Two Jimmy Smith LPs Join Verve’s Acoustic Sounds Vinyl Series

Two albums by the jazz organist Jimmy Smith are set to receive a reissue courtesy of Verve Records’ Acoustic Sounds Vinyl Series. Remastered versions of Bashin’: The Unpredictable Jimmy and Organ Grinder Swing are set for release in January 2026.

Bashin’ was Smith’s first album for Verve, recorded in 1962. It features Smith flexing his Hammond B-3 skills across two very different configurations. The first four songs are performed with an Oliver Nelson-conducted big band that featured future Tonight Show band members Doc Severinsen and drummer Ed Shaughnessy. The latter three tracks feature Smith’s usual trio with Quentin Warren (guitar) and Donald Bailey (drums).

This historic set marked a turning point for Smith’s career, with the instrumental track “Walk on the Wild Side” becoming his biggest hit to that point, reaching #21 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. That same year, the original version of the song, performed by Brook Benton, was nominated for an Oscar as a theme for a film of the same name.

Organ Grinder Swing was released in mid-1965 and saw Smith take a break from the typical big band sessions he’d been doing for Verve. He built a pared-down trio consisting of Kenny Burrell (guitar) and Grady Tate (drums) for a performance of blues and jazz standards, as well as Smith’s own “Blues For J.” Organ Grinder Swing was the second-highest-charting album of Smith’s career, reaching number 15 on the US Billboard 200 charts. It was on the charts for 31 weeks.

In December, Blue Note Records will reissue Smith’s 1958 album House Party as part of their Classic Vinyl Series. The freewheeling session touches on bebop, blues, and standards and features Lee Morgan (trumpet), Curtis Fuller (trombone), Lou Donaldson and George Coleman (alto sax), Tina Brooks (tenor sax), Kenny Burrell and Eddie McFadden (guitar), and Art Blakey and Donald Bailey (drums).

Shop Verve’s Acoustic Sounds Series now.