The Cat – JIMMY SMITH****

Theme From Joy House/The Cat/Basin Street Blues/Main Title From The Carpetbaggers/Chicago Serenade/St Louis Blues/Delon’s Blues/Blues In The Night

Jazz and blues organist Jimmy Smith second 1964 offering The Cat features acclaimed arrangements for the backing band by Lalo Schifrin, offering a contrast in musical styles. (US:12)

"Compared to his earlier Blue Note recordings, organist Jimmy Smith's outings for Verve are not as strong from a jazz standpoint. Certainly his renditions of the Theme From Joy House, The Cat and the Main Title From The Carpetbaggers are not all that significant. However, this LP has some tasteful arrangements for the big band by Lalo Schifrin and some good playing by the great organist on a variety of other blues-oriented material."

"This is one of my very favourite albums. I never get tired of hearing it. The great arrangements by conductor Lalo Schifrin, the powerful organ of Jimmy Smith, big band jazz doesn't get better than this. Listen to the first two tracks and see if you are not blown away."

"This album is a fantastic union of the raw funkiness of Jimmy Smith and the smooth arrangements of the unrivalled Lalo Schifrin. It is the combination of these two musicians, both deserving the title of 'genius', which causes the sparks to fly. The organ has never sounded so groovy and the big band arrangements are equally unique. This will give something extra each time you listen."

"By the time Jimmy Smith moved from Blue Note to Verve in the early '60s he was widely acknowledged as the ruling jazz Hammond organ player in the world. He was not only seminal in introducing the instrument to jazz, he continued to innovate throughout the '50s and '60s. His feet provided funky bass lines, his left hand swinging chords, and his right hand lightning-quick gospel-influenced runs. Given the fullness of his playing, it's a wonder there was even room for other players on his sessions." "Even more impressive is the way this 1964 release weaves together the breadth of Smith's organ with the full-blown band arrangements of Lalo Schifrin. Smith leans more heavily to soul than jazz on these eight tunes, and his interplay with the orchestra is necessarily formalized by the use of arrangements."