Jimmy Smith – The Sermon! (1959/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Jimmy Smith – The Sermon! (1959/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 40:08 minutes | 1,70 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Blue Note Records

The Sermon is one of Jimmy Smith’s classics which revolutionized the organ and popularized the instrument in a jazz context. Smith turns the organ into almost an ensemble itself. He plays walking bass lines and chordal accompaniment with his left hand, solos with his right hand. Smith fuses R&B, blues and gospel influences with bebop references and devices into a jubilant, attractive sound that many others immediately absorbed before following in his footsteps. These sessions, recorded in 1957 and 1958 with two different all-star bands, include trumpeter Lee Morgan, alto saxophonists George Coleman and Lou Donaldson, guitarists Kenny Burrell and Eddie McFadden and drummer Art Blakey.

When Jimmy Smith exploded onto the jazz scene in 1956, he changed everything about the way the organ was used and perceived in jazz. His first two years of recording were mind-bogglingly prolific, producing 13 albums. Three marathon jam sessions during this period produced some of his finest early work, including The Sermon! Smith displays both a youthful fire and a musical wisdom beyond his years throughout the album. Whether blazing through hard bop tunes like “Confirmation” and “Au Privave” (both Charlie Parker compositions) or gently caressing the ballad “Lover Man,” Smith constantly proves himself the most inventive organist of the bop generation. In moving beyond the classic organ trio format, Smith takes the organ into new areas, and trading solos with the likes of Lee Morgan and Lou Donaldson, he makes it plain that his is an individual voice worthy of its eventual place in the jazz canon. A special treat here is the tenor work of the great, underrated Tina Brooks. –AllMusic

Tracklist:

01. Jimmy Smith – The Sermon (20:11)
02. Jimmy Smith – J.O.S. (11:55)
03. Jimmy Smith – Flamingo (08:01)

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