Jimmy Smith - Got My Mojo Working

ORIGINATION Got My Mojo Workin'
LAST LISTENED TO the other night
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT always good
RATING

Well, it's about time! Long time readers will by now have noticed my liking for Jimmy Smith and right here is my all-time favourite Jimmy Smith track (or it is most days). It was recorded 17th December 1965 and was the first song that he sang on! This at the time came as quite a surprise and it's no wonder as he had been putting out albums for nine years by this point, with not one vocal sound on any of them (my estimate makes it around 33 albums). His voice is rich and bluesy and he went on to use it many times.

However, it is not Jimmy's voice that is the centre of attention here. It is his organ again. As usual. For over four minutes, making up the biggest part of the song, there is in my opinion simply the best organ solo you will ever hear. Anywhere. Ever. Ever. I don't have the technical music ability to describe it accurately. In fact, even laying aside any accurate descriptions, i don't think i could possibly do it any justice with any combination of words. For me it is the quintessential Jimmy Smith solo. It begins up high and mostly stays there, using repeated phrases endlessly, at other times hanging onto single notes for long periods. It's blue. It's funky. It moves me. It's perfect. If you don't like it i may never speak to you again.

Goldfingers

This morning found me waking to a combination of several versions of John Barry's main theme from the film Goldfinger. So, in roughly the order that they appeared in:

Jimmy Smith - Goldfinger (Part I)
ORIGINATION Monster
LAST LISTENED TO last night
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT good, but
RATING

There are two things that make this my favourite version of the Goldfinger theme. Firstly, of course, is the fabulous Mr. Smith and his mighty organ. It is a fact that no one beats Jimmy Smith for organ satisfaction, even here where he hardly appears, that is still the case.

The tune has a long introduction, making for a great, teasing beginning to the Monster album. A third of the way in, Jimmy plays some melody and vocal lines, forming the middle section. He only begins to solo in the last 45 seconds and it's a typically great Jimmy Smith solo, coming in on the high notes and working it's way down, repeating phrases all the way. Blue and soulful.

The secondly reason for my love of this version is Oliver Nelson's arrangement, which brings in further elements of the Goldfinger score. In particularly, the first minute is largely taken from Dawn Raid Over Fort Knox, which is the dramatic highlight of the original Goldfinger soundtrack.


John Barry - Goldfinger (Instrumental Version)
ORIGINATION Goldfinger OST
LAST LISTENED TO November
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT good, by association
RATING

Not the best known version on the original album, but for me the better of the two. It is more forceful, with a greater variety in textures and features a Beat-sounding guitar part instead of the vocals, which hints at Barry's earlier work. This version also throws in elements from other parts of the score, in manner that clearly inspired Nelson's arrangement for Jimmy Smith.

John Barry - Main Title: Goldfinger (Sung By Shirley Bassey)
ORIGINATION Goldfinger OST
LAST LISTENED TO November
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT good, by association
RATING

The famous one. It's a great moment in pop history and, whilst it's not a song that i'd ever write anything bad about, it's doesn't have Jimmy Smith on it. It does, however, have a great crescendo and some lovely little Bond-theme moments.

Ray Barretto - Goldfinger
ORIGINATION Señor 007
LAST LISTENED TO January
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT good, by association
RATING

Take a top latin-percussionist, add a whole load of Bond tunes and shake (not stir) well. Viola, a great party album. The version of Goldfinger is sadly not the best thing on this album, but it's great fun and more parpy than any other version of the tune. The atmosphere is also really quite different.

And finally…
There were sadly a couple of version of Goldfinger that didn't make it into my head this morning, but i feel deserve an honourable mention. Firstly, there are several more by Jimmy Smith, starting with the Part II Version from Monster, which sounds similar to Part I, only a good bit faster and with much more of Jimmy soloing. There are also two live versions, which may be in fact one version edited differently. Next comes Beatle-fave Billy Preston's, which has something of a Booker T. & The MG's feel. Unfortunately, he set his organ for a very rinky-dink sound, which is a fairly pants organ sound. Lastly comes Count Basie and HIs Orchestra, giving it a smooth, bit band setting. This is from his album Basie Meets Bond, which is well worth tracking down.

