Back At The Chicken Shack

Yuck

More Hammond than a Top Gear marathon! Upbeat jazz, bluesy and swinging but samey.

It's fucking magic

hotel lobby music

Not a jazz fan, so this didn't talk to me much.

It's a really enjoyable listen, the only real knock I'd have against this one is that it doesn't offer to much in the way of variety. I'm not going to call it a one trick pony like I would say about its contemporary on this list, Green Onions, but it's a bit too one tracked to get a five from me. Still a really solid album.

Organ instrumentals similar to Booker T, but leans much more into jazz as opposed to rock. I can see why this was influential on soul music. It’s odd that the sax layer isn’t also billed as an artist considering how much he dominates the album.

82% Best: Back At The Chicken Shack; Messy Bessy Must-Hear? Sure

Did not love…

Great title song.

This one’s got a cool vibe. I like it, but I’m not blown away. It’s solidly in that laid-back, late-night groove territory where everything just sort of coasts along – good company, good drinks, and nothing too demanding on your attention. Jimmy Smith’s organ tone is as smooth and smoky as ever, and there’s a real ease to the playing here. I appreciate that kind of looseness – it doesn’t feel like it’s trying to dazzle you, just settle into a nice swing and vibe out. I think the title track is easily the standout. That slow, bluesy stroll it takes feels like something that would be playing in a dimly lit bar around midnight. It’s warm, slightly cheeky, and has a great sense of space. The rest of the album, though, doesn’t quite rise to that same level for me. Everyone’s clearly great at what they’re doing – you’ve got Kenny Burrell on guitar and Stanley Turrentine on sax, and their parts are tasty – but it all just feels a bit... samey after a while. The grooves are nice, but they don’t really build to anything or surprise me. It’s a pleasant listen, but I did find myself drifting off a bit.

Very nice background instrumental jazz. I love to work to this type of music. 3/5

Me gusta el jazz, pero cada canción duraba más de 5 minutos y prácticamente seguía el mismo ritmo durante esos 5 minutos o más, lo cual no está mal, pero para eso puede durar 2-3 minutos cada canción y no 12.

I've def heard a lot of this and had no idea what it was from! How fun! It sounds like a classic and a bright sunshiney day on a chicken farm. What a classic!

Hammond B3 - what's not to like?

Yes, Want this on vinyl! Consistent funky blues. Classic sound, great for a drive or dinner. Love

:)

Nice relaxing ambient music. Nothing crazy but just solid jazz.

I tend to recoil from that Hammond organ sound as it just reminds me of bad 70s quiz shows. This is a shame as it was probably the height of music tech when this was recorded, but for me the album takes off when the sax kicks in. Nice to listen to though.

Off the cuff remark: someting quite uplifting about this in quite a surprising way. Perhaps it's the (Hammond?) which also seems cheesey, but somehow that doesn't matter. Standout track: When I Grow Too Old To Dream Revisit?: in all honesty probably not, but I would be happy to.

6'5/10

Llevo demasiados artistas de jazz seguidos y termino de apreciarlo mucho 😅 Le doy un 6/10 en ma escala wow

I couldnt properly give my attention to the album today but it was nice. Needs a revisit

Solid blue note early 60s jazz. Nothing mind blowing, but between the great organ comping, Turrantines sad and Kenny Burrells guitar, this is elevated to another level.

not normally into jazz but i thought this album had some cool beats and some cool melodies throughout. songs were a bit long for me but overall enjoyed it more than i thought i would

Jimmy Smith is the man. So smooth. So good.

Du jazz qui joue les bonnes notes au bon moment, c'est quand même plus sympathique.

Funny that the album immediately after the Willie Nelson cover album ALSO has a cover of "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" which I liked AGAIN. The organ playing was fine. I think stadiums have just ruined organs for me lol. My complaint with almost all jazz albums is true again here....get to the point. These songs are too long. The music is good and the sax player was AWESOME, but this tended to get old. The content was solid. I just would rather more and shorter songs. Liked Songs: "Minor Chant" , "Messy Bessie" , "On The Sunny Side Of The Street"

ya like jazz? 3

About as good as jazz can get.

Not the most exciting jazz I've ever heard. Nice and chill. Trumpet player is good. Sort of flat to me though. Good background music for a coffee shop or something.

Very snooth jazz. I like it, as background music.

I love Jimmy Smith!

Nah, wasn’t in the mood for it

It was ok

Great

From the title I expected bluegrass. What a pleasant surprise to find some cool jazz/blues. I have such a weakness for Hammond organ. Easy 5 stars on this one.

Perfect for both background and active listening.

Great album. Cool laid back tracks. Perfect.

hm

Damn, groovy. Nu heb ik zin om een Old Fashioned te drinken in een bar met iets te weinig lichtinval. En het is momenteel 8:22 in de ochtend. 4.1

Quality background music

4/5 Some enjoyable jazz.

90年代カフェバル感

Nawet spoko jazz

Man I woulda loved this in college.

This is a great album to have chilling in the background.

