JAZZBO NOTES ESSENTIAL RECORDING
Rating: 
In this live recording from 1972, organ great Jimmy Smith sounds positively rejuvenated. The credit for that has to come from the young Los Angeles rhythm section of Arthur Adams on guitar, Wilton Felder on bass, Buck Clarke on percussion, and Paul Humphrey on drums.
The first cut, Sagg Shootin’ His Arrow, is pure greasy funk, with furious syncopated drumming from Humphrey, wah-wah scratching from Adams, tasty fills from Clarke, and frantic rhythmic patterns from Felder. The tune jumps!
It seems like the leader is more interested in maintaining the mood than in blowing you away with his chops on this one, although he throws in some interesting Arabic sounding modes towards the end.
The band slows down for a pop tune, For Everyone Under The Sun, but curiously enough, Smith takes this opportunity to light his keyboard on fire, blazing away with machine gun riffs.
The next standout is Root Down (and Get It), another supremely funky groove, courtesy of the LA rhythm section. Smith responds with the fiery soul playing he so capable of, but rarely pulls off in the studio. It’s a good thing this gig was recorded because Smith sounds more vital here than he had since the early 60s.
Then we have a warm reading of Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Stay Together. The crowd loves this, but where were their ears when Smith was killing on the funky grooves? They apparently had no idea how priviledged they were to witness Jimmy Smith at the height of his powers with a kickass rhythm section behind him. It’s a sad commentary on the musical taste of the general public.
Then we have Slow Down Sagg, a funny name for a tune that sounds like it’s going to spontaneously burst into flames, taking the juke joint with it. Once again, the band generates an awesomely funky sandbox for Smith to play around with. He sounds like he’s having a ball.
You will, too.