Jimmy Smith is probably the most iconic jazz organist, inspiring many other musicians and sampled by quite a number of hip-hop artists.
Now two of Jimmy Smith’s best albums are returning to vinyl through Verve’s Acoustic Sounds series.
The first is The Cat, a notable release that reached No. 12 on the Billboard 200. Released on September 14, 1964. As Universal official music site notes, the album is filled with consummate Hammond B3 playing, in addition to Lalo Schifrin’s arrangements for big band. “Basin Street Blues” epitomizes 1960s sophistication, while the appropriately super cool “Delon’s Blues” is dedicated to the French actor Alain Delon, who Smith had befriended while on tour in Europe in 1963.
The other album hitting new vinyl is Smith’s famous live set Root Down, from 1972. Recorded in Los Angeles in 1972, it features a young band that were very influenced by the funk and rock scenes of the time. The album’s title track was famously sampled by the Beastie Boys for their 1995 recording of the same name.
All releases in Acoustic Sounds series are the definitive audiophile versions of classic jazz recordings mastered by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound from the original analog tapes and released in remastered 180-gram vinyl editions in deluxe gatefold packaging.
You can purchase Jimmy Smith’s vinyl reissues of The Cat and Root Down from Verve’s official website.