The Incredible Jimmy Smith was a self-taught keyboard virtuoso who gave up the piano in 1954 in favor of the Hammond B3 organ, setting up shop in a warehouse in Philadelphia and woodshedding for a year before emerging with a revolutionary approach to the instrument that immediately caught the ear of Alfred Lion. The Blue Note founder recorded the B3 innovator as often as he could between 1956-1963 in a range of different settings and released a tremendous run of albums that laid the foundation for the Soul Jazz movement. Drawn from three different sessions recorded in 1958-1959, Home Cookin' featured Smith in a quartet with tenor saxophonist Percy France, guitarist Kenny Burrell, and drummer Donald Bailey, and it stands as one of the most deeply soulful albums Smith ever made. The band gives a soul jazz symposium on this seven-song set that includes covers of tunes by Ma Rainey, Ray Charles, and Jimmy McGriff along with originals by Smith and Burrell.
This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal. Review Jimmy Smith's voluminous catalog is remarkably solid throughout and Home Cookin' is a recommended starting place for burgeoning enthusiasts as well as a substantial entry for the initiated. -Lindsay Planer, AllMusic.com, 4/5 stars
Review
AllMusic rating: AllMusic users: (151 votes) Read the AllMusic.com review
Artist: Jimmy Smith, Kenny Burrell, Percy France, Donald Bailey Label: Blue Note, UMe Format: LP Units: 1 Country: Unknown Genre: Jazz Style: Hard Bop
A1 See See Rider A2 Sugar Hill A3 I Got A Woman A4 Messin' Around B1 Gracie B2 Come On Baby B3 Motorin' Along
