Jimmy Smith & Eddie Harris - All The Way Live (1981) (eac-flac-cover)

Jimmy Smith & Eddie Harris - All The Way Live (1981)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 220MB

Milestone | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
Strange as it seems, organist Jimmy Smith and tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris have to this date only played together once. Their recorded collaboration at San Francisco's Keystone Korner in 1981 has recently been released for the first time by Milestone on All the Way Live. Harris (who utilizes an electrified tenor) and Smith (along with drummer Kenny Dixon) jam a couple of blues, the funky "8 Counts for Rita" (which has some audience participation) and three familiar standards. The recording quality is not state-of-the-art but is certainly listenable and the high level of the playing overcomes any technical deficiencies. Essentially a hard bop stylist, Eddie Harris's brilliance and originality are sometimes hidden under his innovative use of electronics but he has long had his own sound while Jimmy Smith is the originator of his very influential style. Highlights of the date include "Autumn Leaves," "A Child Is Born" and "Old Folks" and this live set easily surpasses Smith and Harris's studio recordings of the time period. A reunion is long overdue.

Tracks:
01 - You'll See
02 - Autumn Leaves
03 - A Child Is Born
04 - 8 Counts For Rita
05 - Old Folks
06 - Ther Sermon

Personnel: Jimmy Smith (Hammond B-3 organ); Eddie Harris (Veriphone tenor saxophone); Kenny Dixon (drums).

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Jimmy Smith - Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf (1964) (eac-flac-cover)

Jimmy Smith - Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf (1964)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 270MB

Verve | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
The combination of organist Jimmy Smith teamed with Oliver Nelson's big band featuring Nelson and Claus Ogerman's arrangements has arguably yielded mixed results. "Walk on the Wild Side" is probably the most acclaimed and potent of the pairings, while "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" produces more questions than answers. The music tends to be corny and overly dramatic, based in soul-jazz and boogaloo; it's dated even for this time period (1964) and a bit bland. Disparate elements clash rather than meld, the title track and "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" being perfect examples. If you can get beyond the hokey 007 theatrics, patriotic splashes, and sleigh bells, you do hear Smith jamming. Typical repeated two-note accents heard from the big band behind Smith do not urge him upwards -- during "Pts. 1 & 2" of the title track, this specific element identifies and bogs down the piece -- but the quicker second segment is a better, carefree, post-bop boogaloo. Smith is left behind on the melody of "Women of the World," and is submerged on "Slaughter." Of the more substantive material, Smith leads on the breezy waltz "Wives & Lovers," and thankfully gets to strut his stuff for "John Brown's Body," with the big band in the background. The very best is left for last on a classic take of "Bluesette," another waltz where the horns accent and chatter, flutes soar, and Smith flies. A curiosity in his discography, for some an "experiment" that never worked, and for others an interesting aside, one wonders what Smith really thought of this project after the fact, considering his far greater works.

Tracks:
01 - Slaughter On Tenth Avenue
02 - Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf (Part 1)
03 - Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf (Part 2)
04 - John Brown's Body
05 - Wives And Lovers
06 - Women Of The World
07 - Bluesette

Personnel:
Jimmy Smith - organ
Oliver Nelson - Arranger
Claus Ogerman - Arranger, Conductor

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