Very enjoyable and smooth. Loved how the organ is not always the star of the song even though its his main instrument. Glad to have listened and want to listen to more by him.

Bello l'Hammond

A fantastic album for jazz lovers.

It always feels a bit embarrassing to out myself as a simpleton by saying jazz just isn't for me, but the more amazing jazz I listen to, the more I have to accept that that's just the way it is. This was a great album, but it's not something I would actively listen to. It definitely keep me grooving as background music while I worked, though!

So smooth so jazzy. No notes.

Never heard of this guy or his music. But I'm a huge fan of jazz and I love some good soft organ, so this was really relaxing to listen to. I'll be comming back whenever I feel angry that there's not enough jazz anymore

Nice, bluesy jazz album. Nothing jumped out as spectacular here, but it was enjoyable background music. I was curious why it was included on the list so I read the entry in the 1001 album book. Apparently, this album was crucial in making the organ sound cool again after mostly being thought of as church music. I hear the organ in so much rock, blues and jazz that it's hard to imagine a time when it wasn't popular, but seems like important context here.

I'm a little unimpressed by this album. I like jazz, I like the blues, I like blues-y jazz, but to me this one was a bit straightforward for me to really fall in love with. I felt myself tuning out while listening and having to reorient my focus towards spotify in order to get brought back in. This was a cool decade for jazz, I would have loved more going on. It's a 2.4/5 for me. Unfortunately it just missed on the points that make jazz great to me and resulted in a somewhat monotone walk through of common jazz chord progressions and structures without the daring efforts that make the genre fun.

Solid blues oriented jazz workouts by a terrific set of musicians.

Fun jazz album. Liked the spotlighting of the organ in the arrangements. Easy background music for work. Maybe I’m not familiar enough with jazz because it all sounded a bit the same as other things I’d heard.

Nothing wrong with it but also nothing special for me. Fine background music in a bar or so but just another jazz album that cannot thrill me.

I've listened to this a dozen times over the years - it never makes a huge impression on me, but it's always delightful in the moment.

I agree that this is the sax dude's show. I hear music like this and smell books and coffee, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. (And for the definitive version of When I Grow Too Old To Dream, see The Muppet Show episode 523, with Linda Ronstadt)

Not a huge fan of the organ Instrumental album = repetitive, this one somehow especially so Unable to distinguish the tracks in my mind after one listen Good background music I don’t think I would revisit

If I go to a barbecue joint and I hear this on the speakers, I know the food is going to be spectacular.

Typische bluesy, organy, begin jaren 60 jazz. 'Green Onions' meets jazz, zeg maar. Het is zeker een vibe, en als ik hier was om een genre te beoordelen dan komt het zeker weg met een aardige voldoende. Maar we zijn hier ook zeker om een album én artiest te beoordelen, en ik heb geen flauw idee waar ik Jimmy Smith en zijn kippenhok aan moet gaan herinneren. Er zitten weinig verrassingen in de hoge hoed. Wat dat betreft dus een matige voldoende. 5,5/10

Prima lekker gepingel op zijn Hammond, maar veel verder dan dat komt Jimmy ook niet. En wat het kippenhok er mee te maken heeft is mij ook compleet onduidelijk. Jimmy mag nog even verder pingelen, ik weet genoeg. 5/10

I listened to this driving home from work with blue skies and warm sunshine and I feel that was the right atmosphere for this!

1/5

• 3/5 • Enjoyable but not remarkable. Not sure why it made the list, unless it’s because of a breakthrough in Hammond organ jazz.

Smooth, buttery jazz. It's good background lounge music, that's for sure.

This sounds like the kind of jazz that was played by the serious students back at the academy, looking down at us pop/ rock plebs, chasing us off the stage at the jams and never giving it back for the rest of the evening. Fuck you Ernst, you antisocial pretentious dickwad. But traumatic associations aside, it is perfectly fine instrumental jazz blues.

The organ and saxes go crazy on this funky vibing ride.

Ok but it’s jazz

Wild thang …..

Wasn’t expecting this based on the title. Live the atmosphere and texture.

Finally!!! I was wondering when I was gonna see a jazz artist on Blue Note with engineering from the great Rudy Van Gelder. And even though I'm not terribly familiar with Jimmy Smith, there's no denying this is great lazy Sunday afternoon listening. This is a great entry point for jazz -- not terribly heavy on the riffing and improv. Just enough to feel the back and forth and vibing. Bring on more from Blue Note!

Some good, funky jazz but the same dominates every cut. I wish it were more balanced because the keyboard and drums deserve some love. Good background music for chilling on a cold wintery evening.

v good, never heard of him before

This that shit

I don’t listen to enough jazz to know what I’m listening to. Sounded great though. Rich dinner party music

He’ll yeah

dobry jazz

8/10. Pleasant jazz.

Shmooth

Favorites: Back At The Chicken Shack, When I Grow Too Old To Dream While I wouldn't say this is bad, it certainly isn't memorable for me to really say this is one of my favorite jazz projects of all time. It lacks that oomf that something like Green Onions does, and while the title track is great, the rest of the record is just okay for me.

