In 2000 when Blue Note upgraded 1958’s House Party as part of the label’s superior Rudy Van Gelder series, they augmented the title with a ten-plus minute driving blow of Charlie Parker’s “Confirmation” as a well-chosen bonus track. Now the effort is bookended by some primal Bird, which was…

Groovin’ at Smalls’ Paradise is a live album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded at Small’s Paradise in New York City in 1957 and originally released in two volumes on the Blue Note label. The album was rereleased as a double CD with four bonus tracks recorded at the same performance. The organ heard…

Standards is a 12-track collection that is culled from the sessions that resulted in the House Party and Home Cookin’ albums, both of which featured Jimmy Smith in a trio with guitarist Kenny Burrell and drummer Donald Bailey. All of the songs are familiar standards along the lines of “Bye Bye Blackbird,” “I’m Just a Lucky So and…

On March 22, 1960, Jimmy Smith, his trio (with guitarist Quentin Warren and drummer Donald Bailey), and three notable guests (tenor saxophonist Ike Quebec, altoist Jackie McLean, and trumpeter Blue Mitchell) recorded enough material for two LPs which were released as Open House and Plain Talk. This single CD…

This LP, which has been included as part of a Mosaic Jimmy Smith three-CD box set, features the organist taking a pair of rare unaccompanied solos on “All the Things You Are” and a fairly free “The Fight” and jamming several songs (“Zing Went the Strings of My Heart,”…

The seven sides on The Sermon! (1958) come from a pair of studio dates, the first of which was held August 25, 1957 and includes Jimmy Smith (organ), Lee Morgan (trumpet), George Coleman (alto sax), Curtis Fuller (trombone), Eddie McFadden (guitar), Kenny Burrell (guitar) and Donald Bailey (drums). This…

Recorded the first day of February in 1963, but not released for a few years, Bucket! is a fairly typical Jimmy Smith session, featuring the organist running through a selection of originals and standards with guitarist Quentin Warren and drummer Donald Bailey in tow. The vibe is relaxed, not…

This is quite an unusual date for Jimmy Smith during his Blue Note years. He leads a quartet with baritone saxophonist Cecil Payne, guitarist Kenny Burrell and either Art Blakey or Donald Bailey on drums, one of the rare occasions he didn’t use Lou Donaldson during this period. Except…

This CD reissue of a formerly rare date has a perfectly suitable title for it is the first of four albums that organist Jimmy Smith made within an eight-day period for Blue Note before permanently leaving the label for Verve. Although notable for matching Smith with guitarist Grant Green…

Unlike most of the Jimmy Smith recordings from the era, this CD reissue (which adds “If I Should Lose You” and “When Lights Are Low” to the original LP program) features organist Jimmy Smith’s regular group (rather than an all-star band). With guitarist Quentin Warren and drummer Donald Bailey…