He Presides Over The Hammond Organ
February 21, 2011
Just how a nice copy of a Blue Note Jimmy Smith LP ends up among the Andy Williams and Mantovani seems a mystery that could never be solved; yet there it was, a small-but-interesting portion of the prolific jazz organist’s famous 1957 session with guitarist Eddie McFadden and drummer Donald Bailey (among others). My favorite track from this LP just happens to be on the YouTubes, albeit with only 95 views. It deserves a lot more.
This particular track is interesting to me for 3 basic reasons:
1. Jimmy Smith has set the stops on his Hammond to create a warbling, trill like effect that you don’t usually hear on most of his recordings.
2. Maybe because of reason # 1, Jimmy plays in a straight-forward, smooth and un-flashy style that really lets the song take center stage.
3. The Eddie McFadden guitar solo that kicks in around 3:15 is natural and restrained; you can actually “see” his fingers on the strings.
Enjoy:
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