Jazz Articles about Jimmy Smith

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Jimmy Smith: Retrospective

by Sean Patrick Fitzell
August 10, 2005

He might not have been the first jazz organist, but Jimmy Smith's place in jazz history as the first to modernize and popularize its use as a featured jazz instrument is secure. His innovative style created the sub-genre of organ jazz, which many have followed. When he died this past February at age 76, Smith was rejuvenating his career artistically; he was nominated as “best organist by the Jazz Journalist Association this year.

Released last fall, the four-CD Retrospective was ...

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Jimmy Smith: Home Cookin'

by Sean Patrick Fitzell
June 18, 2005

"The Incredible Jimmy Smith cemented his reputation as the king of jazz organ during his prolific residency at Blue Note from 1956-63, as both a leader and collaborator with labelmates. His popularity and record sales helped the label grow and foster new talent. When he returned to Blue Note later in his career, it was only appropriate that they revisit and restore those early releases so essential for Smith's, and Blue Note's, legacy. Home Cookin' is the ...

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Jimmy Smith: The Fantastic Jimmy Smith

by David Rickert
June 14, 2005

If you're ignorant like I was, you may have thought that A New Sound, A New Star featured the very first Jimmy Smith recordings. But actually he recorded a number of singles a few years before that for the obscure Bruce label. The fact that these early recordings have been out of print for forty years is surprising, given the insatiable appetite of Smith fans for his work. But Empiremusicwerks has recently reissued these early tracks, giving us a glimpse ...

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Pulling Out All the Stops

by Jeff Fitzgerald, Genius
March 7, 2005

If you were to make a list of all of the great jazz musicians to come out of Philadelphia, it would number more than the calories in a cheese steak sandwich. But if you were to narrow it down by instrument, when it came to the organ section, the list would be as short as the line to see Oliver Stone's Alexander. Though at first glance the list might not look impressive, unless you were to write it ...

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Jimmy Smith: The Boss

by Germein Linares
March 1, 2005

Recorded at Paschal's La Carousel in Atlanta, Georgia, this '68 date has Jimmy Smith's organ paired with George Benson and Nathan Page on guitar as well as Donald Bailey on drums. The three originals, “Some of My Best Friends Are Blues," “The Boss," and “Fingers," are typical of Smith's compositions with organ and guitar conjuring electrified versions of the blues, soul and jazz. The Burt Bacharach tune, “This Guy's In Love With You," comes with more sophistication in its chords ...

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Jimmy Smith: Retrospective

by Germein Linares
February 22, 2005

Jimmy Smith Retrospective Blue Note Records 2004

Blue Note Records' 4-CD Retrospective is a 38-song summary of Jimmy Smith's music from 1956-62. Along with artists like Art Blakey and Horace Silver, Smith not only came to define the “Blue Note" sound, he also molded and enriched the genres of hard bop and soul jazz. Born into a family of pianists, Smith was already an accomplished pianist by the age of ten, when he won ...

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The Incredible Jimmy Smith

by Ed Hamilton
February 16, 2005

February is recognized as Black History Month and inventors of African American Heritage are honored. Louis Latimer did not invent the light bulb but invented the light inside as James Oscar Smith did not invent the Hammond B-3 organ, but invented the Jazz sound played never before until he laid his fingers on the 2-story set of ivory and black keys and bass foot pedals.

I had gone to sleep Wednesday night, February 9, thinking that I would get Kenny ...