Product details
- Label Verve Records
- Artist Jimmy Smith
- Format 1LP
- Country United States
- Released Date 1964
- Genre Jazz
- Sealed No
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Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? by Jimmy Smith.
When Jimmy Smith stepped into the studio in January 1964, he was already a giant of the Hammond organ, but this MGM date found him wrapped in something grander than the smoky combo settings that made his name. Recorded in New York on the 20th, 21st, and 27th of that month, "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?" pairs Smith's earthy, gospel-drenched attack with lush orchestral arrangements, a meeting of raw blues feeling and cinematic sweep.
The program opens with "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue," a dramatic showpiece that gives Smith room to stretch across shifting moods, before the title theme arrives in two parts. "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (Part 1)" and "(Part 2)" anchor the first side, drawn from the celebrated film and rendered here with a sophistication that lets Smith's organ speak with both wit and menace. It is music built for atmosphere, the kind that rewards close listening on a quiet evening.
Side two ranges wide. "John Brown's Body" carries a rolling, martial momentum, while "Wives And Lovers" leans into a graceful, swinging charm. "Women Of The World" and the beloved "Bluesette" round out the set, the latter a melody that has long invited jazz players to explore its lilting changes. Across the record, Smith proves he could thrive in a big canvas without ever losing the blues at his core.
Much of that balance owes to the arrangers behind the sessions. Claus Ogerman and Oliver Nelson both lent their pens to the project, two of the most distinctive orchestral voices of the era, shaping backdrops that flatter Smith rather than crowd him. Producer Creed Taylor oversaw the date with his usual instinct for pairing soulful improvisers with elegant settings, a formula that defined some of the finest jazz of the decade.
The technical pedigree runs just as deep. Rudy Van Gelder handled the recording, his name stamped into the runouts as it is on so many essential jazz records, with Val Valentin serving as director of engineering. The gatefold sleeve features photography by Roy DeCarava and design by Acy Lehman, with liner notes from Holmes Daylie, a package as considered as the music inside. It was issued on MGM Records, a division of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc., and made in the U.S.A.
For collectors, the details in the runouts tell part of the story. Beyond the etched matrix information sits the stamped VAN GELDER mark and a block-shaped S stamp indicating the pressing plant. Together they make this a genuine artifact of mid-sixties American jazz production, a record where Jimmy Smith's Hammond meets orchestral grandeur and comes away sounding entirely like himself.
Pressing Details:
Track Listing:
A1. Slaughter On Tenth Avenue
A2. Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (Part 1)
A3. Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (Part 2)
B1. John Brown's Body
B2. Wives And Lovers
B3. Women Of The World
B4. Bluesette
Credits:
Claus Ogerman - Arranged By
Oliver Nelson - Arranged By
Acy Lehman - Design
Val Valentin - Engineer [Director Of Engineering]
Rudy Van Gelder - Engineer [Recording]
Holmes Daylie - Liner Notes
Roy DeCarava - Photography By
Creed Taylor - Producer
Notes:
Gatefold sleeve.
Ⓟ Ⓒ Metro-Goldwyn Mayer, Inc.
Recorded in New York on Jan. 20, 21 & 27, 1964.
MGM Records - A Division Of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.
Made in the U.S.A.
Published by:
A1: Chappell & Co
A2, A3: Avant Garde Music - ASCAP
B1: Edmy Music - ASCAP
B2: Famous Music - ASCAP
B3: E.B. Marks Music - BMI --> Edward B. Marks Music
B4 Duchess Music - BMI
Block-shaped S stamp in runouts indicates pressing by [l1151813].
Runouts are etched with the exception of the stamping of VAN GELDER and the block-shaped S stamp. Lacquer Cut At credit derived from VAN GELDER stamp in the runouts.
Artist: Jimmy Smith
Format: 1LP
Genre: Jazz
Label: Verve Records
Catalog Number: V6-8583
Release Year: 1964
Country: United States
Condition: Used
Media Condition: Very Good (VG) (funnel warp, Light hazing, misting on the disk which does not have any effect on sound)
Sleeve Condition: Near Mint (NM)
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