Customer Reviews

Organ Grinder Swing

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During his amazing tenure at Verve when he was making albums with large bands and big band style arrangements on classics like "Bashin'", "The Cat", and "Any Number Can Win", Jimmy Smith returned to the roots of his late 50's and early 60's Blue Note recordings being complimented only with a drummer and guitar player. But when the aforementioned are long time collaborators drummer Grady Tate and guitarist Kenny Burrell you know the sparks are gonna fly and they do here!!! Tearing through originals like "Oh, No, Babe", and "Blues For J", as well as standards like "Greensleeves", and Duke Ellington's "Satin Doll", there's not a dull moment. Crisp remastering and annotation by "Mingus-Mingus" author Al Young make this album a definite keeper.

An organ trio session, with Jimmy Smith and Kenny Burrell. Jimmy is just on fire on this session! There are albums of him on which he is just crusing along, letting someone else put the fire in the session. But not here. The great idea on this session is that they put a mike on Jimmy, so you can actually hear his vocals expressions as well as his playing; just gives you a completely different approach than any other trio album out there. Highly recommended!

The nearly four decades with musical magic between Jimmy Smith, Kenny Burrell and Grady Tate was kicked-off in 1965 with this master trio album. The album name - Organ Grinder Swing - became synonimous of Jimmy Smiths's concert highlight throughout his long career. "Organ Grinder Swing" opens this album and gets the treat you expect for this classic tune in fast straight 4/4 with fascinating interplay between Smith and Burrell(not too many organist have recorded this tune, guess why?). "Oh, No, Babe" is a drenched-down blues where both Smith and Burrell gives a power demonstration of their deep musical roots. The lovely ballad "I'll Close My Eyes" is 3 minute of pure mellowness and demonstrates Smiths passion for ballads. The later over-recorded "Satin Doll", written by Duke Ellington rounds up this great album with nice organ registration changes that became Jimmy's trademark (Smith always claimed that he was inspired by Erroll Garner playing block chords adding the Fats Waller sound). Organ jazz has produced many excellent drummers, but some stands out - Grady Tate is one of the few. And everything is said about Kenny Burrell and his guitar wizardry. Organ Grinder Swing is a must in every serious jazz collection!

One word to describe this album. Exciting. Listening to it right night I can hardly concentrate. Jimmy Smith is the master of the Hammond organ and is abetted here with the stellar talents of Kenny Burrell on guitar and Grady Tate at the drums. It is no use for me to try and describe the music in detail. If you know about Jimmy Smith and haven't heard this album then just get it. Now! If you are just browsing, looking for something so funky it is out of this world then just get this album. It will open you up to the world of The Incredible and The Unpredictable Jimmy Smith, and you will not regret it.

This album is hot! Jimmy Smith is the master of the hammond B3 organ. This album demonstrates this statement very well. This album is smoking. Smith is in the best setting here. An organ trio with Kenny Burrell on guitar and Grady Tate on drums.

If you're looking for some organ grease to groove to, this is the best album to do so. Jimmy is on fire on this recording. A must have for any Jimmy Smith or hammond B3 fan!

Excellent.

If You want to choose the best album of Jimmy Smith?
Why not this. Good recording and musicians when they play at the top. Be happy and forget all the troubles.
Leif Uhrbom Sweden

Albums like this, and Chicken Shack and The Sermon were the albums that a whole generation of organists would cut their chops on and learn note for note. Organ Grinder Swing for sure is a staple number. - - I personally appreciate Jimmy Smith, but am not the type of fan who has to get every single thing he ever did and learn it note for note (or say I have it in my collection.) Nevertheless, even if I don't think you have to own every Jimmy Smith album, if there are several you do, this is definitely one of them. - - There are other organists for sure, yet there's probably not a single organist who's come along since the mid '50s that doesn't have some Jimmy in them. In fact, few "improved" upon what he did back then, they just said it differently, still many great fresh perspectives came along after... some definitely centrists in the JOS school (McDuff, Patterson, Joey DeFrancesco, Jimmy McGriff) and others off center (Johnny Hammond Smith, Freddie Roach, Larry Young, Big John Patton... overall, tunes like Organ Grinder Swing and Blues for J are definitely great points not only of departure, but to ground yourself in a sound that slowly is begining to take off once again, especially to see in some ways how far we've come and in others how little has changed.

As a final note, if you want to go further back and hear the roots of where Jimmy came from, what he picked up, and what he changed, check out a bit of Wild Bill Davis - - compare the "cool" playing of Tate and Burell to the hotter sounds of the combos that preceded it for a true deep appreciation of what Jimmy Smith's groups helped do for combo Jazz !

Organ Grinder Swing
I knew Jimmy in Whitemarsh Twp., PA. what a guy. He is exactly as you would picture him while you listen to his records. His organ playing is distictive. Once you hear him, you can pick out his records in a heartbeat, when you hear them. A truly great guy and a great sound.

Hands down my favourite Jimmy Smith album and that's after exploring a major part of the quite considerable JS oeuvre. Still have the Verve issue on vinyl and I find myself returning to this album time and again. Burrell is brilliant in his understated mastery while Tate swings like a mf. Wish it was at least a 70 minute recording instead of the 35 odd minutes that comprises this release. Still, less is more I suppose given the superlative playing.

Jimmy Smith's Organ Grinder's Swing is one of his best. He is the undisputed master of jazz organ. The trio plays well together on this date. Burrell and Tate are on their game. But as usual Jimmy steals the show right off the bat with the title song.