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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Back At The Chicken Shack

Jimmy Smith

1963

Buy At Rough Trade
Back At The Chicken Shack
Album Summary

Back at the Chicken Shack is an album by Jimmy Smith. It was recorded in 1960 and released in 1963 on the Blue Note label. Smith recorded the album in the same session as his previous album Midnight Special. Fittingly, he wears the same red shirt on both album covers. It was cited in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.41

Votes

14827

Genres

  • Jazz
  • Funk
  • Blues

Reviews

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Dec 10 2021
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5

I don't have anything technical to say about this album. But I will say that I want to have a party. And I want there to be an impending snowstorm and the only people who show up are the ones who will brave the weather. And then the snow starts and we all go outside and marvel at how the snow twinkles in the moonlight. And then we come back inside, pour mugs of mulled wine and put on this album in the low light of winter.

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Apr 25 2021
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4

I will be returning to the chicken shack

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Jan 28 2021
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3

Nice, must remember it for when I host a dinner party with intellectuals.

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Mar 01 2021
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5

This album was perfect for my 2nd covid vaccine fever stupor. I listened to it in the shower while getting my ass kicked by the shot, and boy did it put me in such a peaceful place. I love Jimmy's warm organ sound so much. But you know when rappers say "He got killed on his own track," when a featured artist outshines them on a song? Jimmy's saxophonist killed him big on this album. I felt like that sax dominated this album while his organ playing was kind of relegated to second chair. Not to say he isn't a fantastic organist or bandleader, but I did find myself grooving to this sax in a big way. I really love this sound, and it inspired my to seek out more music like this, so I have to give it points for inspiration.

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May 06 2021
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4

Great for summer background. Sittin on da porch. Cookin a nice meal. Do something active but lowkey, turn this bad larry on.

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Mar 05 2021
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5

banger banger banger banger banger banger banger banger banger banger banger

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Sep 16 2021
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4

I expected to hate this album (I'm not a big jazz fan) but I ended up loving it. The grooves are tight, the musicianship is superb, and the performances are top-notch. The only reason that this didn't get full marks is because a couple of the tracks do drag on a bit. At 45 minutes long and only 5 tracks, this is somewhat inevitable. The really remarkable thing is that most of the tracks DON'T feel like they're too long.

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Sep 22 2021
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5

21st September 2021 Listened on the living room speaker while we tidied the flat. I LOVED this, it sounds like the inside of my head. Bluesy, jazzy, laid back, can fit any mood any time of day.

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Jul 04 2024
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2

It’s good but I’m not “moved” by it. Just seems like simple jazz to me.

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Jul 08 2024
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2

Points for putting a dog on the cover, and this was inoffensive as background music, but it also didn't do anything for me. I just don't enjoy jazz that much. 2.1

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Jun 12 2024
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3

Pretty solid instrumental track, but being an instrumental only project can get boring and feel repetitive at times. The solos can be entertaining and the album doesn’t have any “bad” songs on it, just not interesting or stand out enough to really warrant a spot on the playlist.

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Jul 30 2024
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3

Back at the Chicken Shack This is probably my favourite of the jazz albums we’ve had so far. With the focus split between organ, sax and guitar and the clear crossover with soul it’s actually very pleasantly listenable. Back at the Chicken Shack sounds a lot like Green Onions, so I presume this was a big influence on Booker T. However this was recorded in 1960, but wasn’t released until 1963, and Green Onions came out in 1962, so who knows. To my untrained ear they are both 12 bar blues (please correct me!), and feature the hammond so I can see there is a lot in common purely from a sonic point of view, but I presume it may be a consequence of this album being a bridge between jazz and soul and also Booker T being into jazz also. Nevertheless nice song. When I Grow Too Old to Dream is a very nice melody and is played with quite a nice soft feel. I should dislike the sax, but I actually like it, it doesn’t get too far away from the melody and the organ works very nicely in the back of the mix, kind of anchoring it to the band. The sax blarps and dominates a little too much Minor Chant, making it a little too close to the stereotypical jazz sound I’m not keen on, although the keyboard is nice. Messy Bessie I really like, although again the sax is prominent it again feels much more melodic and less obtrusive than Minor Chant, and is only one part of the soloing, rather than the dominant part. The guitar is great, some little bluesy touches and a nice counterpoint to the organ and sax Overall I liked this, I found it a very nice listen, which isn’t always the case with this sort of album. I’m almost tempted to go 4, and although I will come back to this, I’m not sure how frequently, which I think would put it as a high 3. 🐓🐓🐓 Playlist submission: Back at the Chicken Shack

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Jun 15 2024
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2

Easily the most hilarious album I’ve come across so far, other than that, it’s jazz. Can’t hate it, can’t love it 4.5/10

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Jan 21 2021
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5

You know I be vibing to jazz! Lol makes me feel like I’m in a smoky club

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Jun 19 2024
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5

I’m not versed enough in jazz to render an opinion so I’ll give what appears to be a classic 5 stars. I’d only listen to this as background music.

