Prayer Meetin' - Jimmy Smith (1LP Vinyl) [Tone Poet Series]

Prayer Meetin' by Jimmy Smith.

Recorded on February 8, 1963, "Prayer Meetin'" captures Jimmy Smith at the Hammond organ in one of his most soulful and spirited settings. This is an album that lives at the crossroads of the sanctuary and the smoky club, where gospel fervor and blues grit meet the swing of the jazz idiom. From the very first bars, Smith reminds you why the organ became such an essential voice in this music, capable of preaching, moaning, and shouting all at once.

The title track opens the record with the kind of slow, churchy groove that gives the album its name and its atmosphere. There is a call and response feeling to the playing, a sense of communal celebration that carries through the side. "I Almost Lost My Mind" follows, leaning into the bluesier, more aching side of Smith's sensibility, while "Stone Cold Dead In The Market" brings a playful, rhythmically infectious energy that rounds out the first side with real character.

Flip the record over and the mood turns even more jubilant. "When The Saints Go Marching In" is a natural fit for Smith's gospel leanings, transformed here into something that struts and swings rather than simply parades. It is a familiar melody made fresh, given room to breathe and build in the hands of a master.

"Red Top" keeps the momentum going with a bright, bopping feel before "Picnickin'" closes the set on a relaxed, good natured note. Across all six tracks, the pacing is beautifully judged, moving between deep grooves and lighter, more buoyant moments without ever losing the thread that ties the album together.

This particular pressing is worth noting for collectors who track the details. Earlier releases of the album, including the first pressings, credited Reid Miles with the cover design. On this release, that cover design credit has been omitted, a small but meaningful distinction for anyone building a discography or comparing editions side by side.

For listeners drawn to soul jazz at its most direct and heartfelt, "Prayer Meetin'" remains an essential document of Jimmy Smith's artistry. It is a record that rewards both casual spinning and close listening, the sound of an organist who understood exactly how to make a room feel like a congregation. A fine addition to any collection built around the great voices of jazz and blues.

Pressing Details:
Recorded on February 8, 1963.

Previous releases of this album, including first pressings, credited Reid Miles with cover design. Cover design credit has been omitted from this release.

Track Listing:
A1. Prayer Meetin'
A2. I Almost Lost My Mind
A3. Stone Cold Dead In The Market
B1. When The Saints Go Marching In
B2. Red Top
B3. Picnickin'

Artist: Jimmy Smith

Supporting Artists: Stanley Turrentine

Format: 1LP

Genre: Jazz

Label: Blue Note

Catalog Number: B0031881-01

Series: Tone Poet Series

Release Year: 2020

Country: United States

Condition: Sealed (New)