Jimmy Smith - Midnight Special (1961/2011) Hi-Res

Smith, who died in 2005, almost single-handedly helped popularize the Hammond B-3 electric organ in jazz, & this is 1 of his best album sessions, originally out on a Blue Note LP in 1961. He had only started exploring the B-3 in 1951, & spent a year in a warehouse in New York, practicing every day. The result was new sort of sound on the B-3 which got the former pianist nicknamed “The Incredible Jimmy Smith.”...
...Smith made a real blues & jazz instrument out of the Hammond. He leaned on the Leslie speakers, & created a distinctive sound with percussive clicks on each key note. He used the organ pedals for strong walking bass lines – notice there’s no string bass in this band. At faster tempi he played the bass line on the lower manual of the B-3. He influenced many of today’s jazz organists, & Joey DeFrancesco was his protйgй.
This album is a meeting of jazz giants Smith & Turrentine. Stanley mirrors the sound world of rich-sounding tenor sax diplomates such as Ben Webster & Coleman Hawkins. The sound of the B-3 & sax has a lot of heft & impact & really swings this quartet. The opening track establishes the style, & it allows plenty of time for an extended Kenny Burrell guitar solo. “Jumpin’ The Blues” takes us to Kansas City with an entry from the Charlie Parker-Jay McShann book. And “Why Was I Born?” brings a lovely tenor sax solo by Turrentine.
The low-end notes of all 4 instruments retain a great clarity & impact. Great to have this important Jimmy Smith classic in hi-res stereo.
~John Henry

Tracks:

01. Midnight Special 09:56
02. A Subtle One 07:45
03. Jumpin’ The Blues 05:27
04. Why Was I Born? 06:35
05. One O’Clock Jump 07:06

Personnel:

Jimmy Smith (organ)
Stanley Turrentine (tenor sax)
Kenny Burrell (guitar)
Donald Bailey (drums)