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May 05 2021
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4

What a lovely, funky, jazz album! Really cool with the organ. Best track: Minor Chant.

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Feb 08 2021
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4

Pretty damn good Jazz album. Sounds ahead of its time

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Jan 29 2021
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4

Really chill and easy listening. Surprised at how early this was too, I’m a fan

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Apr 13 2021
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4

Great Jazz album. Loved the guitar and sax especially. Great use of electric organ. Simple yet complex album. Dug it a lot

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Jun 12 2021
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4

This record grooves so hard. Just cool, funky laid back tunes carried throughout. Everybody in the group gets their turn, but I really noticed how tight the bass and Jimmy’s keys are on every track. The melodies haven’t stuck with me just yet but it’s definitely something I’ll revisit.

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Oct 20 2023
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4

At first I wondered 'why does he keep going back to the chicken shack', but now I do in fact get why he keeps coming back to the chicken shack

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Jun 16 2024
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4

There have not been many pure instrumental albums so far, and the ones that were close are ones that I wish didn't have the small amount of lyrics they had. Right off the bat I was finding myself thinking we need more jazz organ. It's a fun album to have in the background. Nice to shuffle about to and reminds me of baseball for some reason. As it went on, I retracted my thought about needing more as I think this amount is just right. I still like it just fine, but a little goes further than I expected. I can't say I really distinguished many songs from one or the other on the first listen, but had a good time from start to finish. Some jazz can get a little complicated but this is a nice steady bop for 45 minutes. Favorite track "Back at the Chicken Shack" (mostly because that's the one I know the title of) 4/5

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Apr 08 2024
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3

If this was playing in a stuck lift I’d be happy to wait to be rescued.

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Sep 04 2024
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3

Difficult for me to rate soft organ jazz. The music gave me warm and fuzzy feelings, and I would love to have this playing in the background as I sipped a glass of red wine next to some candles in a dim restaurant.

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Sep 21 2024
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3

Ganske fedt - for jeg læste om ham blev jeg glad fordi Hammond B-3 bare har så distinkt en lyd! Så det var sjovt at finde ud af at det var Jimmy Smith som gjorde orgelet populær i jazzzzz

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Jul 05 2024
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2

This was good but it’s hard to me to really listen to something that doesn’t have lyrics or very minimal lyrics.

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Feb 01 2021
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5

I really enjoyed this album and already have begun digging into his catalog!

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May 01 2021
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5

i'd never heard of mr jimmy or this album before - i'm super glad it's on this list, though. what a fantastic album. smooth & hoppin', all at once!

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Mar 20 2021
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5

So good. His organ skills are soooo nice

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Feb 19 2021
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5

Classic jazz album - perfect for a coffee house vibe on a damp, misty morning.

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Mar 25 2021
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5

bluesy, jazzy, lots of organ. i loved this album!

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Jul 11 2021
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5

Loved it! Kenny Burrell is one of my favorite guitarists of all time, very much an inspiration to me, and this whole album is fantastic.

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May 01 2021
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5

Solid album. I liked every single song. I'm very much into jazz and blues, so this album was a thumbs up for me.

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May 24 2021
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5

Big fan sofar. Really enjoyed the album, maybe I was just in the mood for Jazz?

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May 12 2021
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5

Classic! And such an original, unique sound

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Jun 11 2021
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5

Phenomenal. How did I never hear this? Norristown PA

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Jun 07 2021
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5

A nice short 5 track 45min album... I love blues music. The radio of this one is going to be great, I can already tell.

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Aug 06 2021
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5

For a while, I had a CD copy of "Bashin'" by Jimmy Smith in my car, and I played that album a lot! I love this style of soul jazz, with meaty melodic lines of hard bop, and that electric Hammond organ taking it to church. Hail Satan, this guy is cool. I already had the Chicken Shack album downloaded, but I guess I wasn't ready to move beyond Bashin' until now. Objectively speaking, this album is the stronger and more consistent of the two. I can't find any moment on the album that doesn't make my brain happy, so 5*.

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Aug 28 2021
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5

Definitely not what I expected from the title! This was a very nice Jazz album. It makes you feel cozy and happy, like spending a winter day reading by the fire.

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Sep 24 2021
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5

Соул джаз 60-тых. Некоторые треки были знакомы. Этот альбом менч приятно удиаил и порадовал 8.5/10

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Nov 06 2021
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5

Very easy listening and made a day in and out of the car super enjoyable. Man knows how to make a sax sing.

