Jimmy Smith Review / Black Sabbath Preview (Album 27)

This is probably actually my least favorite part of the blog. Saying what I did or did not like about something. It's very hard to articulate what you are trying to say sometimes. Especially if you are trying to say it in a unique way. Anyways. Jimmy Smith. This is, without a doubt, the smoothest album I have ever listened too. When people say jazz, this is the kind of music that I think of. Downbeat, there are a couple of people keeping the beat and rhythm, while they take turns improvising. Jazz. It's very calming and fun and upbeat at the same time. If it were a movie soundtrack, it would be the part in the movie where we are down in a club in the 40s, just watching the club, and we see in the background Humphrey Bogart walk down the stairs as he enters and orders a drink as he looks around checkin' out the ladies. Then chaos ensues during a fist fight or a shootout and we need a different sound for that. The book sums this album up perfectly: 'Relentlessly groovy.'

Favorite Songs:
     Back At The Chicken Shack
     Honestly I like them all, but Back At The Chicken Shack stands out to me the most.

Album: Black Sabbath

Artist: Black Sabbath

Release Year:1970

"On the list for its enormous influence rather than its scintillating musical qualities, Black Sabbath's debut album is weighty in reputation as it is in sonic depth. With its opening, eponymous song routinely hailed as the unholy-trinity anthem ("Black Sabbath" on Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath) that kickstarted heavy metal, the dark, dark sleeve art and the sludgy production seeping all over the basic, bludgeoning songs, the record still sounds supremely evil today." - Joel McIver

01 - Black Sabbath

02 - The Wizard

03 - Behind The Wall Of Sleep

04 - N.I.B.

05 - Evil Woman

06 - Sleeping Village

07 - Warning

08 - Wicked World

*This is the European release set of songs. 

Streaming: Radio3.net

iTunes: Black Sabbath

Spotify: Black Sabbath

My dad has this album in vinyl. So pops if you read this, give it a spin for me.

~mfm

Fats Review / Jimmy Smith Preview (Album 26)

Fats Domino was not was I was assuming. It was pretty good. It was this combination of Frank Sinatra with more soul and less sad. But that's cool. I can dig it. All of the songs were really short. Which doesn't bother me, in fact it shouldn't even be a problem. I think that we expect songs to be between 3:30 and 4:00. If it's any longer our 'short attention spans' fail us and we lose the song or change the radio station. If it's too long we don't want to listen to because it doesn't say what it has to say soon enough. Or something like that. Anyways, I liked Fats. I thought he would sound less mature than he did. He sounded older than the picture that they show of him in the book:

Just a cheery looking baby-fat-having gentleman. But he sounded way more exciting than that. it was good.

Favorite Songs:
     Honey Chile
     La-La
     The Fat Man's Hop

Album: Back At The Chicken Shack

Artist: Jimmy Smith

Release Year:: 1960

"Back At The Chicken Shack is arguably Smith's greatest album, relentlessly grooving, harmonically sophisticated, and earthy as the Delta mud... Smith transformed the organ's lamentable image with his soulful synthesis of bebop, blues, and gospel, creating a powerfully grooving new sound. He spawned a new style of music - soul jazz - and a host of disciples who took up the Hammond B3 [compact organ] and formed combos." - Andrew Gilbert

01 - Back At The Chicken Shack

02 - When I Grow Too Old To Dream

03 - Minor Chant

04 - Messy Bessie

05 - On The Sunny Side Of The Street*

*Apparently, this song was not part of the original album, but released with the album as part of the CD later.

Streaming: Radio3.net

iTunes: Jimmy Smith

Spotify: Back At The Chicken Shack

Only 5 songs long, I expect to have the next one up rather soon.

~mfm