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Jimmy Smith: dot com blues

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Verve Records
Released: 1900
Time:
 60:36
Category: Jazz
Producer(s): John Porter
Rating: *********. (9/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.vervemusicgroup.com/jimmysmith
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2001.02.03
Price in €: 17,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Only in It for the Money (Rebennack) - 4:35
[2] 8 Counts for Rita (Smith) - 3:39
[3] Strut (Mahal) - 5:03
[4] C.C. Rider - 7:09
[5] I Just Wanna Make Love to You (Dixon) - 3:55
[6] Mood Indigo (Bigard/Ellington/Mills) - 8:49
[7] Over and Over (Keb' Mo'/Mo) - 5:53
[8] Three O'Clock Blues (Bihari/King) - 4:33
[9] Dot Com Blues (Smith) - 5:22
[10] Mr. Johnson (Rebennack/Smith) - 5:47
[11] Tuition Blues (Smith) - 5:51

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Jimmy Smith - Hammond B3 Organ
Russell Malone - Guitar
Reggie McBride - Bass Guitar
Harvey Mason, Sr. - Drums

Etta James - Vocals
Dr. John - Piano, Electric Piano, Vocals, Wurlitzer
B.B. King - Guitar, Vocals
Taj Mahal - Guitar, Vocals
Keb' No' - Guitar, Vaocals
Pino Palladino - Bass Guitar

Leslie Drayton - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Herman Riley - Tenor Saxophone
Phil Upchurch - Guitar
Sweet Pea Atkinson - Vocals
George Bohannon - Trombone, Bass Trombone
Sir Harry Bowens - Vocals
Oscar Brashear - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Lenny Castro - Percussion
John Clayton - Acoustic Bass
Jon Cleary - Wurlitzer
Neil Hubbard - Guitar
Darrell Leonard - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Horn Arrangements
John Porter - Guitar
Maurice Spears - Trombone, Bass Trombone
Chris Stainton - Piano
Joe Sublett - Tenor Saxophone
Andy Newark - Drums

John Porter - Producer
Ron Goldstein - Executive Producer
Rik Pekkonen - Engineer
Billy Kinsley - Assistant Engineer
Mike Scotella - Assistant Engineer
Bernie Grundman - Mastering
James Minchin - Photography
Hollis King - Art Direction
Barbara Farman - Make-Up, Hair Stylist
David Riegel - Design
John Newcott - Release Coordinator

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


His first album in more than five years and label debut for Blue Thumb Records (while remaining within the Verve Music Group), Jimmy Smith, who turned 75 shortly before the release date in January 2001, attempts the soul-jazz version of what Santana did on Supernatural — heavily featuring guest stars in an attempt to broaden his appeal. The basic band consists of Smith on organ, Reggie McBride on bass guitar, and Harvey Mason on drums, but this trio is never featured alone, although four tracks feature the trio joined only by guitarist Russell Malone — "C C Rider," "Mood Indigo" (with John Clayton replacing McBride on acoustic bass), and two new Smith originals, the title track and the album closer, "Tuition Blues." (On a fifth song, a remake of Smith's "8 Counts for Rita," the quartet is joined by percussionist Lenny Castro.) Not surprisingly, these are the most jazz-oriented performances on the album. The rest of the disc takes a blues turn, with Dr. John contributing vocals and piano on his own composition, the lead-off track "Only in It for the Money"; Taj Mahal singing and playing guitar on his own "Strut"; Etta James singing the Muddy Waters hit "I Just Wanna Make Love to You," accompanied by Dr. John on Wurlitzer electric piano; Keb' Mo' taking guitar and vocal duties on his composition "Over & Over"; and B.B. King doing the same on his old favorite "Three O'Clock Blues." Thus, half the album is given over to guest stars who sing, making this the most vocal-dominated album ever released under Jimmy Smith's name. As a consequence, it is also something of a blues sampler with Smith playing a prominent role rather than a Jimmy Smith album. This business of using many guest stars is tricky. It worked for Santana because the guest wrote with him and worked within his Latin rock style. Here, the album is hijacked by blues artists who simply come in and do what they do usually. Jazz fans will be happy to know that, after more than 40 years of recording, Smith retains his ability to play, but Dot Com Blues is anything but a showcase for the man whose name is on the cover.

William Ruhlmann - All Music Guide



Jimmy Smith is an American icon. In the world of jazz, he has remained uncontested at the top of his field for more than four decades. On Dot Com Blues, Jimmy’s first new record in five years, Smith takes blues organ to new heights. Having always had a deep rooting in the blues, it comes as no surprise that he would do a project focused on the genre. Producer John Porter and Verve Music Group President Ron Goldstein have assembled an all-star cast, featuring vocal performances by such blues greats as B.B. King, Dr. John, Etta James, Keb’ Mo’, and Taj Mahal.

