Jimmy Smith's Greatest Hits

"File under JAZZ: Soloist Led Groups (Modern)" advises a note on the top right hand corner of the back of the sleeve. My record collection is modest enough that such elaborate categorisation is unnecessary, so I'm content to file my two LPs by Smith, ('The Incredible') Jimmy between Sinatra, Nancy and Smithereens, The. The two albums are a mismatched pair of compilations on the Verve label: this Greatest Hits and a Best Of, Vol. 2.

I tend not to think of jazz artists in terms of 'hits' but there were numerous singles and EPs of Smith's tunes, some of which must have sold well enough. The recordings included here all date between '62 and '66. On most of them Smith is accompanied by a big band using arrangements by the likes of Oliver Nelson and Lalo Schifrin. There's only a single trio performance, that of 'The Organ Gringer's Swing' where Smith is ably assisted Kenny Burrell on guitar and Grady Tate on drums.

Alun Morgan's sleevnotes mention that Smith's material while at Verve extended to "television show themes, Christmas carols, current popular tunes, earthy blues numbers and contemporary jazz themes." On this record most of the tracks are movie-related in one way or another, with treatments of the themes from Goldfinger and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf among them. On one of the "earthy blues numbers," a rendition of 'Hoochie Coochie Man', Smith contributes some appropriately rough-edged vocals in addition to working his usual magic on the Hammond B3.

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