About

— Acoustic Sounds Series reissues from Verve, supervised by Chad Kassem CEO of Acoustic Sounds.
— Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original analog tapes.
— 180-gram LPs pressed at Quality Record Pressings + Stoughton Printing gatefold old-style tip-on jacket.
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Although still a regular Blue Note artist (he would make four more albums for the company within the next year), Bashin' was organist Jimmy Smith's debut for Verve, a label that he would record extensively for during 1963-1972. On the first half of the program, Smith was for the first time joined by a big band. Oliver Nelson provided the arrangements, trumpeter Joe Newman and altoist Phil Woods have a solo apiece, and "Walk on the Wild Side" became Smith's biggest hit up to that point. The final three numbers feature Smith's regular trio with guitarist Quentin Warren and drummer Donald Bailey swinging with soul as usual. The historical set was a turning point for Jimmy Smith's career. — (via AllMusic)

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Recorded in March 1962 and released later that year as Jimmy Smith's Verve debut, Bashin': The Unpredictable Jimmy Smith marked a pivotal point in the organist's career, presenting him in both a bold new orchestral context and the intimate trio format that had defined his earlier work. Oliver Nelson's dynamic big-band arrangements — most famously on the breakout hit "Walk on the Wild Side," which reached No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 — gave Smith a dramatic, brass-driven setting that expanded his audience and showcased the power of his Hammond B-3 in a cinematic frame.

By contrast, the trio performances with guitarist Quentin Warren and drummer Donald Bailey highlight the subtle swing, blues feeling, and elastic phrasing that remained at the core of his artistry. Together, the contrasting ensembles reveal Smith's versatility at a key transitional moment, making Bashin' one of the most significant and enduring entries in his Verve catalog.  — (via Label)

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This was the Big One. Since 1956, ‘The Incredible One’ had achieved all he possibly could during a busy eight-year tenure with Blue Note. But it was time to move on. Now on a new label (Verve) where budgets were much bigger, he could stretch out, try new ideas and not be confined to just blues, bebop retreads, gospel, standards and limited distribution. Recorded just two months apart, his Blue Note homage to Fats Waller has its obvious charm but it's Bashin’, which kicked off with the hit ‘Walk On The Wild Side’, a gatefold sleeve and, on four tracks, Oliver Nelson leading the punchy sound of eight brass, five saxes and three rhythm in support of Smith that delivered on all counts. — (via JazzWise)

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Label: Verve Records
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo, Gatefold
Reissued: 2026 / Originally Released: 1962
Genre: Jazz
Style: Bop, Big Band

File under: Audiophile Jazz
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