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With so many Jimmy Smith compilations out there, on vinyl and CD, its hard to tell which might be the best one to go for. If you are looking at your vinyl options, then “Jimmy Smith’s Greatest Hits” (BST 89901) on Blue Note might be the best way to go. All of the tunes on here were recorded between 1957 and 1963, which many consider to be the peak of Smith’s studio recording career. During this time with Blue Note, Smith developed his signature style of virtuoso hard bop riffs played over simple blues changes. Later in his career, on other labels, Smith would veer off into soul jazz, pop, disco and other commercial concerns, but his recordings with Blue Note were always pure jazz blues, some of the most unpretentious and satisfying music you will find. Jimmy’s pioneering work on the B3 is so strong that it went on to influence thousands from Joey DeFrancesco to Jon Lord.
The choice of tunes on here is quite good and some all time favorites can be found including “The Serman” and “Midnight Special”. Other top cuts include the high speed bop dexterity of “The Champ” and the rockin old school RnB of “Prayer Meetin”. There are no duds on here. Blue Note issued another double vinyl Jimmy Smith best of in the mid-70s, but the choice of tunes is better on this earlier compilation, and the sound quality is better too.