Personnel: Jimmy Smith (organ); Abraham Burton (alto saxophone); Tim Warfield, Ron Blake, Mark Turner (tenor saxophone); Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton (trumpet); Mark Whitfield (guitar); Christian McBride (bass); Arthur Taylor, Bernard Purdie (drums).

Recorded at the Power Station, New York, New York on January 24-25, 1995. Includes liner notes by Richard Seidel.

Damn! marked Jimmy Smith's return to the Verve label after an absence of 20-plus years (he originally recorded for the label from 1963 to 1972), and paired with a group of young and sympathetic jazz players that includes Roy Hargrove and Nicholas Payton on trumpet and Ron Blake and Mark Tuner on sax, he sounds invigorated here, striding across the Hammond B-3 keys with definite energy. The whole album, start to finish, works a wonderful groove, but versions here of James Brown's "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man," and Charlie Parker's "Scrapple from the Apple" are particularly strong. Smith was arguably at his best in stripped-down trios, and his work for Blue Note between 1956 and 1960 will always be the quality reference point for his extensive canon, but Damn! is right up there with his best work, full of a joyous energy, and it sparked a resurgence of sorts for Smith. ~ Steve Leggett

After an absence of 23 years, Jimmy Smith returned to Verve (the label that saw many of the jazz legend's finest efforts in the '60s) with this 1995 recording. Backed by cast of superb musicians--including Roy Hargrove on trumpet and the late Arthur Taylor on drums--Smith sounds better than ever here. He displays not only his legendary technical prowess on the Hammond but also a looseness and vigor well in keeping with his Verve legacy.

The selection of tunes speaks volumes. This set is deeply entrenched in the purest traditions of innovative jazz and funk--from a crisply arranged reading of "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" to Dizzy Gillespie's "Woody 'N You," Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man," and Bird's "Scrapple From The Apple." The players swing relentlessly, drawing inspiration from and giving new life to the classics they interpret. While Hargrove and saxophonists Ron Blake and Mark Turner give standout performances, it is ultimately Smith's show. He unfurls his rhythmic and harmonically complex, mind-bogglingly fluid keyboard lines with the flourish befitting a proper homecoming.

JazzTimes (10/95, p.88) - "...There's a palpable joy in these grooves..."