Sample Liner Notes for Jimmy Smith by Ashley Kahn:
Smith forgoes his impromptu segues between tunes and politely wraps up each tune. Note the subdued, tasteful ending to “Days of Wine and Roses”; the contained aspect of his brief reading of “Got My Mojo Working”; and how Smith and Crosby neatly trade fours at the close of “Sonnymoon for Two.” It’s also hard to miss that Smith reigns in the Hammond’s louder dynamics when such extremes were a signature element of his sound (his reticence to pump up the volume was quite possibly due the limitations of television audio in 1968).
Smith’s care and consideration is in stark contrast to the dynamic leaps and unexpected tangents that were an inherent part of his live shows, such as his 1969 concert in Paris. At the Salle Pleyel, Smith treated the television cameras as incidental, focusing on and feeding off the energy of his audience. In Copenhagen a little more than a year before, he played to a minimal crowd—the studio crew— and turned in a performance that swings with a different flavor, exposing the craftsmanship Smith always brought to his music, whatever the venue or volume.
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