 Jimmy Smith Rockin' the Boat? Hardly. More like Ditchin' the Boat Entirely and Hangin' Down at the OTB Drinkin' Us Some Beers. Well come on, wouldn't you rather do that than rock the boat, anyway? As far as I know, there is no truly incendiary Jimmy Smith album … not that he was lazy, nor unskilled (quite the opposite; he was incredibly prolific and one of the best black men ever to handle a Hammond). But Jimmy Smith specialized in takin' it easy. His records make you smile. They make you bop your head along with the beat, inspiring no confrontational or agitated feelings at all. The most a Jimmy Smith album will make you do is go out and get some barbecue. That ain't a bad thing, of course. You can't eat barbecue every day, though, so I don't listen to Jimmy Smith all that often. But when I do, I smile like I got hot wing sauce all over my face, and I don't even want a Wetnap®. This session was recorded a day before Prayer Meetin', Smith's finest collaboration with the bluesy and ballsy Stanley Turrentine. That one roils and boils; Rockin' the Boat simmers and stews. The ingredients are different enough that you ought to try both … this one has Lou Donaldson on alto sax, which always ensures artery-cloggin' good fun and satisfied grinning all around. Where Jimmy and Stan the Man get into deep shit, Jimmy and Lou keep it light, smoking a few cigarettes in the back of the bar, playing a few hands of poker. Either way, you'll like the company. "Matilda, Matilda" and "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" provide even more levity, given the obvious ease with which these guys must have been able to attack those songs. The rest are mostly standards, with two originals (Lou's "Pork Chop" and Jimmy's "Can Heat" … ah, I missed my calling as a song-title writer for Blue Note in the 60s), all done in the same smoky, bluesy way. Archie Shepp rocked the boat. Jackie McLean rocked the boat. Cecil Taylor rocked the boat. Jimmy Smith and Lou Donaldson, though, just sneak out to the marina and have a couple reefers on the boat. I'm with them, frankly.
Review by Lipstick Les |