The Good: An album that clearly explains where we are! The Bad: Our destination being a shack instead of a palace… The Ugly: Trying to get all the chicken poo out of the shack… When I was a younger lad, I would choose my books based on the cover art… and I believe that, for a little while, when I started buying albums, at times, I would apply that same principle: you can imagine what my thought was about this album based on the cover… Chalk one up for the ol’ saying about judging based on cover. I don’t believe I have ever heard anything from Jimmy, till this album, which makes sense, as it is jazz music, and I tend not to own jazz music—which isn’t to say that I don’t like jazz music, just not enough to invest in… Anyway, I enjoyed the album, as it is of the easy-listening kind, though the electric organ gets on my nerves after a while… I have the same thing with Booker T and his MGs… Will I play this album again? If i remember… I need to start creating a list of the 4* and 5* albums and make sure I listen to them again… maybe I need to go to 3* at times, and listen to those too? The Chicken Shack… I just realized… there are a boatload of CK’s in that title, is this where Louis CK got his name from? 4*

Man. This thing rocked. Why was the cover so bad?

I'd never heard this before and I just love the sound, the keyboards, and saxophonist especially. I'll be revisiting this certainly, and it had a nice relaxing vibe to my morning this morning that meshed well.

Fantastic 60s organ jazz. Only complaint about this album is its brevity. 5 stars.

Jazz, but easy to listen to. Didn't strike a chord with me but didn't dislike it. It was fine.

Loved this! Smooth and chill.

Just beautiful. I loved every second of it. Perfect for a relaxing afternoon.

Mmmmm .. Chicken

Длинные полотна, органист не перетягивает на себя одеяло. Но как-то нет безуминки, всё ровно чисто и гладко.

Nice jazz grooves with a hint of soul. I enjoyed it even though I'm still not a jazz fan (but I might be soon).

слушал с утречка, пока готовил завтрак - и прям кайфанул.

I quite enjoyed this in a harmless enough way but a) why on earth is it in this list, and b) how did he decide on his song titles?!

Nice background, and probably a great album, but I am too much of a philistine to understand.

Good, but felt a bit "background music".

Very solid. Pretty cool. Definitely a master of the genre. These early albums always sound pretty straightforward but there is beauty in their simplicity. It's not actually simple at all but it sounds effortless.

Ihan hyvä, mutta ei omaa makua.

Smooth jazz. 3/5

Dope

Good music but not my taste

I'm hardly a jazz afficionado, but it seems odd to have an organ as the feature instrument.

First album on the list in the books. Maybe one of these days I'll understand Jazz.

I've not been a fan of any of the jazz-orientated albums presented to me so far, long songs have to be something pretty special to hold my interest, saxophone does my tits in, and derivative 12-bar stuff bores me to death. But, you can't beat a bit of Hammond action - at the very least, I can see me sticking this on as a bit of background music. Still only one star, but it's more accessible than some of the other stuff from this genre I've heard so far. Respect to the Incredible Jimmy Smith.

Couldn't finish it - jazz just ain't my thing.

It's good for Jazz. Not my thing, though

Len Houmous actually bought that famous red shirt off Jimmy. He said he was going to treasure it. He used it to polish his car! Those two never got on. Absolutely no idea why. Len never mentioned it. 1.6

Never heard of him or this album. 6M people enjoyed the title song so it's not entirely obscure. It's a catchy song, feel like I've heard it at some point even though 60's Jazz is not in my wheelhouse at all. It sounded like one long 44 minute song, very similar stuff across the 5 songs. I'm not a Jazz fan, I don't get it, nor do I enjoy the aimless wandering. I am sure the musicianship is top notch but it's lost on me. 2 stars cause I know I couldn't have gone to my grave having never heard this album.

mid jazz

Never heard of the artist before, don't know what to expect in terms of genre I actually ended up liking it quite a bit!

Don’t really like jazz where the edges have been sandpapered off. Pleasant enough though.

Pure vibes, all the way. Those vibes are a bit repetitive and so it all blends together, but what a great time it is. Special shout out to the cover of “Sunny Side of the Street” at the end.

Standard jazz indeed

Back at the Chicken Shack When I Grow Too Old to Dream i had to check to see what instrument Smith played- i love that he is able to take a backseat to the saxophonist on these tracks Minor Chant and then on the very next song, he completely takes control Messy Bessie On the Sunny Side of the Street

first track was reallyyyy great!! I do not usually hear blues organ in jazz, was like halfway between jazz and blues but then the other tracks were like pretty standard hard bop which was good but not the most exciting 3.5/5

I enjoyed this, isn't the most incredible thing but a solid work. Particular fan of the standard 'sunny side' so that was good to hear how he can do it his way.

This is like the Goldilocks of jazz albums! Not too mellow, not too crazy, not too boring not too out there... Feels "just right". This would probably be a very accessible starting point for someone who says they don't like jazz. The organ makes it a little less serious but the musicianship is still super impressive. Will listen to this one again.

