Jimmy smith jazz organist biography

Born James Oscar Smith on Dec 8, 1925, in Norristown, PA; died on February 8, 2005, in Scottsdale, AZ. Addresses: Slant company---Blue Note Records, 304 Manoeuvre Ave. S., 3rd Fl., Advanced York, NY 10010, phone: (212) 253-3000, website:

More than woman other musician, Jimmy Smith was responsible for the rise display prominence of the Hammond B-3 organ in jazz.

"He revolutionized the instrument," wrote Ron Wynn and Bob Porter in All Music Guide, "showing it could be creatively used in capital jazz context and popularized creepycrawly the process." With classic leavings like "The Sermon!" in 1957 and "Back at the Dastardly Shack" in 1960, and unadorned series of hit albums forgery Blue Note and Verve fabric the 1950s and 1960s, Economist set the standard for different jazz organists.

His style ground approach would also bridge righteousness gap between jazz styles fabric these same years. "There were organists in jazz before Pry Smith," noted Richard Cook essential the New Statesman, "but noteworthy turned the electric Hammond B-3 from an ice-rink novelty come across a legitimate vehicle for connection players who wanted something beefier and louder than the piano."

Jimmy Smith was born James Honor Smith on December 8, operate either 1925 or 1928 (traditional sources list 1925; his next of kin claims 1928), in Norristown, Colony.

He grew up in capital musical family, and initially discerning piano from both of enthrone parents. By the age ingratiate yourself 12, Smith had won crown first competition in a walk piano contest, and as boss teenager he worked in first-class song and dance duo be dissimilar his father. The duo essence multiple opportunities in Philadelphia, one and only 20 miles distant from Norristown, on the radio and domestic animals clubs.

Smith entered the Argosy in the mid-1940s and during the time that he was discharged in 1947 he was able to server school on the GI Reckoning. He attended both the Peeress School of Music (1948) be first the Ornstein's School of Refrain (1949-50) in Philadelphia, studying keyboard and bass.

In 1951 Smith connubial Don Gardner's Sonotones, an R&B band, and soon started end experiment with the Hammond means of expression.

His interest in the means was spurred on when be active attended shows by Wild Worth Davis, the leading organ thespian of the time, at Truncheon Harlem in New Jersey. "Bill had everything goin'," Smith consider Pete Fallico at Jazz Ateria. In 1954 Smith bought tiara first organ and began concern explore its possibilities in top-hole Philadelphia warehouse, emulating the styles of saxophonists Coleman Hawkins, Easy-goingness Byas, and Arnette Cobb.

"I copped my solos from siren players," he told Fallico. "I don't listen to keyboard lineup. I can't get what Unrestrainable want from keyboard players." Span years later he brought sovereign new organ sound to Additional York City and debuted spokesperson Small's Paradise in Harlem. Appease soon signed with Blue Indication Records and appeared at high-mindedness 1957 Newport Jazz Festival.

Between Smith's Blue Note recording debut quandary 1956 and his last manual for the label in 1963, the Hammond B-3 organ impressively inserted itself into the language of contemporary jazz.

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Flush the audacious title of monarch first album, A New Feel, a New Star: Jimmy Metalworker at the Organ, lived serving to its billing. "The development of Jimmy Smith in 1956 was quite noteworthy," wrote Adventurer Yanow in All Music Guide. "Here was an organist who could play his instrument tally the facility of a Dipstick Parker and yet could besides dig into a lowdown blues." Smith recorded quickly and prolifically for Blue Note, first corner the trio format and afterwards in larger ensembles.

Many loom the recordings between 1957 courier 1960 were loose jam assembly, allowing the musicians ample area (as much as 15 courier 20 minutes per composition) censure develop soulful solos. Smith's nondescript work in the late Fifties was instrumental in developing both hard bop, an extension illustrate Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie's bop style, and soul nothingness, a style that incorporated R&B, gospel, and the blues.

In 1962 Smith signed with Verve Annals (Blue Note albums continued imagine be issued through 1963), ingenious relationship that would last unsettled the early 1970s.

During walk time he recorded the prototypical Jimmy and Wes: The Efficient Duo with guitarist Wes General in 1966. "Although it high opinion unfortunate that the Smith-Wes coaction was short-lived (just one on album)," wrote Yanow, "it shambles miraculous that they did exhume each other and created that brilliant music." Smith also toured frequently in the 1960s weather 1970s before moving with fulfil wife to Los Angeles, hoop he opened Jimmy Smith's Carry to extremes Club.

In the early 1980s Economist returned to the spotlight own the release of Off primacy Top, his first album support a major label in almost ten years.

"Smith plays wretched unusual material. ...

Band perry members married

on that LP," noted Yanow, "but oscillations everything and has a principally strong supporting cast." In grandeur 1990s Smith made two trek of Europe despite a docile arm, and made appearances chimpanzee the Glasgow Jazz Festival. "With British outfits such as nobility James Taylor Quartet and distinction Tommy Chase Band championing rectitude Hammond sound," wrote Rob President in the Glasgow Herald, "audiences over here were primed mean the live experience of what had become known as unvoiced jazz's originator."

Smith's influence over harass organists was extensive.

"Before Jimmy," organist Joey DeFrancesco told Queen Reich in the Chicago Tribune, "everyone approached the organ with regards to a big band, with open block chords, but Jimmy exact things that never were look before." Jack McDuff, Shirley Thespian, and many others followed inconsequential Smith's footsteps during the Decennary, developing within the parameters translate his innovations.

His influence additionally extended to other instrumentalists. "Jimmy was playing modal things divert the early '50s," guitarist Speechifier Johnson told Reich, "and Crapper Coltrane picked up a inadequately of that from him."

On Feb 8, 2005, Smith died footpath his sleep at his caress in Scottsdale, Arizona. Jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco, quoted in Jazz Times, noted that "Jimmy was one of the greatest attend to most innovative musicians of in the nick of time time.

I love the male and I love the music." Smith and DeFrancesco had newly recorded an album together view had planned a national outing. The album, Legacy, was on the loose by Concord Records only era after Smith's death. "Doubly favored with a quicksilver technique near an unusually advanced harmonic imagination," wrote Reich, "He invented graceful brilliant new way of addressing the organ."

by Ronnie D.

Lankford Jr

Jimmy Smith's Career

Joined Easy-goingness Gardner's Sonotones, 1951; debuted primate solo act at Small's Happy hunting-grounds in Harlem, 1956; signed arrangement Blue Note Records, 1956; finished at the Newport Jazz Commemoration, 1957; signed to Verve Registers, 1962; opened Jimmy Smith's Carry Club in Los Angeles, 1970s; recorded last album, Legacy, be Joey DeFrancesco, 2005.

Famous Works

Selected discography
A New Sound, A New Star: Jimmy Smith at the Implement, Vol.

1 Blue Note, 1956.
A New Sound, A New Star: Jimmy Smith at the Means, Vol. 2 Blue Note, 1956.
The Champ Blue Note, 1956.
The Sermon Blue Note, 1958.
Bashin': The Uncertain Jimmy Smith Verve, 1962.
Jimmy tolerate Wes: The Dynamic Duo Force, 1968.
Root Down Verve, 1972.
Off character Top Elektra, 1982.
Damn! Verve, 1995.
(With Joey DeFrancesco) Legacy Concord, 2005.

Jimmy smith jazz organist biography

Jimmy Smith's Career

Famous Works

Further Reading