Shirley Scott - Talkin Verve: Shirley Scott (2001)

Although she freely offered Jimmy Smith as her main influence, Philadelphia's Shirley Scott brought her own mixture of sophistication and soul jazz funk to her Hammond B-3 recordings. Less blues-based than Smith, she had a softer tone and tackled a wider range of material, although, like Smith, she was arguably at her best in the trio setting. This set brings together some key tracks from the Impulse and Cadet labels, including the soft and smooth "Taj Mahal," a pair of fine trio outings, "Blue Bongo" and "On the Trail," and she even makes John Fogerty's "Proud Mary" sound like it was written for the B-3.