Compared to his earlier
Blue Note
recordings, organist
Jimmy Smith
's outings for
Verve
are not as strong from a jazz standpoint. Certainly his renditions of the
"Theme from Joy House,"
"The Cat,"
and the
"Main Title from The Carpetbaggers"
are not all that significant. However, this set has some tasteful arrangements for the big band by
Lalo Schifrin
, and some good playing by the great organist on a variety of other blues-oriented material. Also, the combination of organ with a big band is sometimes quite appealing, making this album worth picking up despite its commercial focus. ~ Scott Yanow