.

[Zak44]

Back when Jazz musicians played bar gigs, I saw Jimmy Smith at the Baltimore Tavern in West Philly (my buddy and I were the only two white faces in the place, but no one did or said anything to make us feel unwelcome). It was sometime in the mid-60s. The bar was a racetrack-shaped elongated oval and Smith's combo was in the middle, with his Hammond just above eye level. Being able to get that close to music that good was an unforgettable experience, but at the time we didn't know how quickly that whole scene would fade away. If I think hard, I can take myself back to that night.

[a]

i guess the sax on time after time is Ike Quebec