THE COMPLETE SERMON SESSIONS
Stuart Jefferson | San Diego,Ca | 05/09/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Two discs 73,72 minutes each approximately. The sound is as good as the Blue Note releases from a few years ago. The warmth of Smith's organ is well represented,and the horns have a good range on this release.
These are the COMPLETE sessions from August 25,1957 and February 25,1958. The Blue Note releases have three tracks on THE SERMON and five tracks on HOUSE PARTY from these sessions. A number of the other sides were released on various compilations over the years. This is the first time that all the tracks have been released together,and it is an outstanding collection. These sides were recorded early in Smith's career,when he was,possibly,at his best. The tracks that are not on the above Blue Note release are; "What Is This Thing Called Love","Cherokee","Little Girl Blue","S'Wonderful",and "The Blue Room". Together,they add up to over 50 minutes of prime Jimmy Smith jazz. For those who are not familiar with the previous Blue Note releases,the personnel on all of disc one and disc two tracks 1-2 are;Smith-organ all tracks,Lee Morgan-trumpet,Curtis Fuller-trombone,George Coleman-alto sax,Eddie McFadden-guitar disc one tracks 1-3&6,Kenny Burrell-guitar disc one tracks 4-5,and Donald Bailey-drums. Fuller and Morgan are not on "Little Girl Blue",Fuller and Coleman are not on "S'Wonderful",and Morgan and Coleman are out on "The Blue Room". These were recorded in 1957. Disc two track 3 has the great Lou Donaldson-alto sax,Eddie McFadden-guitar,and Donald Bailey-drums accompanying Smith,which was recorded in 1958. Disc two tracks 4-7 consist of Lee Morgan-trumpet,Lou Donaldson-alto sax,the under-rated Tina Brooks-tenor sax,Kenny Burrell-guitar,and Art Blakey-drums,also recorded on that same day in February 1958.
For anyone who likes the two mentioned Blue Note releases,or Smith's playing from this period,this is a no-brainer. Smith's sound is vibrant and his playing is sure-fire. His sound,no matter what the tempo,was always rooted in the blues,which gave his sound much of it's identity. When you consider that Smith came to jazz and the organ rather late for someone who became known the world over,it's even more incredible. His left hand played the bass notes as his right hand would simply fly over the keys. Having the complete sessions together in one set is something to hear. The tracks that weren't on the two Blue Note releases are every bit as good as the released tracks. The booklet is informative,with information on both Brooks and Morgan,both who died tragically young. The original notes from the Blue Note release are also included. If you can't seem to get enough Jimmy Smith,along with this collection of great jazz artists who play with him-get this collection,especially if you don't own the Blue Note releases. You won't regret it."
Track Listings (6) - Disc #1