Jimmy Smith - Softly As a Summer Breeze (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series)

Softly As a Summer Breeze catches Jimmy Smith in a lyrical, low-lit mood, reissued in the Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series on 180 gram vinyl.

Recorded in New York in 1958 but held back until 1965, the session sat on the shelf while Smith's organ records were rewriting the rules of soul jazz. Hearing it now is like opening a time capsule from the moment the Hammond went from curiosity to powerhouse, with Alfred Lion producing and Rudy Van Gelder at the controls. It shows a softer side of a player usually celebrated for his fire.

The lineup is a treat. Kenny Burrell's warm guitar and Philly Joe Jones' crisp drums join Smith for most of the program, starting with a graceful These Foolish Things and a swinging pass at Thelonious Monk's Hackensack. It Could Happen to You keeps the mood light on its feet, before Eddie McFadden and Donald Bailey step in for a gorgeous Someone to Watch Over Me, where Smith lets the ballad unfold at its own pace and every sustained chord gets room to glow.

It may be one of his quieter Blue Note sessions, but that is exactly its charm. This is a late-night record of soft focus and deep feeling from a master of the instrument.