Jimmy Smith - Stay Loose

ORIGINATION Stay Loose
LAST LISTENED TO yesterday
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT higher than the sun
RATING

Jimmy sings again! Aces! Is this a dance? Damn, i think it is. I'm a sucker for those dance soul tunes. And this one has the added brilliance of Jimmy Smith and his soloing organ of delight. He even grunts along with it when he does solo. Nice brass accompaniment and groovy soul drums. It's a freedom dance, y'all.

Jimmy Smith - A Night In Tunisia

ORIGINATION Cool Blues
LAST LISTENED TO a few weeks ago
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT good
RATING

Two hours sleep would render anyones critical faculties useless and it has for me. Jimmy recorded many versions of this tune, as far as i know this '58 version was one of the first. It's was recorded live at Small's Paradise, NYC, from somewhere in the borderlands between hard bop and soul jazz. It quite good.

Jimmy Smith - The Cat

ORIGINATION The Cat
LAST LISTENED TO about three weeks ago
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT there's always a good chance of some Jimmy
RATING

The Cat LP was arranged and orchestrated by Lalo Schifrin and consequently has a really big brass sound. This, the title track was from a film a few years previous to this LP's 1964 recording and is a Schifrin original.

The track starts with a big brass stab. Straight after is the main melody, played at a merry pace by the basic trio of Jimmy with drums and a guitar. This swings along in a groovy '60s way that could only be Jimmy Smith. After some brass stabs, he's off a'soloing. It's a short, to the point solo, but is highly energetic and definitely brings out a groovy hammond face in anyone who has one. The air hammond too.

Near the mid point, the brass kicks back in in a big way. Jimmy continues to weave his solo through it all, until he returns to the melody. The only down side is the track fades out.

Jimmy Smith - Back At The Chicken Shack

ORIGINATION Back At The Chicken Shack LP
LAST LISTENED TO this week
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT lots of them
RATING

I listen to organ player Jimmy Smith a lot (check this out, if you want proof). There is just something about his tone and playing that i don't seem to tire of. For the most part his sound was the quintessential organ sound, the one that everyone that came after copied and most did come after. He also can solo for extended periods and maintain excitement and interest, which is no small feat.

Back At The Chicken Shack is from his Blue Note period, when he played with a small band that was centred around Smith (who played the bass on his organ as well), a guitar (often Kenny Burrell) and drums. Here Stanley Turrentine is also along on tenor sax. The track is a Smith original and is a mid-tempo affair that stretches out over eight minutes, giving both Burrell and Turrentine time to solo as well as Smith. It's a breezy infectious number with a melody that is easy to catch onto. Little wonder that i woke to it.

If you want to know more about Jimmy Smith, i've been working on a discography project here.

Jimmy Smith - One Mint Julep

ORIGINATION a Soho record shop in late 2000
LAST LISTENED TO i've been listening to lots of Jimmy Smith recently
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT really high
RATING

Sometimes when i wake with a song in my head that has no vocals in it, it can be harder to work out what it is. Not always, but enough times to comment on. However, with 'One Mint Julep' it wasn't that bad.

For starters, it has a melody that is very recognisable. If you know any version of the song you'll know what i mean. Then there's the version of it. Currently i have at least four, including The Clovers 1951 hit, which was the first version and has lyrics. This morning it was not this version i woke to, but one by the Incredible Jimmy Smith, the late star of jazz organ and a very groovy man. It's was recorded during his big bang period, which is my favourite part of his career, and can be found on his 1966 LP Hoochie Coochie Man.

The track starts with a big blast from the band before they begin playing the melody (the 'one mint julep' chant from the lyrics). Jimmy swings along with them, knocking out call and response refrains for a few minutes. Then the band drop back and give Jimmy some space and off he solos in his usual style. This runs for a few minutes uninterupted and is rather nice. Near the end of the song, the band reprise the melody and it over.

What a lovely way to start the day. I feel a lot of Jimmy Smith will be played today.

Hoochie Coochie Man