Jimmy Smith - The Classic Verve Albums Collection (2019)

THE CLASSIC VERVE ALBUMS COLLECTION Jazz pioneer and Hammond Organ s most acclaimed practitioner, Jimmy Smith bridged the gap between soul and jazz, and along with the likes of Ray Charles, forged a sound that appealed to a wide ranging cross-section of music fans during the 50s and 60s. Smith s instrument of choice, the Hammond B-3 with its unique sound and unusual range, adapted well to the genre s flexible leanings, and while Smith was far from the first jazz musician to utilise the organ - legends Count Basie and Fats Waller had both done so in an earlier era - Smith applied the instrument in such a way as to attract the mainstream; he was rewarded for this by becoming one of jazz music s household names and by having his albums fly high on the Billboard Chart in the early 1960s - an unusual feat for a jazz man. This 4CD compilation brings together eight of Jimmy Smith s finest albums, recorded for the Verve label between 1962 and 1964. Including a number of his most successful and critically acclaimed works, all of which originate from this hugely accomplished musician s golden age, this release will serve as both the perfect introduction to Smith s music for the less well versed, and as the ultimate collection for everyone else.