Crazy Baby

Performer: Jimmy Smith (Jazz)
Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Jimmy Smith (organ); Quentin Warren (guitar); Donald Bailey (drums). Producer: Alfred Lion. Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna. Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on January 4, 1960. Includes liner notes by Leonard Feather. It's hard to believe that someone could pull off a groove-based version of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" and make it swing like nobody's business. A glance at the track list of CRAZY BABY may induce more eye-rolling, since such dusty groaners as "Makin' Whoopee," "A Night In Tunisia" and "Mack The Knife" crop up, seemingly unlikely candidates for Smith's trademark soulful stretch-outs. But the master organist's particular genius lies in the ability transform even the most improbable of tunes into showcases for his thick, evocative Hammond sound and lightning dexterity. With cool support from guitarist Quentin Warren and drummer Donald Bailey, Smith revamps these tracks with a musical aesthetic that, while rooted firmly in jazz tradition, is unquestionably hip and modern. Standards are cast afresh, and other covers like "When The Lights Are Low" and Sonny Rollins' "Sonnymoon For Two" are infused with equal creative vitality. Containing two previously unissued tracks, this release is a must for collectors and for those unfamiliar with Smith's wizardry.

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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