''Groovin' at Smalls' Paradise'' is a live album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded at Smalls' Paradise in New York City in 1957 and originally released in two volumes on the

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

label.Blue Note discography
accessed November 29, 2010 The album was rereleased as a double CD with four bonus tracks recorded at the same performance. The organ heard on this album is distinctive from most Jimmy Smith recordings in that the percussion on-off switch was either broken or Smith deliberately set the switch to a position halfway between on and off. This prevented the single-triggered percussion tone from decaying, Since the percussion tone is also not routed through the vibrato circuit, the effect is quite unusual.

Reception

Awarding it a four-star rating, ''

The Penguin Guide to Jazz ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled b ...

'' selected the CD reissue as part of its suggested “core collection” of essential recordings. The editors at

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

awarded the album 4½ stars.

Allmusic Review AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

accessed November 29, 2010

Track listing

:''Disc One'' # " Imagination" ( Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 7:56 # "Walkin'" (Richard Carpenter) – 11:41 Bonus track on CD reissue # " My Funny Valentine" ( Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) – 11:03 # "

It's Only a Paper Moon "It's Only a Paper Moon" is a popular song published in 1933 with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Yip Harburg and Billy Rose. Background It was originally titled "If You Believed in Me", but later went by the more popular title "It's On ...

" ( Harold Arlen,

E. Y. Harburg Edgar Yipsel Harburg (born Isidore Hochberg; April 8, 1896 – March 5, 1981) was an American popular song lyricist and librettist who worked with many well-known composers. He wrote the lyrics to the standards "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" ( ...

, Billy Rose) – 10:28 Bonus track on CD reissue # "

I Can't Give You Anything But Love "I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby" is an American popular song and jazz standard by Jimmy McHugh (music) and Dorothy Fields (lyrics). The song was introduced by Adelaide Hall at Les Ambassadeurs Club in New York in January 1928 in Lew ...

" (

Dorothy Fields Dorothy Fields (July 15, 1904 – March 28, 1974) was an American librettist and lyricist. She wrote over 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films. Her best-known pieces include "The Way You Look Tonight" (1936), "A Fine Romance" (1936), " On t ...

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) – 7:00 Bonus track on CD reissue # " Laura" ( Johnny Mercer,

David Raksin David Raksin (August 4, 1912 – August 9, 2004) was an American composer who was noted for his work in film and television. With more than 100 film scores and 300 television scores to his credit, he became known as the "Grandfather of Film Music ...

) – 10:28 :''Disc Two'' # "

(Back Home Again in) Indiana "(Back Home Again in) Indiana" is a song composed by James F. Hanley with lyrics by Ballard MacDonald that was published in January 1917. Although it is not the state song of Indiana (which is " On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away"), it is perhap ...

" (

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) – 15:40 # " Body and Soul" (

Edward Heyman Edward Heyman (March 14, 1907October 16, 1981) was an American lyricist and producer, best known for his lyrics to " Body and Soul," "When I Fall in Love," and " For Sentimental Reasons." He also contributed to a number of songs for films. Biog ...

Robert Sour The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, hono ...

, Frank Eyton, Johnny Green) – 10:03 # "The Champ" ( Dizzy Gillespie) – 13:47 Bonus track on CD reissue # "

Lover Man "Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)" (often called simply "Lover Man") is a 1941 popular song written by Jimmy Davis, Roger ("Ram") Ramirez, and James Sherman. It is particularly associated with Billie Holiday, for whom it was written, and her ...

" ( Jimmy Davis, Ram Ramirez, James Sherman) – 7:28 # "Slightly Monkish" (Jimmy Smith) – 6:59 # " After Hours" (

Erskine Hawkins Erskine Ramsay Hawkins (July 26, 1914 – November 11, 1993) was an American trumpeter and big band leader from Birmingham, Alabama, dubbed "The 20th Century Gabriel". He is best remembered for composing the jazz standard "Tuxedo Junction" (1 ...

Avery Parrish James Avery Parrish (January 24, 1917 – December 10, 1959) was an American jazz pianist, composer and arranger. He wrote and recorded " After Hours". Injuries from a bar fight in 1943 ended his career as a pianist. Early life Parrish was born ...

) – 10:58 # "

Just Friends ''Just Friends'' is a 2005 American Christmas comedy film directed by Roger Kumble, written by Adam 'Tex' Davis and starring Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, Anna Faris, Chris Klein and Christopher Marquette. The plot focuses on a formerly obese high ...

" (

John Klenner John Klenner (24 February 1899 – 13 August 1955) was a German-born American pianist and composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are compos ...

Sam M. Lewis Sam M. Lewis (October 25, 1885 – November 22, 1959) was an American singer and lyricist. Career Lewis was born Samuel M. Levine in New York City, United States. He began his music career by singing in cafés throughout New York City, and be ...

) – 6:29 :*Recorded at Small's Paradise in New York City on November 15, 1957

Personnel

Musicians

* Jimmy Smith – organ *

Eddie McFadden Eddie Lee McFadden (August 6, 1928 – September 23, 1992) was a jazz guitarist. He played in Philadelphia clubs from the 1950s and was in organist Jimmy Smith's band for several recordings in 1957–58. He then recorded several albums with anot ...

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

* Donald Bailey – drums

Technical

* Alfred Lion – producer *

Rudy Van Gelder Rudolph Van Gelder (November 2, 1924 – August 25, 2016) was an American recording engineer who specialized in jazz. Over more than half a century, he recorded several thousand sessions, with musicians including John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Theloni ...

–

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

Reid Miles Reid Miles (July 4, 1927 – February 2, 1993) was an American graphic designer and photographer best known for his work for Blue Note Records in the 1950s and 1960s. Biography Reid Miles was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 4, 1927 but, ...

– cover design *

Francis Wolff Francis Wolff (April 5, 1907 – March 8, 1971) was a record company executive, photographer and record producer. Wolff's skills, as an executive and a photographer, were important contributions to the success of the Blue Note record label. Care ...

–

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employe ...

Leonard Feather Leonard Geoffrey Feather (13 September 1914 – 22 September 1994) was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer, who was best known for his music journalism and other writing. Biography Feather was born in London, England, into an u ...

–

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desc ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Groovin' At Smalls' Paradise Blue Note Records live albums Jimmy Smith (musician) live albums 1957 live albums Albums produced by Alfred Lion