Customer Reviews

Cool Blues

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First of all, this is not the blues. Cool Blues is a song by Charlie Parker. This is bop oriented straight ahead Jazz. This is Jimmy Smith at the beginning. Live at Small's Paradise in Harlem, circa 1958. This is a period piece. If you want to know what live Jazz sounded like in the 50's, this is it. 24-bit remastered, the sound is real clear. I'm sure that live albums of that time were not that great with the equipment they had. So this is a miraculous digital treat. Four songs are over 11 minutes long. A Night In Tunisia is 18 minutes alone. Art Blakey driving on drums for half the disc. Lou Donaldson on Alto. Tina Brooks, who I'd never heard of on Tenor. The liner notes say this is one of the rare appearances of this person, so the disc is a historical record of his playing, and he plays very well here. Organ, Tenor, Alto, Guitar, Drums. Five uptempo and 2 ballads. Jimmy is phenomenal, of course, and the rest are real pros. Everyone stretches out and plays. Smith sits back on most of the songs and lets the other guys play, which surprised me and was interesting. Of course, he gets his licks in plenty. Great Jazz. 24-bit digital. 72 minutes of music. Of course, buy this disc. Who wouldn't? Nothing else to say. It's that great.

Anyone coming to "Cool Blues" from the direction of "Dot Com Blues" might not recognise the artist as the same one that appears on this album. Fear not! It's also true that anybody who bought this album the first time round in 1980 might not recognise it either - the 24 bit remastering here has also righting some pitch errors that were audible on the vinyl version.None of these sessions - three of them - all recorded live on April 7th 1958 made it out in complete formfor 22 years. It's possible to see why simply by the length of several of the tracks. Nor should the listener think that they're going to hear sessions without musical imperfections.I had to include all the above to get at the album. It absolutely fizzes with energy and thought. Smith, who'd only been professional for three years allows the soloists lots of time and space.It's difficult to pick favourite tracks. "Groovin at Smalls" has Art Blakey on drums and he propels the whole thing along at a frantic pace and with enormous energy, which was clearly transmitted to all the others on the session.At over 12 minutes everybody gets to stretch out.The version of Dizzy Gillespies "A night in Tunisia" contains some great solos as well. On "Cool Blues" Lou Donaldson was on tremendous form, but then got lost as he waited for Smith to come back in.It's what's kept in,from the live date that is important in setting the atmosphere that makes it sound as though a good time was had by all. This is not an album to asimilate in a single sitting, this is one that will yield up different pleasures on every hearing. Get out there and buy it now - before Blue Note delete it again!

This live recording of Jimmy Smith (born 1926) was recorded on April 7,1958 at Small's Paradise,NYC.In 1980,four tracks were first issued on Blue Note.This time,we have the opportunity to listen to 70 minutes of great music,remastered by Rudy Van Gelder.Besides Jimmy Smith is the very blues oriented guitar of Eddie McFaden,the parkerian alto sax of Lou Donaldson,the very rare and underrated Tina Brooks on tenor sax (born 1932,he recorded with Smith,Kenny Burrell,Freddie Hubbard,Freddie Redd and Jackie McLean,made four LPs for Blue Note under his own name,and died in 1974 after a short but very sad life).Donald Bailey (tracks 5-8) and Art Blakey play drums.
The highlight of the record is certainly the seventeen minutes long version of Dizzy Gillespie's "Night in Tunisia",and Buhaina,aka Mr Blakey,surely is responsible for that.Every musician who had once in his life the opportunity to play this tune backed by Art Blakey had to play great.The terrific beat of his african drums makes it so easy for a soloist to improvise.Art Blakey's drumming in this tune is the epitome of swing.He could transcend every player,and that's what happened at Small's.Tina Brooks,first,who even quotes "Laura" during his solo;then,Lou Donaldson,and listen to Blakey's outstanding work during his intervention;Eddie McFaden comes after,and it looks like he loved Charlie Christian's style;then,a terrific solo by Jimmy Smith,a great moment of swing and invention."Small's minor" is very very reminiscent of John Coltrane's "Mr P.C."."What's new",one of the most beautiful ballads ever written,is beautifully played by Donaldson."Dark eyes",a traditional gipsy song,rarely played by jazz musicians,offers good opportunities for swinging.This night at Small's must have been a very exciting one,and singer Babs Gonzales,who made the announcements,surely had a good time listening to his pals.This is an important issue,a very great hour of intense bebop music.

