Johnny 'Hammond' Smith • Breakout

Review by Thom Jurek

So this is what CTI was all about. Recorded in 1971, organist Johnny Hammond's debut for CTI is a blessed-out basket of blues and groove that covers some of the hot tunes of the day and some organ classics with enough soul power to melt the ice around the heart of even the staunchest jazz purist, who turned up his stuffed-up nose. First there's the lineup: Hammond with Hank Crawford and Grover Washington, Jr., Eric Gale, Airto, Billy Cobham, Danny Moore, and bassist Johnny Williams. It drips soul and popping riffs. Next there's the material: the 11-minute wade-in-the-swamp version of Carole King's "It's Too Late" with a stunning arrangement by Grover and a killer guitar break by Gale. (There is, on the reissue, a stunning live rendition of the track with George Benson subbing for Gale, Freddie Hubbard, and Stanley Turrentine in for Washington. It's longer, seemingly leaner, and quicker. It's a soul-deep river of good feel and slippery vamps.) Next is a bright, sunny, and shimmering version of Neil Sedaka's "Workin' on a Groovy Thing," with Hammond's organ doubling the interval up yet keeping the melody at an even flow. The horn section and Airto's accents literally pop in the middle of the tune, breaking the bridge down into a series of screaming grooves in counterpoint to the organ. The wildest organ workout is Leo Johnson's "Blue Selah." Rich in arpeggios and counterpoint by Gale, the legato is turned up to ten and Hammond never passes over a note -- he rings them all inside, outside, and punches them all up with frighteningly large right-handed chords. The final track on the original is Jimmy Smith's "Breakout," a driving, funky blues that feels more like Tony Joe White jamming with Jack McDuff than a Creed Taylor percussion. Cobham pushes his kit into overdrive and Hammond rises to the challenge as Gale plays one ostinato funk riff after another and the bass holds the groove static. By the time we reach the dueling saxophone solos, we've been through James Brown territory as well, on the good foot and in the deep well of greasy-assed funk and roll. This is a smoking album that runs the gamut of soul-jazz to hard funk and R&B seamlessly, but sweatily.

Artist Biography by Steve Huey

Actually nicknamed after his instrument, Johnny "Hammond" Smith was perhaps one of the more underrated soul-jazz organists of the style's heyday. Born John Robert Smith in Louisville, KY, on December 16, 1933, Smith began learning piano as a child, idolizing Bud Powell and Art Tatum early on. After moving to Cleveland, Smith heard jazz organ pioneer Wild Bill Davis and decided to switch instruments; he made his professional debut on the organ in 1958, around the same time he was working as an accompanist for vocalist Nancy Wilson. In 1959, he began recording as a leader for Prestige, an association that would last through 1970 and produce highlights like That Good Feelin', Talk That Talk, Black Coffee, Open House, Ebb Tide, and Soul Talk, among others. As time passed, Smith's style got progressively funkier, and in 1971, he shortened his name to Johnny Hammond and moved to producer Creed Taylor's CTI label family. Hammond recorded five jazz-funk albums over the next three years, including Breakout, Wild Horses/Rock Steady, and the Mizell Brothers-helmed Gambler's Life. In 1975, Hammond moved to Milestone and recorded the culmination of his move into jazz-funk, Gears, another collaboration with the Mizell Brothers that was reviled by purists and canonized by acid jazz fans. After a few more sessions for Milestone, Smith largely retired from jazz, settling in Southern California and investing in real estate. He began recording sporadically again in the '90s, but was stricken with cancer and died on June 4, 1997.

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Revisión por Thom Jurek

Así que esto es de lo que se trataba CTI. Grabado en 1971, el debut del organista Johnny Hammond para CTI es una canasta bendecida de blues y groove que cubre algunas de las melodías más candentes del día y algunos clásicos de órgano con suficiente poder para derretir el hielo en el corazón de todo el jazz más fuerte. Purista, quien levantó su nariz tapada. Primero está la alineación: Hammond con Hank Crawford y Grover Washington, Jr., Eric Gale, Airto, Billy Cobham, Danny Moore y el bajista Johnny Williams. Gotea el alma y revienta los riffs. Luego está el material: la versión de 11 minutos de Wade-in-the-Swamp de Carole King "It's Too Late" con un impresionante arreglo de Grover y un rompimiento de guitarra asesino de Gale. (En la reedición, hay una impresionante interpretación en vivo de la pista con George Benson sustituyendo a Gale, Freddie Hubbard y Stanley Turrentine en Washington. Es más largo, aparentemente más delgado y más rápido. Es un río de alma profunda que se siente bien. y los vampiros resbaladizos.) La siguiente es una versión brillante, soleada y brillante de "Workin 'on a Groovy Thing" de Neil Sedaka, con el órgano de Hammond duplicando el intervalo pero manteniendo la melodía en un flujo uniforme. La sección de la bocina y los acentos de Airto literalmente aparecen en el medio de la melodía, rompiendo el puente en una serie de estridentes gritos en contrapunto al órgano. El ejercicio de órgano más salvaje es el "Blue Selah" de Leo Johnson. Rico en arpegios y contrapunto de Gale, el legato se convierte en diez y Hammond nunca pasa una nota: los toca por dentro y por fuera y los golpea a todos con acordes de mano derecha terriblemente grandes. La última pista del original es "Breakout" de Jimmy Smith, un blues funky y funky que se parece más a Tony Joe White tocando con Jack McDuff que con una percusión de Creed Taylor. Cobham empuja su equipo a toda marcha y Hammond se enfrenta al desafío cuando Gale toca un riff funk de ostinato tras otro y el bajo mantiene la ranura estática. Cuando llegamos a los solos de saxofón en duelo, también hemos pasado por el territorio de James Brown, con el pie derecho y el pozo profundo del funk and roll grasiento. Este es un álbum humeante que abarca toda la gama de soul-jazz a hard funk y R&B a la perfección, pero sudoroso.