Groovy, funky jazz! This one has a similar feel to Green Onions, which I really enjoyed, but the longer track lengths gives them more time to breathe and explore each track, which overall makes it feel like a much tighter and better record.

Reminds me of Booker T and The MGs - old school southern rhythm and blues goodness

Loved it

I liked it. Good jazz with some interesting sections.

1960. Jazz, soul jazz, hard bop !!!

Loved the feel of this album.

Another jazz album. Definetly pretty good, just not as good as other jazz stuff I've heard. Great music to just sit and relax and listen to, but probably wouldn't listen to it in any other circumstance.

Easy listening. Listen more often. Five stars

Timeless vibes on this one. This is one of those albums that could be from one of at least six decades.

An absolutely fine Jazz instrumental album. All the playing was good and I don't regret using it as background music. But if I was in a jazz club this would have got full marks. Instead it's a 3.

Default Jazz 3

Not many songs, so I can review them one by one: 1. The kind of waiting room music I want to hear 2. Nice waiting room music for the holidays, or background music for a late night NYC dinner in a tv show 3. Theme song for a drama show following a down on his luck PI. Not as good as the others 4. Mostly standard jazz 5. Jarring enough to hurt my ears, and the sax has an unpleasantly airy/breathy tone Overall, I would listen again, but wouldn’t go out of my way to do so.

I've got plenty of Jimmy Smith in my collection, not this particular album though, but I did have a couple of the tracks. This is my kind of music. I could listen to it all day, and often do!

Loved the energy and expression.

Funky little guy. I like.

It's not bad, but it was just background music to me. I'm not that into Jazz.

I'm not sure why this album makes the list over multitudes of similar, very accessible jazz works, but it is good entry level stuff for people wanting to dip the toe.

Chill vibes; good times

I was not familiar with Jimmy Smith or any of his music prior to this listen. And I have to say, Back at the Chicken Shack was a very enjoyable experience. I always worry about songs with long runtimes but I didn’t get tired of any of these. I saw a good amount of people say this is good background music but I tend to think Back at the Chicken Shack is better than just background music. I really enjoyed the organ and just the overall musicianship throughout the album. Not a bad track on here. I will add this to my library. It’s a 4 for me. 4/5

Terrific album, the organ is a highlight, and every other musician seems to be at their best also. This one should be shared and go into regular rotation

Outstanding. I loved it.

Great vibes. Good music to Chill to

Cool music to chill to

I’m in the chicken shack!!! Love it!

Good listen. I haven’t listened to too much organ dominant jazz so that was new. Felt like I was at a really funky Dodger game. As cool as Jimmy Smith is, I thought Stanley Turrentine stole the show on this piece of wax. 🎷

Un álbum de jazz muy tranquilo.

****a good instrumental album

A really mellow electric piano quartet record. Good playing and very relaxing to listen to.

Not bad. Just not for me. Feels repetitive after the first 15 or so minutes.

Not what I expected from a 60's album called Back At The Chicken Shack. Still wasn't bad. 6/10

Jazzy Hammond Organ all the time! And that got a bit repetitive. Smith is talented but it felt a bit “too much of a good thing”.

Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background The music is solid enough, but it just doesn't excite me as much more than background music.

Ok - this is actually pretty damn cool! I'm not really into Jazz, but this is entry level enough that I can enjoy it. Still enough structure and groove here for me to enjoy.

From what I listened to it was good. Smooth.

Who knew about the history of the organ in jazz?? Jimmy Smith did and now so do I. A pleasant, jazzy album with a super subtle but integral organ track underneath it all.

If all jazz were as smooth and groovy as this record, I'd probably like the genre alot more overall. Great stuff 4.5

Kul sound for å være fra 60-tallet.

