October 14

Next up on my Verve Records recent find parade is an album from Jimmy Smith called Bashin’ The Unpredictable Jimmy Smith.

This is the second of three Verve Records I found at a local thrift store recently. Although not in as good a shape as the Willie Bobo record, it is still is very playable.

I had previously reviewed a Jimmy Smith album on this blog. I have to say I was not all that impressed with Mr Smith. The subject matter of his standards record just sounded hokey and a little to “Take Me Out To The Ball Game-ish”.

I had kind of written Jimmy Smith off! Until recently, when I picked up some Beastie Boys vinyl and heard the Jimmy Smith samples on songs like Root Down.

I figured I needed to give Jimmy another try and this album showed up in the thrift store. As with Bobo, this is Smith’s debut on Verve.

What a difference from his standards album! Here side one is with a big band and side two with his trio. The album touts a “hit version” of Walk On The Wild Side… but it was not the song I had imagined…

He also covers Hammerstein’s Ol’ Man River here with the band.

On the trio side, Jimmy really swings! With a great effort on the Smith penned title track and a killer version of the Johnny Mercer chestnut I’m An Old Cowhand From The Rio Grande.

My scuffy placeholder copy will do just fine until I find a cleaner copy elsewhere.