Recorded on September 11, 1972
Reissued on CD on Lilith, a Russian label, in 2006.
Conventional wisdom would dictate that THE Jimmy Smith record of the 1970s is Root Down (Verve, 1972). I agree that it's a fantastic album. Smith is on fire, and Arthur Adams' raucous guitar work gives the album a sound unlike any other LP in Jimmy Smith's discography. But Bluesmith is my choice.
If Root Down is a turbo-charged, pedal-to-the-metal, funky blast, then Bluesmith is an equally powerful, if lower-key affair. Rather than boiling, the tunes on the latter album are blues that simmer darkly and hearken back to Smith most powerful statements of the 1950s and 1960s.
No one seems to talk about Bluesmith, and I don't know why it's such an overlooked album. It doesn't make sense. The album features a terrific band. One of my all-time favorite tenor men, Teddy Edwards, brings his wonderfully charismatic voice to the proceedings, and guitarist Ray Crawford is soulful as ever. In fact, everyone plays beautifully on this date. (One oddity: It's always nice to hear Leroy Vinnegar, but I don't know why he's present here. Jimmy Smith usually handled the bass duties himself. But I suppose you could do a lot worse than bringing someone like Vinnegar aboard! Just listening to the bass line he lays down at the beginning of "Absolutely Funky" below.)
If you've never heard the album before, give these tracks a listen. I think you'll quickly be won over by this potent and deliciously bluesy music!
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