This might be another case where I just expected too much. I mean, I look this album up on Wikipedia and I see one of its genres is called "hard bop," I'm preparing myself for some **wild** shit, y'know? Not exactly THE SHAPE OF JAZZ TO COME, but something a little bit more hard hitting than usual. Maybe closer to BITCHES BREW. Something you could Fantasia some crazy imagery to. And yet, when I put it on, the main thing I ended up visualizing in my mind was, like... A swanky casino lounge? One with good taste in music, that didn't go for some chintzy shit, but, like... Is this it? This is hard bop? Oh, it's another album where I hafta corral what I thought I was gonna get so it doesn't affect what I thought of what I actually got... But for real, there is a part of me that can't help but feel a bit underwhelmed. Like, it's not bad by any stretch of the imagination; I'm just not sure if this is something I'd say people should really listen to before they die. That's not even usually something I take into consideration when I'm babbling about an album. Although when you take it into consideration against every other jazz album my group has gotten... And that's unfair, I totally realize that. Like, when you put this up against Miles Davis and Coltrane, of course this is gonna lose. But then I don't think Jimmy was even aiming to make a KIND OF BLUE or GIANT STEPS or whatever... Or maybe even a SUNDAY AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD. You're probably not supposed to consider it with those same deep "listening for the intricacies and complexities" ears. So thus we circle back to the "casino lounge" imagery I conjured up. Which is probably not the right mental image for this album, honestly; I think maybe a nightclub is more the right visual? 'Coz more than any other jazz album my group has gotten yet, this comes across as the kind of jazz you put on as background ambiance. Something to color the scene and keep things a little livelier than having everything exist in silence. And, hey, I'm down for that sort of thing. "Wallpaper" is far from a bad word in my book; I've praised plenty of albums for being good wallpaper. I had this album on while I was putting away dishes and laundry and doing some writing, and... Well, dang, I'll tell yah, it did real good. I'll credit the album's sound to two things. Like, the whole band's nice and tight, don't get me wrong, but specifically, I wanna shout out the organ and the saxophone. That's just a really nice, warm organ, and it's a tone I really love to hear. But then the sax player, meanwhile — woof, he's on another level. To where it feels like it's the star of the album, while the organ itself (played by, as the album cover calls him, the incredible Jimmy Smith) comes across more as the lighter warm-up and intermission. Still great, of course; just working on a slightly lower plane. And that's the size of it. It's a good enough album for what it is. I could see myself returning to it every now and then to score my day. The worst thing I feel like I can say about it is that I'm not sure if it should be here or not, but then it's like, y'know, if Koffi Olomide's straight-up cruise line commercial music can be on this list, why not some nightclub music? And if this ain't still a million times more interesting than Koffi Olomide's shit, goodness me...

Love that jazz piano. Solid 4 Stars.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5. Not much to say to this one: just an organ, a saxophone, some drums, and an occasional guitar going back and forth taking little solos for 38 minutes. Is it sort of repetitive? Yeah, I’d say so. Did it affect my enjoyment? Not even a little bit – this album sets its tone early as an easy-listening dinner club style jazz album, and never raises expectations to a higher big-band level, so I never felt annoyed that each track was the same. It’s definitely just a “pop on and do whatever while listening” album. Why is it on the list? Well, the book explicitly says the following: “Redolent of church pews and skating rinks, the organ was once relegated to hip-free zones, a square cousin to the autoharp and accordion. And then along came Jimmy Smith, who turned his attention to the instrument in 1954 just as the Hammond company was unveiling its relatively compact new B3 model. 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 and formed combos.” So… yeah, I guess it’s just a revolutionary use of the organ as a soul instrument that defines this album’s presence on the list. It gets a lot of shine here, and while my brain went to the Monty Python intermission theme many times while listening, I can only say that’s kind of a positive. I enjoyed this, and I feel fine bumping it up to a 5, though I can understand the case for going as low as a 3. That’s the floor, though; these are really good arrangements, & it’s just too smooth to not vibe out to.

Great little groovy album

Lovely jazz. I want to hang out at the chicken shack too.

Honestly really solid stuff. If I could rate this a 3.5 I would because it’s really solid but I think it’s just shy from great. It makes for really nice background music and I honestly really enjoy the vibe the organ brings to the table here. I really like the first track and most of this album isn’t terribly memorable but it’s really pleasant while it’s on and I could totally see this being a good background listen if I wanna relax.

Pretty solid album all the way through. Not mind blowing, but I'm not a jazz head.

Such a fun album. I was super familiar with the title track, but my favorite here is probably the saxophone feature on Minor Chant. Also, an excellent, loose interpretation of Sunny Side of the Street.

I like it, but is this essential? Sounds like entry level jazz to me. Easy on the ear. There's more essential jazz albums that are not on the list IMHO. Favorite song: Messy Bessy.

Nice background music

Just some groovy jazz. It's pleasant to listen to, feels like the first track has some Blues influence, idk why. The cover is really good too, reminds me of the Swedish countryside. Coooool. Organ really doing it's job, huh.

340/1001 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑

Ok I’m stunned. Excellent! 4.4

Good fun.

A short, solid, and soulful jazz album! I’d never heard of this album or artist before but I very much enjoyed this listen. This is definitely an album I can see myself listening to again and I would recommend it to others!

Love the organ on this cool jazz 4/5

Overall just a pleasant listen.

It's a great background music album. 3/5

some sophisticated jazz, may have to throw this on for a nice brunch

I love this and “Midnight Special” and play them both regularly. They are two of my favorite jazz records. Zero pretension, 100% fun. A great album.

This is the kind of jazz I love. Jimmy stays rooted in the blues and doesn't overdo it. It is groundbreaking for Jimmy's use of the B3 but is still accessible to casual listeners. In the context of the time it was created and it's subsequent influence, I give it 5/5

nice bluesy record, interesting to note that at the end of the progression, they don't use a turn-around dominant but stay on I into the next progression cycle. worth another listen and good for relaxed days at home, cleaning, doing this and that.

Very cool, chill, got me through some tax return sorting

Sick Jazz with organ undertones. Really dug it!

