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Jimmy Smith Questions


Matthew

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I'm trying to track down these two sessions since I'm really into Smith during the 1956 - 57 years. I need help with two questions

1. Lonesome Road: Was this released as part of the TOCJ series? Does anyone have its number?

2. Special Guests: This looks like an absolutely killer session. The players are: George Coleman - Sax (Tenor), Curtis Fuller (Trombone), Grant Green (Guitar), Sam Jones (Bass), Lee Morgan (Trumpet), Stanley Turrentine (Sax Tenor), Donald Bailey (Drums), Eddie McFadden (Guitar), and Jimmy Smith.

I mean Holy Crap, Batman!, look at that line up again! Has this lp ever been released on cd? Are these numbers spead out on other cds? Is this lp any good?

Any help is greatly appreciated as I try to come to grips with this era in the music of Jimmy Smith.

Edited by Matthew
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Matthew, "Lonesome Road" is part of the TOCJ series. I don't have it, but it is a session with his regular trio of the period which had Eddie McFadden on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums from 1957. "Special Guests" is a compilation featuring leftover cuts from various sessions, some of these cuts in the US have been reissued on the old "Prayer Meetin" CD, "I'm Movin On", and a few others I can't think of at the moment.

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Thanks for the help guys, I'm going have to track down these, for sure. Past couple of weeks I'm just going crazy over the 1956 - 1957 years, I mean, this is the absolute beginning of a genre of jazz that is still going strong. It's ungodly what Smith did in these two years -- check out these releases, IN TWO YEARS TIME!!!!!!!!!!

1956 A New Sound, A New Star: Jimmy Smith at the... Blue Note

1956 The Champ Blue Note

1956 A New Sound, A New Star: Jimmy Smith at the... Blue Note

1956 The Incredible Jimmy Smith at the Organ,... Blue Note

1956 The Incredible Jimmy Smith at Club Baby... [live] Blue Note

1956 The Incredible Jimmy Smith at Club Baby... [live] Blue Note

1957 A Date with Jimmy Smith, Vol. 1 Blue Note

1957 The Sounds of Jimmy Smith Blue Note

1957 A Date with Jimmy Smith, Vol. 2 Blue Note

1957 Jimmy Smith at the Organ, Vol. 1 Blue Note

1957 Jimmy Smith at the Organ, Vol. 2 Blue Note

1957 Plays Pretty Just for You Blue Note

1957 The Incredible Jimmy Smith Blue Note

1957 Jimmy Smith Trio + LD Blue Note

1957 Confirmation Blue Note

1957 Special Guests Blue Note

1957 House Party Blue Note

1957 Groovin' at Small's Paradise, Vol. 1 [live] Blue Note

1957 Groovin' at Small's Paradise, Vol. 2 [live] Blue Note

1957 Groovin' at Small's Paradise, Vols. 1-2 [LP] [live] Blue Note

1957 Groovin' at Small's Paradise, Vols. 1-2 [CD] [live] Blue Note

1957 Lonesome Road

Guys, I'm serious, has any other jazz musician put out so many quality sessions in TWO YEARS!!?? It is so AMAZING!! If Smith wasn't "just an organ player", people would be going nuts over this. For some reason, there are people who think it is the easiest thing in the world to put together organ jazz dates. Well, its not. There is so much creativity going on in 56 -57, it's hard to take in. Sorry for going on like this but it truly is the INCREDIBLE JIMMY SMITH!! :party:

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What I'm not understanding about Special Guests is how Grant Green is listed as one of the players for a 1957 release? I always thought that the only time Smith & Grant recorded together is on I'm Movin' On, which is a January 31, 1963 release. Is the listing wrong? or is there another, earlier meeting between the two. Or is it that most of the cuts on Special Guests come from 1957, except the Green, which is a leftover from 1963?

Minor thing, I know but the kind of thing that tugs at the mind.

Edited by Matthew
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The two unissued tracks from the January 31, 1963 session with Grant Green were Organic Greenery and Day In, Day Out. Are the album redits correct?

A session-based discographical listing together with an album index would be more helpful than just a list of LPs or vault-issue CDs of previously unreleased material, especially when so much of the music was issued in a "compiled" fashion.

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Just noticed your list omitts The Sermon which used material from the same sessions as House Party. Well, the original album may have tracks from the January 1958 session only, I have only the first Blue Note CD which has that stuff in recording order (which I prefer). Confirmation probably has the remainder of these two sessions.

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Thanks Mike, that helps.

These are the songs listed on Special Guests on AMG:

1. 'S Wonderful (Gershwin/Gershwin)

2. The Blue Room (Hart/Rodgers)

3. Day In - Day Out (Bloom/Mercer)

4. Smith Walk

5. Lonesome Road (Austin/Shilkret)

What I really need to do is break down, and bite the bullet, and just buy the "Blue Note Discography", but it's so expensive :angry: . Why don't they put it out on CD Rom, now that I would buy in a second!

Edited by Matthew
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What I really need to do is break down, and bite the bullet, and just buy the "Blue Note Discography", but it's so expensive :angry: . Why don't they put it out on CD Rom, now that I would buy in a second!

I remember, when they put it out, I posted on the old BNBB, if they were cool they'd put it on the web, that would make updates a lot easier. I wouldn't mind if they charged a yearly fee and all, but that would be the best way with ANY discography!

