House Party (Jimmy Smith album)

House Party is the tenth studio album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith, recorded on August 25, 1957 and February 25, 1958 and released on Blue Note in 1958—his fourteenth release for the label.

Background
Blue Note used the Manhattan Towers Hotel Ballroom in New York City for recording sessions in 1957–1958, while their recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder was still using his parents' Hackensack, N.J. home studio to record artists. House Party was the first of two Smith albums recorded on two dates, the second was Smith's next album The Sermon!, released in 1959. Blue Note mainly used the Manhattan Towers ballroom for larger groups of musicians, or when New York was a more convenient location to record the artists involved.

Reception
The AllMusic review by Lindsay Planer states, "the real pleasure lies in the experience of hearing it".

August 25, 1957

 * Jimmy Smith – organ
 * Lee Morgan – trumpet
 * Curtis Fuller – trombone
 * George Coleman – alto saxophone
 * Eddie McFadden – guitar ("Just Friends")
 * Donald Bailey – drums

February 25, 1958

 * Jimmy Smith – organ
 * Lee Morgan – trumpet (except "Lover Man")
 * Lou Donaldson – alto saxophone
 * Tina Brooks – tenor saxophone (except "Lover Man")
 * Kenny Burrell (except "Lover Man"), Eddie McFadden ("Lover Man") – guitar
 * Art Blakey (except "Lover Man"), Donald Bailey ("Lover Man") – drums

Technical personnel

 * Alfred Lion – producer
 * Rudy Van Gelder – recording engineer
 * Reid Miles – design
 * Francis Wolff – photography
 * Robert Levin – liner notes