Retrospective

Product Description:

Personnel: Jimmy Smith (Hammond b-3 organ); Eddie McFadden, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, Thornel Schwartz, Quentin Warren (guitar); George Coleman , Jackie McLean, Lou Donaldson (alto saxophone); Hank Mobley, Ike Quebec, Stanley Turrentine, Tina Brooks, Percy France (tenor saxophone); Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan (trumpet); Curtis Fuller (trombone); Donald Bailey, Grady Tate, Art Blakey, Bay Perry (drums); John Patton (tambourine); Errol "Crusher" Bennett (percussion).

Liner Note Author: Bob Blumenthal.

Recording information: 1956 - 1986.

No jazz artist popularized the Hammond B-3 organ more than Jimmy Smith, and this four-disc set documents some of his finest recorded moments. The collection primarily features sessions from the late 1950s and early 1960s and does an excellent job of representing Smith's wide musical range.

"Groovy Date" is a hard-bop tune featuring stalwarts of that style--drummer Art Blakey, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, and trumpeter Donald Byrd. Clocking in at 13 minutes, the song presents each member of the ensemble taking extended solos, and these improvisations develop intriguingly over the course of several choruses. Horace Silver's "The Preacher," on the other hand, is a blues- and gospel-oriented number, with Smith's solo so relaxed that it falls behind the beat. "Back at the Chicken Shack" is a classic Smith composition that epitomizes his approach to soul jazz. Here, Smith's expressive blues riffs are supported by the lolling groove of drummer Donald Bailey and the cool-toned tenor-sax stylings of Stanley Turrentine. For an in-depth presentation of Smith's key recordings, RETROSPECTIVE can't be beat.