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Jimmy Smith: The Sermon!

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Capitol Records
Released: 1958.02.25
Time:
 40:10
Category: Jazz
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Rating: *********. (9/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.vervemusicgroup.com/jimmysmith
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2001.10.10
Price in €: 14,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] The Sermon (J.Smith) - 20:12
[2] J.O.S. (J.Smith) - 11:56
[3] Flamingo (H.Anderson/A.Grouya) - 8:02

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


JAMES OSCAR SMITH - Hammond B3 Organ

TINA BROOKS - Tenor Saxophone
GEORGE COLEMAN - Alto Saxophone
CURTIS FULLER - Trombone
LEE MORGAN - Trumpet
DONALD BAILEY - Drums
ART BLAKEY - Drums
KENNY BURRELL - Guitar
LOU DONALDSON - Alto Saxophone
EDDIE MCFADDEN - Guitar

MICHAEL CUSCUNA - Producer, Liner Notes
ALFRED LION - Producer
RUDY VAN GELDER - Engineer, 24bit Remastering
RON MCMASTER - Digital Transfers
REID MILES - Design, Cover Design
GORDON JEE - Creative Director
FRANCIS WOLFF - Photography, Cover Photo
BOB BLUMENTHAL - Liner Notes
IRA GITLER - Liner Notes

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


1987 CD Blue Note 46097
1960 LP Blue Note 84011
1985 CD Blue Note 46097
1987 CS Blue Note 84011
2000 CD Blue Note 24541

Recorded on February 25, 1958



Throughout his years with Blue Note, Jimmy Smith recorded with his working trio, with guest trios and quartets (usually with Lou Donaldson or Stanley Turrentine, Kenny Burrell and Art Blakey), live club dates often with guest hornmen and even two sessions with singers (for 45 single releases). There were also three very special dates that were marathon jam sessions in the studio built around all-star sextets.

The first of these took place on August 25, 1957 with Lee Morgan on trumpet, George Coleman on alto sax, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Eddie McFadden and Kenny Burrell alternating on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums. The second was on February 25, 1958 with Morgan, Lou Donaldson on alto, Tina Brooks on tenor, Burell and McFadden and alternating on drums Bailey and Art Blakey.

Tracks from these two sessions were intermingled to produce Smith's classic albums The Sermon and Houseparty. In 1979, another album of material came out as Confirmation. And two additional titles were included on a Japanese Blue Note album entitled Special Guests.

For compact disc, these sessions have been unravelled and put into their approximate recording order. Just for the record, the third Jimmy Smith jam session took place on March 22, 1960 with Blue Mitchell, Jackie McLean, Ike Quebec, Quentin Warren and Donald Bailey. The results were issued on Plain Talk and Open House several years after the recording date.

This compact disc completes the August 1957 session with two standards. "S'Wonderful" is a beautiful Lee Morgan feature with the support of Smith, McFadden and Bailey. "Blue Room" is Curtis Fuller's showcase with only Smith and Bailey behind him.

The February 25, 1958 session is here in its entirety. It kicks off with another feature, this one for Lou Donaldson with a gorgeous reading of "Lover Man" with Smith, McFadden and Bailey.

The remainder of this date finds Kenny Burrell on guitar and Art Blakey on drums. Lee Morgan returns on trumpet. And he remains on both of these sessions the most exquisite and inventive soloist throughout.

On alto is Donaldson, who first began recording for Blue Note as a leader in 1952 and who brought Horace Silver, Blue Mitchell and Grant Green among others to the label's attention. He was a frequent guest artist on Jimmy Smith dates during the organist's entire tenure with the label (1956 to 1963).

Tenor saxophonist Tina Brooks was one of the unsung geniuses of the horn. A brilliant soloist with a pure, smooth tone and a mind that created patterns of great intricacy, logic and beauty. Almost his entire output as a sidman and leader was for Blue Note. His obscurity was a tragedy for the music as well as for him.

The sextet jams start with two Charlie Parker classics "Confirmation" and "Au Privave." Each offer excellent examples of Tina Brooks' brilliance as well as strong solos from all concerned.

The saxophones lay out for a lovely Lee Morgan reading of "Flamingo" which is a tender spot for him and Burrell.

The session closes with the magic, rarified track that has become one of the most famous pieces of recorded jazz: "The Sermon," a relaxed twelve-bar blues line inspired by and dedicated to Horace Silver. Time is suspended as all three hornmen, Smith and Burrell weave magnificently soulful and intelligent solos that mesmerize the listener.

A classic and a fitting closer. What could one possibly follow it with?

