Black Coffee

Recorded at a New Haven club in 1962, with a quartet featuring onetime Jimmy Smith guitarist Eddie McFadden. As organ soul-jazz dates go, this rates well above the average, not in the least because of a loose, live ambience that doesn’t always come through on studio sessions of the period. Smith mixes originals with covers like “Body and Soul” and Benny Golson’s “I Remember Clifford,” presenting a solid groove on relaxed numbers and more frenetic cuts like “He’s a Real Gone Guy” that have a slightly raucous edge. The 1997 CD version is particularly recommended, as it combines the LP with the worthy 1963 studio session Mr. Wonderful onto a 78-minute disc. – Richie Unterberger