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Live At The Village Gate

  front cover   side a

1
5
J

2
.
.

I Got A Woman
8:00
Ray Charles

Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey
6:00
Cannon

 
  back cover   side b

1
5
J

2
.
.

The Champ
6:25
(Gillespie

If I Were A Bell
8:45
Loesser

 

 
  label a  

recording dates

studio

label

cat no.

 

May 1963


The Village Gate, NYC

Metro

MS - 521

 

PERSONNEL
organ
Jimmy Smith
 
     
guitar
 

Quentin Warren

 
     
drums
 

Billy Hart

 
  TECH  
producer
  Creed Taylor  
     
engineer
  unknown  
  label b  
dir. of eng.
  Val Valentin  
REISSUES label   year   cat no.      
    Metro   1965   MS - 521  

 

 
REVIEW   This less well known LP was released on MGM's Metro label. MGM, who owned Verve, the label Jimmy was signed to at this time, used Metro for their cut price range. In terms of style, it's clear why this album was put out cheaply, as it was not in keeping with the perceived direction Jimmy was heading in at this time: he plays here in a trio format, not in a big band. But make no mistake, don't let that crappy cover fool you, this set is a stone killer. Jimmy's playing here is frenzied, off kilter and on fire. As you'd expect he throws out grooves and high-end solos like he'd been born for it (and he probably was) but what really lights this set up are the unexpected moments. Sounding like he'd just been listening to wonky avant garde jazz, he throws in great slabs of sound and then fugs around in the mid range making gritty, fearsome noise. He attacks his organ like a man possessed, particularly on I Got A Woman. He just tears that song apart, hanging onto notes, repeating other phrases crazily and throwing in sharp, angular notes everywhere. It's very nearly scary. You can hear the band just sit back to let him get on with it, because they're well out of their depth. When the guitarist solos, the groove damn near stops. Jimmy was never captured quite like this ever again. Get a copy right now.