Great vibe for messing around in the kitchen and doing meal prep (not to mention, eating). Really appreciate that this guy changed jazz. Do not be fooled by the chicken-- this is not a country record.

Smooth and mellow. Lots of 'chill jazz' YouTube channels are clearly inspired by this dude. Sip some coffee and chill out, man. 4/5

jazz - chill

I went into this album being well familiar with the title track, "Back at the Chicken Shack." Knowing that song, however, really tricked me into thinking the rest of the album would sound similar: an organ-led groove akin to Booker T and the M.G.s. What I got was a straight, classic jazz album. The only song I didn't love was ironically "Back at the Chicken Shack." It's got a great groove but it's too repetitive and goes on for too long. The rest of the album is straight fire jazz, and I loved it. I want to add more Jimmy Smith to my listening repertoire.

The branding and the cover are great. The music is good, energetic but ultimately there's a lot of what seems like noodling for my taste.

Okwy

Great!

Not for me I think, can see the appeal but I was already waiting for it to be finished and it was still the first track. I don't know enough about jazz music to understand the nuance it was probally going for.

First time listening to a jazz album. It was enjoyable. A bit repetitive. Highlights: When I Grow Too Old to Dream Unlikely to return to this album.

I liked this album! But it definitely started to fade into the background after awhile. It’s not bad in any capacity, just all the songs are very similar so the album starts to blend into one long song.

Jazz blues or blues jazz. Either way I dig it.

Soulful and excellent group of tracks played some of 60’s jazz pantheon, highly valued in any jazz collection. But nothing more than that.

Well composed. Fun and also mesmerizing at times. Easily digestible

Lovely listening, wish it was longer. I'll have to put it on the rotation for deeper thoughts but it felt lively and groovy throughout.

DNF, not my taste

A legend on the keys!

It's a fun album. Cool moments, but ultimately not one I'll come back to.

Standard noodley jazz. Good background for my workday

Groovy. Yet new

3.5

Очень приятный и мелодичный джазовый альбом. Погружает в игриво-спокойную атмосферу, навевает то ли весенние, то ли, иногда, осенние эмоции. Очень расслабляющая музыка, без вокала, но с красивыми переборами по клавишам органа и струнам гитар.

More music should have organs

nice jazz but too long to be my favourite

Organ jazz, from blue note.

Back at the chicken shack was perfect for the mood I was in. Not the biggest fan of jazz, but I love a good horn!

Very smooth, and a great raw sound on the recording.

A smooth, creamy high 3

Vibes. A really nice jazz album, but nothing special

Anything on the Blue Note label is generally good and this album is no exception. I particularly like the organ playing which I think (but I’m no expert) is a rarity in jazz. As a Sax player myself (have I mentioned that before 😉?) I love to listen to those really proficient and dream that I was just 1% as good. This is a nice album to play anytime as it covers most bases. 3/5 10/4/25

I quite enjoyed this. Pretty chill and easy listening. 4/5

Two stars just because sax. Another star as the other instruments did their jobs too. Never heard of Jimmy Smith, aside from a former wide receiver. Not related. But I like his music.

It was solid swingy jazz. Not the kind of thing I typically listen to. I found myself wanting vocals but the sax and organ came through in the same way

Cool Jazz

First Listen. Can see why and where Jimmy would have been influential. Great Hammond organ player. I don't usually listen to jazz, but I like it when I do. Hope to come back to listen to more of him.

Sometimes I give threes to albums that display a ton of talent but aren’t my thing. This is one of those threes.

So far this sounds like intermission music. You know? Like that short break before your feature presentation? Ya? No? I usually struggle with instrumental music. I’m holding on now. It’s not bad. Annnnd ok I get it, what you hear at the start is what you will hear all the way through. Not my bag baby but for it’s genre, it’s passable.

An organ-lead jazz album is pretty rare for me. He's got some great moments, and the improvisation was always good, even though I could never predict where it was going next.

3/5 enjoyed

good but not entire my thing.

2.5 stars

6/1001 It was albums like this that I was looking forward to hearing/finding when I started this list oh so shortly ago, something that I had little or no knowledge of, something band new, that just opened a new door of music for me. This album was exactly that. I have never knowingly heard Jimmy Smith, and this album was a delight. It was just smooth, velvety bounce of jazz that I was not anticipating. I like jazz but never ventured too far from Coltrane and Davis and a few other big names. I immediately dove into another 2 hours of Jimmy and I am loving it all. The 45 minute album felt like a blink.

Jazz organ, some sax, not too bad, a bit too much noodeling.

I feel I don't know enough about jazz to rate this - but very fun very good for school I enjoyed!

This is very good listening. One of the times where I forget how long it has gone on and it's suddenly over.

Great music for an all nighter!

I have no context or other albums to measure this against but I enjoyed it as background and can appreciate the musical skills. Do I feel like I'd have missed out by not listening? Maybe. Maybe not

Stellar. Soulful, funky, jazzy. This is solid music.

loved the instrumentals, i wasn’t fully paying attention whilst listening but still a great listen

Not a huge fan to be honest

Funky

Good jazz album, instrumentals are great but I won’t re listen as an album to put on but I’d play it behind a cocktail party

This does not seem like a 'top 1001' album. Elevator/lobby music by today's standards.

