Customer Reviews

Prayer Meetin

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

 

 

What has always astounded me about this album is the fact that it was the fourth album in just over a week that Smith cut for Blue Note. He was anxious to move to Verve, to take advantage of the bigger recording budgets that they were offering, and so he dashed off this excellent album to complete the contractural obligation he had.Considering this,it's excellent with several quite outstanding tracks. Turrentine was an excellent foil for Smith's playing style and the versions of Ivory Joe Hunter's "I almost lost my mind" and his own "Picnickin'" are absolutely essential. However the real killer track is the title "Prayer meetin". Donald Bailey provides the low key drum work throughout this session, with some excellent contributions and tasty fills from Quentin Warren on guitar, who had already worked with Smith on two previous albums. Somehow even a version of "When the Saints" is bearable, though "Stone Cold in the Market" might have substituted the final word with "Water". However the two bonus tracks more than compensate. They're from a session in 1960, with both the front men in good form, and Kenny Burrell filling the guitar berth.What also marks them out is it's the only two released Blue Note tracks on which Smith abandoned his pedal work in favour of a bass player, in this case Sam Jones. It works well.The remastered sound is excellent, and at a budget price it's good to have this one available again!

The title cut is the epitome of organ combo blues, with a delightfully swinging tempo and first-rate solo work by all parties. Funky, upbeat, and infectious.

The collection suffers from the inclusion of "Stone Cold Dead" and "Saints," which merits the deletion of a star for each one. However, the rest of the songs, notably "I Almost Lost My Mind," find all players in top-notch form, with the appropriate mood and dynamicsrequired for each individual selection; therefore, I only deleted one star for both.

Buy this CD; you will listen to it over and over again! However, program your player to skip "Stone Cold Dead" and "Saints".

Unlike most of the recent RVG releases (...), Jimmy Smith's classic "Prayer Meetin" has been readily available for years, but this remastered reissue is a welcome addition to the Blue Note catalog nonetheless. Of Smith's numerous studio albums for the label, "Prayer Meetin," along with "The Sermon" and "Open House/Plain Talk" (see my reviews), have always been my favorites. The organist is in top form on this February 8, 1963 session (which also includes Quentin Warren on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums), but it is the contribution of tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, delivering one of his best performances for the label, which makes this album so great. Stanley led several of his own organ combos as a leader, but never did they match the heights obtained on this title. Added to the original LP (but also available on the first CD incarnation) are two bonus tracks, "Lonesome Road" and "Smith Walk," from a June 13, 1960 session with the same personnel plus bassist Sam Jones. Get ready for a very sacred "Prayer Meetin!"

Jimmy Smith's 1950's and 1960s albums are walks in the park; walks you should take.

Most of the dozens of albums he recorded for Blue Note in this period are easy going blues. Smith used bands that never pushed the tempo of his music, but strolled leisurely through Smith's happy, roll with the tune take on the blues. There was not a lot of variation in the combo structure; sometimes Grant Green would show up on guitar, other times, like here, not. It was Jimmy's lightening soloing--fast as a '61 Ferrari--that made this music come alive.

On Prayer Meetin, he works again with the great soul jazz sax player Stanley Turrentine. The two never cook, but volley back and fourth, phrasing with each other. It is like two old friends with charismatic voices shooting the breeze, and you could just listen the entire day

Not that Smith did not experiment: get his big band albums like Cat: The Incredible Jimmy Smith (Dig) with Lalo Shiffrin and Bashin with Oliver Nelson. And DO NOT MISS!!!!! 1972's Root Down, the hard funk album which surprised 'em all, when jovial Jimmy proved he could spit fire and chew nails with the most bad--s of any music mother out there.