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Nov 10 2021
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5

Lovely jazz, less showy than Miles Davis.

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Nov 12 2021
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5

Basically the Organ inventor, real legend !

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Nov 17 2021
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5

Ya conocía "Sunny Side of the Street". Me gustó mucho todo el álbum, pero creo que aún no sé escuchar jazz. Me da vibras de escena de peli de Mauricio Garcés. ^.^' PD: Ocupo escucharlo en flac.

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Dec 05 2021
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5

Great Airplane Crash Music. I'd Die Listening To It

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Jan 04 2022
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5

Excellent. I loved it. Got better with each play.

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Mar 01 2022
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5

5.0 - Cool and breezy as a June morning on the beach. Incomparable jazz organ. I could listen to this whenever, wherever.

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Mar 07 2022
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5

Paring this back to back with Isaac Hayes' "Hot Buttered Soul" was a perfectly smooth 1-2 punch. What goes perfectly with chicken shack? Hot butter! I mean come on. This album was great and perfect and I married it.

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Mar 08 2022
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5

I'm not a big fan of the organ sound in jazz or in style other music genre for that matter, so for me the star of this album is the blowing which thanks to Stanley Turrentine is just amazing. The rest of theband are not exactly slouches; Kenny Burrell and Donald Bailey. But for me Turrentine steals the show and makes this album a 5 🌟 effort

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Nov 11 2021
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5

I love it.. Jazz meets hammond B-3 organ and we have Soul-jazz. Some really great jams on this.

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Apr 27 2022
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5

Amazing, soulful, music. Those keyboards are awesome.

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Apr 27 2022
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5

I never thought I'd give a jazz album five stars. But all of a sudden I have a really pressing need to work out the guitar parts. I ended up playing this twice. That says a fair bit haha. 5/5.

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Apr 30 2022
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5

When I saw the cover of this one something told me I was going to love it. Smooooooooooth, wonderful bluesy organ. Love Love Love!

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May 13 2022
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5

I often find jazz music too chaotic and kind of impersonal, but this album is beautiful. It is not too technical while still being interesting. I feel like this music is connected to the real world instead of just existing for its own sake.

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Jul 16 2022
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5

absolutely exquisite control of the Hammond

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Aug 05 2022
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5

I loved it! Great soundtrack to work or practically anything.

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Aug 31 2022
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5

What a great album! The organ gives it an extra R&B layer that works really well

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Aug 31 2022
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5

Gran álbum, no lo conocía, fue un descubrimiento, el sonido del órgano es cálido y suena tan familiar, es grato asociarlo a un rostro.

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Sep 14 2022
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5

Loved this, gotta find the record now

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Sep 16 2022
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5

Oh so bluesy, groovy, jazzy and 60s. Guest Stanley Turrentine is a big plus. Organ jazz at its finest.

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Sep 16 2022
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5

I keep thinking I’m new to jazz, but then while listening to this realized that growing up on Pink Panther cartoons gave me a pretty extensive introduction to this style of jazz. The organ grooves along and the sax wails away and I’m swept up by it all. I may not be the best connoisseur of jazz, but I really love this!

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Sep 16 2022
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5

Smooth and easy. A nice massage for my addled brain.

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Sep 16 2022
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5

Can you dig it? I knew that you could!

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Sep 21 2022
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5

Wow what an album, what a session, what a band; Stanley Turrentine on sax, Kenny Burrell on guitar and Donald Bailey on Drums. Turrentine is the star of this session and the songs that he lets loose on are absolutely great. Didn't realize I was such a fan of the organ. Really pleasant discovery. 5 stars

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Sep 30 2022
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5

Amazing laid back jazz album. Easy to listen to attentively as well as as background music.

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Oct 13 2022
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5

Really fun, very smooth and likable. A definitive and influential use of the Hammond B-3, easy to understand why it became a standard with people like Jimmy Smith doing this kind of work on it.

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Nov 12 2022
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5

Amazing, really enjoyable, nothing I didn't like

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Nov 30 2022
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5

If it was Jimmy Smith, it was GOLD. I had the extreme pleasure of seeing the jazz master at the Hammond Organ on two occasions in the late 1970's. This precious disc dates back to 1960 and features Kenny Burrell on guitar and a very young Stanley Turrentine on the tenor sax sharing the soloing. (And with Jimmy, no bass player was needed, of course.) This and Jimmy was funkifizing before we were talking FUNK.

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Dec 12 2022
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5

feels like it inspired pokemon xd soundtrack

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Dec 14 2022
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5

Loving the vibe. Great for working.

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Dec 22 2022
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5

Добротный джазз для души с замечательным и изобретательным инструменталом. (8.5)

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