Lovely Friday evening tunes, some good jazz came out of PA even if from the wrong side! organ is sick

Solid jazz album I hadn't heard before. Didn't overstay its welcome, either.

Trop bien l'orgue ! Belle découverte

Enjoyable listen but I do not get why this album is in this list ans what makes it stand out

What a nice and sympathetic jazzy sound !!

Never heard of this, but this is really great!

The “incredible” Jimmy Smith—just in case any skeptics need reassurance. I liked it a lot. A laid-back Blue Note album with a nice touch of Soul and the distinctive sound of a Hammond B-3 organ (if Wikipedia is to be believed), which I love for its warm tone (Minor Chant solo, case in point). But… the double bass is quite discreet, I even didn’t hear it through headphones, only with good loudspeakers. Drums are also extremely discreet and that rhythmic void is hard to ignore for me. Bam! One star down!

some lovely ideas but some song structures felt dated.

I always feel a bit uncomfortable giving low ratings to stuff that is just not for me but I think it's a 1 realistically - I didn't dislike it and it was fine to have on but equally, got nothing from it and was looking forward to it being done so I could listen to something else

Realistically I'm not going back to it, it was quite nice background noise while I'm working though

This was nice but not sure how much I’d return to it

Nice chill background music for me. Not a super super fan but only because am not a jazz fanatic. Still a solid listen.

I mean, this is incredible. Very easy listening. Enjoyable.

Good background music. Otherwise unremarkable.

Rad and cool as shit. Nuff said. Must-listen #105.

Type of music you'd here in the background of a cartoon when there's no dialogue, and its going from scene to scene showing the passing of time of their day to day life, or maybe some silly antics with the main characters friends. Most songs sound the same since its the same instrumentation, in the end all songs ended up blending together.

Chill background jazz

Première écoute, pas accroché, pas attentive, album laissé de côté. Presque un an plus tard, seconde écoute et toute autre perception : ça claque !! Non décidément il ne faut pas toujours se fier à sa première impression. Ça m'a plu de bout en bout, j'ai aimé cette atmosphère feutrée dopée à l'orgue Hammond dont Jimmy Smith est un virtuose !

1. Back At The Chicken Shack 2. Minor Chant 3. Messy Bessie 4. On The Sunny Side Of The Street 5. When I Grow Too Old To Dream

Laid-back jazz with prominent Hammond organ, pleasant.

Ok.

Mistakenly thought this was the singer...but pleasantly surprised at the jazzy sounds. A good listen

It made me think I was a distinguished upper-class gentleman that wore classy suits and had a large wine collection and this gets marks for putting me in that delusion and making me escape the horror that is the real world :)

Very smooth and cool instrumental album

Don't listen to straight jazz very often but I enjoyed this. Wish I had more appreciation

Nice jazzy album, although a couple of tunes are more blues. Like most jazz, nice background music

Really enjoyed this album for what it is. That being said, jazz isn't really my thing. I could tap my feet to this all night though.

love me an instrumental album

Yeah, I can dig this. Great Jazz album

Cool jazz. Great groove running through this record.

the cover is dope

really really nice, the first track didn't hit immediately but i liked the rest of them quick, especially minor chant. some of these are standards which i want to listen to more examples of to see how they are without the hammond, as the spread of the hammond from smith seems to be one of the big draws. very nice album

A damn fine jazz instrumental album. I'll be returning to the chicken shack, or at least to the title track. 8/10

this album put me into a flow state. which is good for me but bad for the album's memorability.

Back At The Chicken Shack is just one of those albums that oozes cool from the very first note. Jimmy Smith is an absolute magician on the organ, and this record is a proper showcase of that talent. It’s smooth, it’s slick, and it’s got such a natural groove to it that you can’t help but vibe along, whether you’re paying full attention or just letting it sit in the background. First off, the playing here is just ridiculous. Jimmy Smith makes that Hammond B3 sound like butter melting on warm toast — smooth, rich, and satisfying. Every track feels alive without ever getting overwhelming. The interplay between Smith, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Donald Bailey on drums, and Stanley Turrentine on tenor sax is absolute class. The sax on this album? Lush as fuck. Stanley Turrentine knows exactly when to come in and how to let the notes breathe. And that guitar work from Kenny Burrell is subtle but effective, never showy, just perfectly placed little licks and chords that add to the vibe. The production is top-notch for its time too. clean, warm, and inviting. There’s a lovely organic feel to the whole thing. You can hear every note, but it’s never sterile. It feels like you’re in the room with them, sat back with a drink in hand, just letting the music wash over you. Honestly, there’s not much I can complain about here. If I had to nitpick, some tracks do start to blend together if you’re not fully tuned in but that’s jazz for you sometimes. And if you’re after something loud and wild, this ain’t it. This is laid-back, groove-heavy stuff. Also, if you’re not in the mood for jazz, I can see it coming off a bit “samey.” But that’s more about the mood you’re in rather than the album itself. I’ve gotta say jazz is just some of the fucking best background music you can put on. This album especially is perfect for that. You can be cooking, having mates round, reading, or just chilling out, and it sets the tone without ever demanding too much from you. It’s smooth, stylish, and just lifts the atmosphere. But what makes this album even better is that if you do decide to stop and really listen, there’s so much going on. It’s that perfect balance. Music that’s there for you when you need it, but not intrusive when you don’t. Back At The Chicken Shack is just class from start to finish. The organ playing is sensational, the sax and guitar work are bang on, and the whole album has a warm, inviting groove that’s hard not to love. It’s one of those albums that you can throw on at any time, and it’ll just make life feel a little bit smoother. Not quite perfect only because it can feel a bit repetitive if you’re not in the right headspace but bloody close. 4.5/5 stars