Biografía del artista por Steve Huey

Apodado en realidad por su instrumento, Johnny "Hammond" Smith fue quizás uno de los organistas de soul-jazz más subestimados del apogeo del estilo. Nacido como John Robert Smith en Louisville, KY, el 16 de diciembre de 1933, Smith comenzó a aprender a tocar el piano de niño, idolatrando a Bud Powell y Art Tatum desde el principio. Después de mudarse a Cleveland, Smith escuchó al pionero del órgano de jazz Wild Bill Davis y decidió cambiar de instrumento; Hizo su debut profesional en el órgano en 1958, casi al mismo tiempo que trabajaba como acompañante de la vocalista Nancy Wilson. En 1959, comenzó a grabar como líder de Prestige, una asociación que duraría hasta 1970 y producía destacados como That Good Feelin ', Talk That Talk, Black Coffee, Open House, Ebb Tide y Soul Talk, entre otros. A medida que pasaba el tiempo, el estilo de Smith se hizo cada vez más divertido y, en 1971, acortó su nombre a Johnny Hammond y se mudó a la familia del sello CTI del productor Creed Taylor. Hammond grabó cinco álbumes de jazz-funk en los próximos tres años, incluidos Breakout, Wild Horses / Rock Steady, y The Mamblell Brothers-Helmed Gambler's Life. En 1975, Hammond se mudó a Milestone y registró la culminación de su movimiento hacia el jazz-funk, Gears, otra colaboración con los hermanos Mizell que fue vilipendiada por los puristas y canonizada por los fanáticos del jazz ácido. Después de unas cuantas sesiones más para Milestone, Smith se retiró del jazz, se instaló en el sur de California e invirtió en bienes raíces. Comenzó a grabar esporádicamente de nuevo en los años 90, pero fue atacado por cáncer y murió el 4 de junio de 1997.

Tracklist
1 It's Too Late 10:58
2 Workin' On A Groovy Thing 6:42
3 Never Can Say Goodbye 5:39
4 Blues Selah 6:43
5 Breakout 4:47
Bonus Track
6 It's Too Late 16:18

Credits
Organ – Johnny Hammond
Alto Saxophone – Hank Crawford
Bass [Fender] – Johnny Williams (tracks: 1 to 5)
Drums – Billy Cobham
Guitar – Eric Gale (tracks: 1 to 5)
Percussion – Airto Moreira
Tenor Saxophone – Grover Washington, Jr. (tracks: 1 to 5)
Trumpet – Danny Moore (tracks: 1 to 5)

Tracks 1-5 recorded at Van Gelder Studios, June 3 and 4, 1971.
Track 6 is a bonus track not found on the original Kudu LP, recorded at the Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, California, July 18, 1971


Breakout is an album by jazz organist Johnny Hammond recorded for the Kudu label in 1971.[1][2] The album was the first release on Creed Taylor's Kudu label, a subsidiary of CTI Records and is the first album that dropped Johnny Hammond Smith's surname.


The Allmusic site awarded the album 4 stars calling it a blessed-out basket of blues and groove that covers some of the hot tunes of the day and some organ classics with enough soul power to melt the ice around the heart of even the staunchest jazz purist and stating This is a smoking album that runs the gamut of soul-jazz to hard funk and R&B seamlessly, but sweatily.

All compositions by Johnny Hammond Smith except as indicated
It's Too Late (Carole King, Toni Stern) - 1050
Workin' on a Groovy Thing (Roger Atkins, Neil Sedaka) - 635
Never Can Say Goodbye (Clifton Davis) - 535
Blues Selah (Leo Johnson) - 640
Breakout - 445

Personnel
Johnny Hammond - organ, arranger
Danny Moore - trumpet
Grover Washington, Jr. - tenor saxophone, arranger
Hank Crawford - alto saxophone
Eric Gale - guitar
Johnny Williams - electric bass
Billy Cobham - drums
Airto Moreira - percussion
Leo Johnson - arranger (track 4)
Production
Creed Taylor - producer
Rudy Van Gelder - engineer




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