Jimmy Smith's Finest Hour

Performer: Jimmy Smith (Organ)
Artist: Wes Montgomery; Milt Hinton; Kenny Burrell; Ray Barretto; Phil Woods; Zoot Sims; Mel Lewis; Roy Hargrove; Urbie Green
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel includes: Jimmy Smith (organ); Oliver Nelson, Lalo Schifrin (conductor); Jerry Dodgion, Phil Woods (alto saxophone, woodwinds); Al Cohn, Zoot Sims (tenor saxophone); Jerome Richardson (baritone saxophone); Ernie Royal, Doc Severinsen, Clark Terry, Thad Jones, Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton (trumpet); Ray Alonge (French horn); Jimmy Cleveland, Urbie Green (trombone); Don Butterfield (tuba); Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery, Mark Whitfield (guitar); George Duvivier, Milt Hinton, Christian McBride (bass); Ed Shaughnessy (drums, percussion); Grady Tate, Bill English, Mel Lewis, Bernard Purdie (drums); Ray Barretto (congas). Producers: Creed Taylor, Richard Seidel, Don Sickler. Compilation producer: Bryan Koniarz. Recorded between 1962 and 1995. Includes liner notes by Michael Ullman. Digitally remastered by Jeff Willens (Universal Mastering Studios-East). This is part of Verve's Finest Hour series. Personnel: Jimmy Smith (organ); Kenny Burrell, Mark Whitfield, Barry Galbraith, Wes Montgomery (guitar); Phil Woods (woodwinds, alto saxophone); Babe Clark, Bob Ashton (woodwinds, tenor saxophone); George Barrow (woodwinds, baritone saxophone); George Dorsey (alto saxophone); Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Romeo Penque (tenor saxophone); Jerome Richardson (baritone saxophone); Doc Severinsen, Ernie Royal, Irwin "Marky" Markowitz, Joe Newman , Joe Wilder, Nicholas Payton, Roy Hargrove, Snooky Young, Bernie Glow, Thad Jones, Jimmy Maxwell (trumpet); Bill Correa, James Buffington, Earl Chapin, Ray Alonge (French horn); Jimmy Cleveland, Urbie Green, Britt Woodman (trombone); Tom Mitchell , Tony Studd (bass trombone); Don Butterfield (tuba); Ed Shaughnessy (drums, percussion); Grady Tate, Bill Rodriquez, Mel Lewis, Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, Billy Gene English (drums); Ray Barretto (congas); Phil Kraus (percussion); Michael Ullman (sequencer). Recording information: 03/28/1962-01/24/1995. Photographers: Cynthia Sesso; Paul J. Hoeffler; Jan Persson. Arrangers: Lalo Schifrin; Oliver Nelson. Verve's Finest Hour collection of Jimmy Smith's work compiles 60 minutes of career highlights, including "Walk on the Wild Side," "Got My Mojo Workin'," "James and Wes," and "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag." Though it's by no means a definitive compilation of Smith's music, it does provide an entertaining overview of some of his funkiest moments. ~ Heather Phares Jimmy Smith's Finest Hour gathers 11 tracks from the organist's Verve releases, ten from the period 1962-1966, and one 1995 collaboration with young lion trumpeters Roy Hargrove and Nicholas Payton. Smith thrives in diverse settings, ranging from Oliver Nelson-led big bands to small groups featuring guitarists Kenny Burrell and Wes Montgomery. Although this compilation is a good choice for listeners new to Smith's funky blues/jazz/gospel approach, the absence of any cuts from his fine Blue Note albums of the late '50s and early '60s keeps it from being truly representative of his finest work. ~ Joshua L. Rosenberg

Though he was a late bloomer (he didn't start playing organ until age 28), Jimmy Smith is the single most influential figure in the history of jazz organ. He was the pioneering force in making the organ a lead instrument. And while he had bebop chops aplenty, his blues/R&B influences and preference for space over clutter also made him an icon of the subsequent acid jazz movement. Though his heyday was in the 1960s, the larger-than-life organist blazed ahead for decades afterward, until his death in February 2005.

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