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— The Analog Vault // Essential Listening —

Root Down was Hammond B-3 jazz legend Jimmy Smith's 1972 live album for Verve. Recorded in Los Angeles in 1972, it features a young band that were very influenced by the funk and rock scenes of the time. The album’s title track was famously sampled by the Beastie Boys for their 1995 recording of the same name. Verve’s Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging. — (via Label)
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Toward the end of his stint with Blue Note, Jimmy Smith's albums became predictable. Moving to Verve in the mid-'60s helped matters considerably, since he started playing with new musicians (most notably nice duets with Wes Montgomery) and new settings, but he never really got loose, as he did on select early Blue Note sessions. Part of the problem was that Smith's soul-jazz was organic and laid-back, relaxed and funky instead of down and dirty. For latter-day listeners, aware of his reputation as the godfather of modern soul-jazz organ (and certainly aware of the Beastie Boys' name drop), that may mean that Smith's actual albums all seem a bit tame and restrained, classy, not funky. That's true of the bulk of Smith's catalog, with the notable exception of Root Down. 

Not coincidentally, the title track is the song the Beasties sampled on their 1994 song of the same name, since this is one of the only sessions that Smith cut where his playing his raw, vital, and earthy. Recorded live in Los Angeles in February 1972, the album captures a performance Smith gave with a relatively young supporting band who were clearly influenced by modern funk and rock. They push Smith to playing low-down grooves that truly cook: "Sagg Shootin' His Arrow" and "Root Down (And Get It)" are among the hottest tracks he ever cut. There are times where the pace slows, but the tension never sags, and the result is one of the finest, most exciting records in Smith's catalog. If you think you know everything about Jimmy Smith, this is the album for you. — (via AllMusic)

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Label: Verve Records
Series: Acoustic Sounds Series
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo, 180g, Gatefold
Reissued: 2024 / Original Release: 1972
Genre: Jazz
Style: Jazz-Funk, Fusion

File under: TAV Essential Listening // Jazz
File under: Audiophile Jazz
File under: Jazz // Soul-Jazz / Jazz-Funk
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