Search - Jimmy Smith :: Groovin' at Smalls' Paradise

One of the best Jimmy Smith ever cut

10/18/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This live performance was captured when Jimmy Smith was truly at the peak of his creative powers. Recorded on November 15, 1957 Smith is joined by his working group of Eddie McFadden on guitar, and Donald Bailey on drums. The playing is truly inspired by all. Smith gets to his absolute white hottest on the cuts "Walkin'", "The Champ", and "After Hours", the latter being a low down blues in which Smith really displays what would become trademarks: lightning right hand runs, as well as his patented trilling. There are some great ballads on the collection, notably "Laura" in which Jimmy stuns the listener with an incredibly lengthy classical tinged cadenza to bring the tune to a thrilling climax. Eddie McFadden is showcased on "Indiana", a tune which displays a talent truly underrated. Also notable is that this is the first album, to showcase a new stop setting on Jimmy's B-3, different than his more high pitched whistle like tone on his earlier works. The music here is simply incredible, and in beautiful 24 bit sound by Rudy Van Gelder. A classic album that in it's complete form is one of the best he ever cut. This was an incredibly active period for Jimmy, and coincedentally Jimmy's group went in to the studio 5 days later for another recording session"

Historic Jazz Organ Session

Sir Douglas | DC Metro | 06/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jimmy Smith and company made jazz history the night of November 15, 1957. This freewheeling live set from the legendary Small's Paradise nightclub anticipates just about every twist and turn Hammond B-3 and indeed almost all other electronic keyboard playing would take up to the present day. This classic recording represents Smith at his early best, his unique artistry arguably in its purest and most unfettered form. Suffice it to say that this is all beef and no tofu, with fierce and furious renditions of standards like "Indiana," flavorful blues workouts in "Walkin'" and "After Hours," and rich gospel-tinged treatments of "Laura" and "My Funny Valentine." Highlights also include Jimmy's quirky extended introductory vamps to many tunes. His bandmates are certainly no slouches either, with guitarist McFadden in particular contributing quicksilver licks steeped in bebop.Groovin' at Small's Paradise is a non-stop rocket blast of a recording, guaranteed to energize you better than quaffing a dozen bottles of Jolt Cola. It's well worth the extra cash, too--you get the equivalent of 3 LPs worth of music, and the clarity of the remastering of these Van Gelder special editions is superb."

It's great to have an early live title available and its hot

macfawlty | potomac, MD USA | 01/24/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are so few live recordings of Jimmy Smith and he truly shows off very well live... thing is, he shows off well in the studio, so you know live has got to be even better. This recording is a must have for anyone into Jimmy Smith and I might make it a first recommendation for anyone just being introduced to him. I have over 40 titles by him and this new release made me very happy."