Jimmy Smith's take on Muddy Waters' by-way-of Ann Cole's immortal "Mojo" is the personification of mod-approved jazz. Smith displays his gruff-and-ready voice, and the track is practically designed for either dancing or looking sophisticated with a cocktail.
Smith was truly the king of the jazz organ; a pianist since he was a child, in his early 20's (c1953) Jimmy purchased a Hammond B3 organ, rented a warehouse space to practice and emerged a full year later with his whole new thing perfected. What a story, right?
Admittedly, my interest in jazz runs shallow ( I *am* a 45 fanatic after all, and long improvisation doesn't bode well at 3 minutes per side nor with my attention span) but the way Smith always made his music move and groove makes him stand out as someone I can truly dig. And dig often.
from 1965...
JIMMY SMITH - GOT MY MOJO WORKING (PART 1)
1 comment:
Love this superb jazz organ workout. And Jimmy's gruff vocals are added fun. Really fine uptempo 45. His I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man is another fine variation on the theme.
Post a Comment