Softly as a Summer Breeze [Bonus Tracks] [Limited] [Remaster]

Performer: Jimmy Smith (Organ)
Engineer: Rudy VanGelder
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Jimmy Smith (organ); Bill Henderson (vocals); Kenny Burrell, Eddie McFadden (guitar); Philly Joe Jones, Donald Bailey (drums). Producer: Alfred Lion. Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna. Recorded at Manhattan Towers, New York, New York on February 26, 1958 and the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on October 14, 1958. Includes liner notes by Leonard Feather. Digitally remastered using 20-bit technology by Ron McMaster. This is part of Blue Note's Limited Edition Connoisseur series. Personnel: Jimmy Smith (organ); Bill Henderson (vocals); Eddie McFadden, Kenny Burrell, Ray Crawford (guitar); Donald Bailey , Philly Joe Jones (drums). Audio Remasterer: Rudy Van Gelder. Liner Note Author: Bob Blumenthal. Recording information: Manhattan Towers, New York, NY (02/26/1958-10/14/1958); Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, NJ (02/26/1958-10/14/1958). Photographer: Francis Wolff. Though virtuoso organist Smith is known primarily as a practitioner of bluesy, groove-oriented tunes, this 1958 date remains true to its title, exploring a more relaxed ballad feel on standards like "These Foolish Things," "It Could Happen To You" and "Someone To Watch Over Me." Smith's airy chordal work and breezy solos mesh perfectly with guitarist Kenny Burrell's elegant melodic trills. Philly Joe Jones' subtle, tasty brush work provides the necessary motion, and when things rev up, as on the Monk composition "Hackensack," Jones is the driving force behind Smith's explorations. Four tunes featuring singer Bill Henderson are added to this reissue, sweetening the pot for Smith fans. Softly as a Summer Breeze, released in 1965, is one of Jimmy Smith's more obscure Blue Note recordings. The six-song trio program finds the organist joined by either guitarist Kenny Burrell and drummer Philly Joe Jones, or guitarist Eddie McFadden and drummer Donald Bailey. In other words, Smith recorded with two different rhythm sections in the same day. In the original liner notes, Leonard Feather makes it seem like a ballad-oriented set, but "Hackensack" really cooks, "Sometimes I'm Happy" struts, and "Home Cookin' (aka One for Philly Joe" (a familiar but unplaceable melody used for a later pop tune) has its exciting moments. What is unusual about the set is the absence of any blues. The strangest thing about this recording, done on February 26, 1965, is that only a day earlier, Smith led two burning sessions that vaulted material for his classic albums, The Sermon and House Party. The CD version of Softly as a Summer Breeze is augmented by four other selections, two of which were originally released as 45s and are showcases for Bill Henderson's vocals. The singer is joined by Smith, guitarist Ray Crawford, and drummer Bailey. Henderson's debut, a version of "Senor Blues" with Horace Silver, had been a hit, but lightning did not strike twice, although the he would have a productive career during the next four decades. The tunes he sings here are standards and blues: "Willow Weep for Me," "Ain't No Use," "Angel Eyes," and Ray Charles' blues "Ain't That Love." Overall, this CD is not essential, but it does fill in a few gaps in both Smith's and Henderson's careers. The 2006 Rudy Van Gelder Edition contains the same four bonus tracks as the original CD but is completely remastered -- the sound is superb. It contains the original liner notes, plus a new set written by Bob Blumenthal, who goes into the recording of the album historically and offers a fresh and fine critical perspective. ~ Scott Yanow and Thom Jurek

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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