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These are the songs listed on Special Guests on AMG:

1. 'S Wonderful (Gershwin/Gershwin)

2. The Blue Room (Hart/Rodgers)

3. Day In - Day Out (Bloom/Mercer)

4. Smith Walk

5. Lonesome Road (Austin/Shilkret)

1. 'S Wonderful (Gershwin/Gershwin)

2. The Blue Room (Hart/Rodgers)

These are from the August 25, 1957 session that was used for The Sermon.

They were bonus tracks on the respective US CD.

4. Smith Walk

5. Lonesome Road (Austin/Shilkret)

were recorded June 13, 1960, the only pieces recorded on that date. In the US they were included as bonus tracks of Prayer Meetin', which otherwise has the February 8, 1963 session.

3. Day In - Day Out (Bloom/Mercer)

Don't know right now what session that was from. If I can find out I'll post it here.

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Okay, AMG could help:

1. Margie (Conrad/Davis/Robinson) - 5:51

2. Lonesome Road (Austin/Shilkret) - 4:46

3. I Want a Little Girl (Mencher/Moll) - 5:14

4. Diane (Pollack/Rapee) - 6:25

5. Blue Lou (Mills/Sampson) - 3:51

6. Our Love Is Here to Stay (Gershwin/Gershwin) - 5:41

7. Danny Boy (Weatherly) - 7:24

8. Taking a Chance on Love (Duke/Fetter/Latouche) - 4:40

That's a different take of 2. Lonesome Road than the one recorded June 13, 1960. But what sessions is that stuff from? I'm not a Smith completist ...

Anybody here with the Lord disco who could post a Smith Blue Note listing?

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Hi Matthew,

I have a sealed copy of "Lonesome Road" that I would be willing to trade or sell, if you're interested. It was released as TOCJ-1615, back in November of 1996. It's a good, solid session, and I still haven't figured out why it hasn't been released here in the U.S. It features Eddie McFadden and Donald Bailey.

Let me know if you'd like to work a trade or some other deal!

Cheers,

Shane

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Okay, AMG could help:

1. Margie (Conrad/Davis/Robinson) - 5:51

2. Lonesome Road (Austin/Shilkret) - 4:46

3. I Want a Little Girl (Mencher/Moll) - 5:14

4. Diane (Pollack/Rapee) - 6:25

5. Blue Lou (Mills/Sampson) - 3:51

6. Our Love Is Here to Stay (Gershwin/Gershwin) - 5:41

7. Danny Boy (Weatherly) - 7:24

8. Taking a Chance on Love (Duke/Fetter/Latouche) - 4:40

That's a different take of 2. Lonesome Road than the one recorded June 13, 1960. But what sessions is that stuff from?

Lonesome Road (the entire album) was recorded at November 20, 1957. That’s only five days after the Small’s Paradise recording. It was his last session that year.

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These are the songs listed on Special Guests on AMG:

1.  'S Wonderful (Gershwin/Gershwin)

2.  The Blue Room (Hart/Rodgers)

3.  Day In - Day Out (Bloom/Mercer)

4.  Smith Walk

5.  Lonesome Road (Austin/Shilkret)

But AMG’s track listing is incorrect, or at least incomplete. The track Organic Greenery was part of the album too. What I don’t know is where it fits in. As the sixth track? Or in conjunction with its session mate Day In – Day Out? Or something else?

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I used to have a vinyl edition of "Special Guests". It was a  compilation of tracks which didn't make it to the original albums.  I sold mine a while back as everything is now available on cd.

John, do you remember the track order and where Organic Greenery fits in? Or somebody else? I would be grateful for info on this. This must have been an obscure album, and it seems difficult to come by any additional information about it.

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To me, this era of Jimmy Smith may be the best jazz organ ever played. He's really, really, really great. And his sidemen are all wonderful too. Really raw and emotional playing. Plus it's SO new, you can almost hear the excitement of all involved.

It's those qualities that makes me so excited about these first two years of Smith at Blue Note. Just to listen to the cds of Incredible Jimmy Smith at Club Baby Grand is an amazing experience. It's funny how the crowd reacts after Sweet Georgia Brown -- they are going wild, not believing what they just heard. And to top off the reaction, someone in the crowds yells above the din; "Meanwhile, back in the jungle!" One of those recorded moments that is worth it's weight in gold. The excitement; the creativity; the fun that everyone is having, makes you have fun listening to the cds. I also love the Monk influence at this period of time on Smith. Sometime it's like Monk is playing the organ. This is something that I cannot find any writing on but, to me, Monk is all over the 1957 recordings.

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There's too much above for me to sift through, so, at the risk of duplicating what someone else has said, and with apologies in advance:

"Special Guests" had

"S'Wonderful" and "Blue Room" from the 8/25/57 jam session

"Smith Walk" and "Lonesome Road" from 6/13/60, with Stanley Turrentine, Quentin Warren, Sam Jones and Dave Bailey (all on the "Prayer Meetin'" CD, but not on the LP)

"Day In, Day Out" from 1/31/63, the "I'm Movin' On" session with Grant Green, and this track is on the CD reissue.

The two 8/25/57 items were on the old CD of "House Party" but were pig-headedly left off when the RVGs of that and "The Sermon" were made, so they are now hard to find.

So, in a sense, the "Special Guests" album is redundant.

This question, and the question about "Lonesome Road" come up repeatedly because things are confusing when it comes to Smith sessions. (How about three different versions of "Cherokee", from different sessions!)

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