It's so chill i enjoy and i listen while fun things

my eyes honestly just glazed over for most of this.

7/10 Absurdly chill, front to back, may not be the most mind blowing Jazz you’ll ever hear but makes for some pristine background noise. Anyways, back to fracking

Not only is Jimmy back at the chicken shack, he’s also incredible! Groovy, man! Nothing really objectionable here, but you have to like and appreciate instrumental jazz, which I do not. Most of these songs sounded very similar to me, and seemed to go on forever. At least the last track, Sunny Side of the Street, had a melody that I could hear and better yet, recognize. This just isn’t my thing…would be okay as background music, but that’s about it. 2 stars.

Back at the Chicken Shack 4 When I Grow Too Old to Dream 3.8 Minor Chant 3.8 Messy Bessie 3.7 Score: 3.825

Fun jazzy instrumentals - good solo idea listen

Only knew him from "Root Down", but this was a quality album that kept me listening a few times. Jazz funk that was great for both working and dedicated listening.

Back At The Chicken Shack // 3-3.5/5

I love this stuff!

Like the backing track to a 90s US sitcom. I quite enjoyed it. But found it hard to engage with beyond a very superficial level. What an album cover, by the way.

No conocía a este autor. Suena bien, pero no creo que sea algo imperdible aunque no deja de ser un disco agradable a la escucha.

Smooth jazz, such a good listen especially on a spring day like yesterday.

Really great piece of music

Listenable.

Smooth and makes for nice casual listening.

This was a 50/50 album for me and only 4 songs long. I really enjoyed the second two tracks a lot. I'm kinda neutral on the first two. Worth a listen but probably not a favorite.

Yeah honestly I don’t want to listen to this at all.

Jazzy blues

Seems a bit arbitrary to pick this album over the many others Jimmy Smith released in his and the jazz-organ's heyday. Nice enough but as a musical statement probably not enough of an impact within his catalogue to warrant it top status. Still, great blues-y, jazz-y small combo jams, just like on his 1961 release "Home Cookin'" for example. While Jimmy Smith certainly belongs in the top league of jazz musicians and has great crossover appeal, his art didn't deliver the beacon kind of album that lists such as these are meant to include. Not Jimmy Smith's fault, but rather a feature of the limits when classifying music in top-lists etc.

Probably my second experience with Jimmy’s work, and really enjoyed this one. Nice mix of both his talented keyboard playing with some exceptional brass section.

Really cool!

I enjoyed the jazz keys and sublime little drums under the notes. I'm able to listen to this in the background and nod along wishing I were at a bistro somewhere.

Jazz. Pretty good.

Not bad and perfectly fine backing music. I currently have limited brain capacity for jazz albums and would take a few recent listens over this.

It's... listenable, I guess? This is the type of music you would hear playing from ceiling speakers at a restaurant or something. And how often do you pay attention to that? This is not really my thing. There are some moments here that I like (mostly the saxophone parts towards the end of tracks 1 and 3), but it's most pretty underwhelming. 5/10

I can believe I’m going to say this about a jazz album. I didn’t hate it!

Nice for what it is, but not really my thing. Talented musicians but I don’t think it’d get another spin from me unless I was hosting somekind of wine tasting (except I don’t drink wine, or have people over very often - so I guess I’ll probably not listen to it again!)

Love how smooth this jazz is .

too bad i can only rate this album a B3+

Awesome. Reminds me of Sandlot

Normally you wouldn't want to return to the chicken shack unless they serve food and beverages or it's in reference to this album. Classy, well produced album that fits well as background but also complex enough for deep listening.

jazzy and pleasant, but no strong feelings

good 60s organ-ic jazz. as much as i like green onions (the song), this is way more interesting than green onions (the album). the saxophonist here is really selling it but the result is a solid jazz album that i enjoyed listening to a couple times. also, i kept thinking minor chant was about to segue into take five, but sadly that never happened. favorites: back at the chicken shack, minor chant, on the sunny side of the street

Some smooth jazz for you. Nice.