©1999-2000 Verve Music Group



Der Titel führt in die Irre. Denn wer von dem 75-jährigen Organisten einen Beitrag zu dem Modethema des neuen Jahrtausends erwartet hätte, wird getäuscht. Seine erste Aufnahme seit fünf Jahren glänzt vielmehr durch Name-Dropping und Laid-Back-Arrangements alter Blues-Klassiker. Jimmy Smith revolutionierte in den 50er Jahren den Gebrauch der Orgel im Jazz und er vermengte wichtige Strömungen der afroamerikanischen Folklore - R&B, Gospel, Blues und Bebop - zu einem damals richtungsweisenden Statement. Der Soul Jazz, der sich Mitte der 50er Jahre angekündigt hatte, war ein Signal. Vor allem in Kreisen schwarzer Musiker wurde in jenen Tagen sehr viel über die Richtung diskutiert, die der Jazz nehmen sollte. Bebop und West Coast schienen überholt, oder zumindest erschlafft, und einige empfanden, dass der Jazz sich entfernt, ja, abgehoben hatte von seinen historischen Wurzeln: der schwarzen Kirche und Community. "Soul Power" wurde in jenen Jahren zum Synonym für ein neues Selbstbewusstsein, den Glauben an die eigene Kraft, an Veränderung und Fortschritt. Soulful und funky - das bedeutete, musikalisch gesehen, vor allem sehr bluesbetont zu spielen und an den Anfängen der schwarzen Volksmusik orientiert. Etta James, B.B. King, Dr. John, Keb Mo und Taj Mahal machen Dot Com Blues zudem zu der gesangsbetontesten Smith-Platte ever.

Christian Broecking - Amazon.de



Organist Jimmy Smith's Blue Note and Verve back-catalog is the stuff of legend, and the man plays as well on Dot Com Blues as he ever has. But this session is more than another Jimmy Smith album. At times you wonder where Jimmy is among all the accompanying star power, but if you listen, he is still there, rubbing the honeyed keys as B.B. King, Etta James, Dr. John, and Keb Mo wail and work it. Smith shows he is still the master of the blueswalk in "8 Counts for Rita," "C.C. Rider," "Tuition Blues," and the title track, as well as on a sumptuously slow version of "Mood Indigo." Here, Smith solos with gritty abandon in a small-group setting with such notables as guitarist Russell Malone, drummer Harvey Mason, and percussionist Lenny Castro. Smith is more often felt than heard elsewhere, though, and maybe that is understandable when Etta James lets rips on a wobbly version of "I Just Wanna Make Love to You." The opening "Only in It for the Money" is better balanced, perhaps because Dr. John understands the value of less-is-more and, as a fellow keyboardist, doesn't want to step on Smith's celebrated toes. Finally, B.B. King helps make "Three O'Clock Blues" a rocking blowout that transports the listener back to some rock & blues tent meeting circa 1956. Dot Com Blues proves that Jimmy Smith can still raise the rug and do what he does best, star power in attendance or not.

Ken Micallef - Amazon.com



Organist Jimmy Smith was arguably the most important force in soul-jazz in the 1950s and '60s. His distinctive Hammond B-3 sound had a profound influence on a generation of organ players, and his cool take on jazz defined that distinctive vibe. His output of albums between 1956 and 1969 is stupefying, but when measured against the entirety of his discography, one can see that he went from being a darling at the Verve and Blue Note labels to a sort of wandering minstrel.

Dot Com Blues was apparently conceived as a vehicle for returning Smith to a wider listening audience. The album is a blues project and, rest assured, even at 70-plus, Smith can play the hell out of the blues. The game plan for this record, however, was to invite several major blues artists to join with Smith in creating a special album. Thus we note the presence of B.B. King, Etta James, Dr. John, Keb' Mo', and Taj Mahal.

Smith is working in a basic quartet configuration on these tracks, with Russell Malone on guitar, Reggie McBride on bass, and Harvey Mason on drums. It's a mighty tasty quartet sound, too, though the listener will find that this foursome is augmented on most tunes by a guest or two.

The album's opening song, "Only in It for the Money," is a sweet Dr. John tune (which he also sings) that proves to be a superb blending of Big Easy funk and Smith's fluent jazzy blues. Keb' Mo' sounds great on the slow blues track "Over and Over," with Malone and Smith - whether comping or soloing - making this number glow. King reprises his well-known "Three O'Clock Blues," the most straight-up blues on the album, and Smith responds with a solo that's right in the pocket, answered a verse later by King's guitar.

For those who are used to Smith in the instrumental mode, note that six of the 11 tracks are instrumental, so, though the shock of hearing vocals on a Jimmy Smith album must be somehow managed, you'll find solace in worthy readings of "Mood Indigo," Mac Rebennack's "Mr. Johnson," and the church-bred soul of "Tuition Blues."

Philip Van Vleck, January 10, 2001
CDNOW Contributing Writer



He's the master, the maestro, the undisputed king of the Hammond B-3. And befitting the changing times, Dot Com Blues updates Jimmy Smith's classic jazz trio/quartet format of yore by bringing in huge, boisterous horns, a rhythm section of players raised on modern funk and R&B, numerous guest vocalists and other contributors. Taj Mahal, Etta James, B.B. King and Keb' Mo' were among the veritable who's who of blues and soul that passed through the doors of the studio to pay homage to Smith. And while the results certainly won't supplant his classic Blue Note and Verve sides (Smith's place in the jazz pantheon as the primary exponent of jazz organ has long been secure), the millennial overhaul may win over a new generation of fans. Smith is simply what he is, whether the trappings around him are old or new, from the chicken shack to Carnegie Hall.

James Lien - Jan 22, 2001
CMJ New Music Report Issue: 698
 

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