I bought this album for a musician friend of mine last Christmas after hearing a few excerpts in Barnes and Noble. The other day browsing in Tower, I saw it on sale and bought it for myself.

My god, what an outing. I've always been a big fan of Smith's work, especially the albums with Wes Montgomery, but this is even more impressive. His playing is inspired, and the room he gives his fellow soloists is beyond generous. To me the real surprise is the impressive guitar work of Eddie McFadden. Considering this was 1958, Eddie's playing was far ahead of the time, especially his fleet fingered lines on "Groovin at Smalls", and Parker's "Cool Blues". Makes me wonder why he never got his just due from the jazz guitar establishment. The other player who really caught my attention was Tina Brooks. Beautiful tone and phrasing. Lou Donaldson also was in exceptionally fine form. And the drumming of both Blakey and Bailey is always on the money.

I don't have all of Jimmy Smith recordings yet, but thus far, this is my favorite. It is, indeed, cool blues. I can picture these cats in Small's Paridise playing the sax and B-3. It will also elevate your mood.

This CD gets better every time I play it, although I have to admit that in the beginning it did not immediately grab me. I am not a big jazz aficionado, so you don't have to be a jazz fan to appreciate this album. It is not funk, for you MMW fans. I am a big Hammond fan, so my first thought was that: too many sax solos. But now I enjoy them--they are tasteful.

Enjoy!

Jimmy's live recordings on Blue Note are something special..from Groovin at Smalls Paradise to At Club Baby Grand to Cool Blues. Cool blues is a great reissue of the JOS recordings in the Blue Note vaults but why change coverart after sonic improvements from Rudy van Gelder(I needed to buy both)? Jimmy / Lou Donaldsons interpretation of "What's new" is worth the price alone of the album. Blues and bop standards in various instruments combination with Blue Note house musicians, make this album a B3 soul classic.

This may be a 5-star performance by Jimmy, but the listener is obliged to listen to a lot of extra choruses by the likes of Lou Donaldson and Tina Brooks, neither one of whom has a whole lot to say on this occasion. You know the well is running dry when on different tunes the two saxophonists fall back on the same quote (from "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise"). Moreover, Brooks' register and timbre on tenor is so close to Donaldson's alto that you wish Jimmy had gone with only one saxophone (preferably Brooks, for his sound and ideas). Unlike a session like "The Sermon," which works because the individual players take turns, limit their solo time, and remain within a collaborative groove, the two saxophonists sound ragged on the ensembles and tend to overstay their respective welcomes during the solos. The sound is classic Van Gelder--a flat tonal canvas on which each instrument is showcased to equal and optimal effect but at the expense of some of the room ambience and sonic depth that contribute to an authentic "jam session" feel.

I've had the chance to see Jimmy Smith in person at his supper club in the 1970s. A long way from Small's Paradise, where this was recorded live, but I can imagine it. No real disappointments on this album - listening to Groovin' at Small's as I write this. A Night In Tunisia is everything the other reviews say. Note that the recording is probably much improved, but this is a live recording, there are background noises and imperfections, so perhaps it should be 4-1/2 stars. But the music gets five in my book.

One of those recordings you fall in love with on first hearing. Not every organ-grinding disc of this music has to type-cast the "burnin'" B-3 into the oft-associated role of "blues machine" (compare Don Patterson's work with this instrument). For that matter, "Cool Blues" is the title of just one of the tracks on this CD. Compare this to Miles' "Kind of Blue" album, which has NO tune with that title. "So what" if every single cut is not a textbook "12-bar blues." These are great sets of performances. So much music is happening in Smith's installment, listeners should not tire quickly of repeated hearings. Indeed, simply keeping track of everything that is going on in these tracks (e.g., Smith's solo in "Dark Eyes"!) is a heavy-duty listening exercise. A refreshing facet of this incredible musician.

I have several other Jimmy Smith CD's and was a little surprised when I heard this. This is more straight Jazz than his latter stuff. It is amazing the sound quality when you consider it was recorded in 1958. This is a must have especialy for the price.