MICHAEL CUSCUNA, from the liner notes.



The Sermon, contains only three tracks, presented here with no editing and no alternate takes. While it is certainly a stellar example of Jimmy Smith’s concept, it’s even more novel as a document of the fledgling careers of Lee Morgan, George Coleman, and the overlooked tenor player Tina Brooks. The title track is a spirited blues jam that features fabulous statements from Smith, Kenny Burrell, Brooks, Morgan, and Lou Donaldson. Art Blakey keeps the groove going for over 20 minutes. "Flamingo," from the same 1958 session, is a ballad feature for Lee Morgan, with Burrell also contributing a beautiful solo. The middle selection, "J.O.S.," recorded nearly a year earlier, is faster minor-key tune featuring different personnel. Smith’s regular guitarist and drummer, Eddie McFadden and Donald Bailey respectively, support a very young George Coleman on alto sax — not the tenor on which he would later become famous. Lee Morgan and McFadden also take their turns, prodded at various points by odd train whistle comping sounds from Smith’s organ.

By David R. Adler
Copyright © 1996-2000 All About Jazz and contributing writers. All rights reserved.



This CD reissue has two of the three selections (the 20-minute "The Sermon" and "Flamingo") from the original LP, adding five additional selections that are related. With such soloists as trumpeter Lee Morgan, trombonist Curtis Fuller, altoist Lou Donaldson, Tina Brooks on tenor, either Eddie McFadden or Kenny Burrell on guitar and Art Blakey or Donald Bailey on drums. The straightahead music is as good as one would expect (with the lengthy title cut being the obvious highpoint), and the CD overall offers listeners a strong dose of Jimmy Smith's Blue Note period.

Scott Yanow - All Music Guide
© 1992 - 2001 AEC One Stop Group, Inc.



Jimmy Smith put the Hammond B-3 organ on the jazz map for good in the 1950s. The Sermon, dating from 1958, is among his best recordings, featuring the exceptional lineup of trumpeter Lee Morgan, altoist Lou Donaldson, tenorman Tina Brooks, guitarist Kenny Burrell, drummer Art Blakey, and others. Smith's smooth, vibratoless sound perfectly suits the nimble and prodding leads of the player as he touches on R&B, soul, blues and, of course, gospel. This brings us to "The Sermon," which is reason enough to seek this gem out. Smith's group takes the title tune out for a 20-minute, fully improvised, slow-blues stroll, during which each player shares the spotlight. The soul-stirring feeling set in motion by Smith rubs off on the other musicians to make this tune and album a defining moment in organ jazz, and even in soul music. The Sermon stands as a sparkling gem in the Rudy Van Gelder reissue series.

Tad Hendrickson - Amazon.com



The Sermon, from the latest batch of Rudy Van Gelder Editions of vintage Blue Note albums, is considered a classic among the Hammond B-3 legend's many recordings based largely on the 20-minute title track, which was laid down at a studio jam session in February 1958. As Bob Blumenthal comments in new liner notes, "blowing sessions" where the assembled jazz musicians could play without time constraints were common in the early days of the 12-inch LP, but "the frequently lackluster results turned the phrase into something of a perjorative. When the company and the circumstances were right, however, blowing sessions produced glorious music, and few produced anything as glorious as The Sermon."

Smith diagrams the medium-tempo blues over Art Blakey's shuffle beat, garnishing his solo with a longish quote from "Teach Me Tonight" before shifting the spotlight to (in order) Kenny Burrell, Tina Brooks, Lee Morgan and Lou Donaldson. Sharp-eared listeners will catch references to other songs en route to the finish line, especially during Donaldson's trick.

Trumpeter Lee Morgan and Burrell are featured on the album's slow-ballad number, "Flamingo," from the same session. Morgan's gorgeous sound and five minutes of inventions on the melody belie his age (19) at the time. He was also present, along with George Coleman on alto, at an earlier Jimmy Smith jam that produced the fast-tempo "J.O.S." Listen for the leader's jarring signals to the horn players to end their solos, though Morgan ignores three blasts of Jimmy's buzzer and races through another chorus before bowing out.

Note that all of the music from these two dates, enough for 3 1/2 LPs, was previously compiled on a pair of out-of-print Blue Note CDs titled The Sermon and Houseparty. There's a subtle clarity to the Rudy Van Gelder remastering of the original LP but the difference is not enough to encourage me to jettison the expanded 1987 version.

Reviewed by Les Line - 52nd Street Jazz
Copyright © 2000 Les Line. All rights reserved.
 

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