Prayer Meetin'

I think we jazz lovers are all guilty, at times, of using jazz as background music - letting one's brain wander onto other things while songs play in the background. This, folks, is an album that should never be reduced to background music. Jimmy Smith and Stanley Turrentine are both exquisite soloists, and both are at their most melodic on this record (Smith plays a bit more sparingly on this album than he often does). While Donald Bailey (dr) and Quentin Warren are relegated to supporting roles (the only soloists are Turrentine and Smith), they do a great job, especially following Turrentine and Smith's dynamics changes and cues).The songs here are pure soul. Prayer Meetin' is a roadhouse style 12-bar blues with a wickedly soulful guitar riff. When the Saints Go Marching In is pure energetic gospel, and Smith's syncopated solo is probably worth the price of the album. I Almost Lost My Mind is a beautiful slow, sensitive blues. The album is pure soul from start to finish (even the strange latin feel of Stone Cold Dead in the Market has soul to it!).I've had this album for precisely three days and I've listened to it precisely three times, and I have to imagine that this will work itself into my "favorite albums" list. Please, no background music here. This here is foreground music.

Love Jimmy Smith. seller delivered as promised. Overall good job.

The history of jazz also happen to have a proud history of having jazz musicians collaborating together in either the recording studio or live on stage: Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, Toshiko Akiyoshi and Lew Tabackin, Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond, Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul. But another of the paired collaborations could be owed exclusively to Jimmy Smith and Stanley Turrentine—who’s collaborations became synonymous in the early-1960’s. Recorded in 1963 and released in 1964 to critical accolades, Prayer Meetin’ highly showcases a lyrical combination of the blues, bebop, gospel, R&B and soul jazz as it highlights Turrentine’s lush tenor saxophone and Smith’s versatile Hammond B-3 organ performed to the highest authority in world class excellence. Beginning with the uplifting soulful title track, the atmospheric track set concludes with a wonderful set of classy takes on standards and original standards like I Almost Lost My Mind, Stone Cold Dead In The Market, Gene Ammons’ Red Top, the Smith-penned favo- rite Picknickin’, their slow-pace reworking of When The Saints Go Marching In and the classic final track Smith Walk. Highly regarded as Smith and Turrentine’s finest collaboration to date, Prayer Meetin’ serves up a world class set of excellent solos, authorative combo arrangements and several robust compositions written by Smith himself as the magical chemistry makes this masterpiece a truly bonafide success, while his trio sharply abets the groove-oriented interplay. Hailed as one of Smith’s greatest and most celebrated achievements, here’s another important classic from the jazz organ titan’s legacy that wholeheartedly deserves to be a part of any MP3 library, which will live on forever as a cornerstone in Hammond B-3 virtuosity.

Following what have turned out to be landmark jazz organ albums such as  Midnight Special  and  Back at the Chicken Shack (Reis) ,Jimmy Smith was about to jump ship from the Blue Note label to Verve. Both were revered jazz record labels,featuring between them some of the best soloists and accompanists the genre had to offer at the time. Of course Jimmy Smith had to have been musically in his glory since the genre he'd helped to bring about,soul-jazz was at this time at it's height. And he had with him on this album a quintet including a tenor saxophone player who'd be so important to this music he'd actually be partially credited on the front jacket: Stanley Turrnentine. Smith starts off the album with his own title song which,along with "Picknickin" represent his two original compositions for this album and find him in a deeply swinging gospel-type instrumental groove-providing both rhythmical and solo accompaniment along with Turrentine all the way from start to finish. On Ivory Joe Hunter's "I Almost Lost My Mind" Smith is at his very best on a deep,slow crawling blues that brings out the absolute best in his playing. The liner notes say little for the bossa styled soul jazz of "Stone Cold Dead In The Market". But it's actually among my favorite numbers here. The other being an equally and similarly spirited take on the standard "When The Saints Go Marching In". Turrentine shins in particular on "Red Top",one of my favorite jazz compositions period. The bonus tracks,"Lonesome Road" and the original Smith composition "Lonesome Road" really get to the point on two soulful,hard bopping grooves. Because both musicians both possess a very technically and instrumentally fluid style,Jimmy Smith and Stanley Turrentine are almost the idea compliment to each other on this album. While Smith's organ playing style can be very elaborate and colorful,Turrentine's direct and to the point accompaniment and improvisations well suit whom he's playing with. On the bonus tracks Sam Jones is featured on bass. However again with Jimmy's own foot peddle style,he blends right into the mix. A powerful and wonderful Jimmy Smith Blue Note era release.

excellent

Oh welch göttliche CD von Jimmy Smith an der Orgel und Stanley Turrentine am Sax. Ein must have für jeden Fan, leicht jazziger, souliger, etwas bluesgetränkter Spitzenunterhaltungsmusik = natürlich mit Schlagzeug, Gitarre und Baßbegleitung. Easy listening wird wirklich leicht gemacht, jedoch schwerer erhältlich.G.ST.

Poor recording quality...Stop wast our money!

excellent