James Oscar "Jimmy" Smith (December 8, 1928 – February 8, 2005) was an American jazz musician who achieved the rare distinction of releasing a series of instrumental jazz albums that often charted on Billboard. Smith helped popularize the Hammond B-3 electric organ, creating an indelible link between sixties soul and jazz improvisation.
James
Oscar Smith was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania on December 8, 1928 (some
sources cite his birth year as 1925). Smith's father was a musician and
entertainer, and young Jimmy joined his song-and-dance act when he was six
years old. By the time he was 12, Smith was an accomplished stride piano player
who won local talent contests, but when his father began having problems with
his knee and gave up performing to work as a plasterer, Jimmy quit school after
eighth grade and began working odd jobs to help support the family. At 15,
Smith joined the Navy, and when he returned home, he attended music school on
the GI Bill, studying at the Hamilton School of Music and the Ornstein School,
both based in Philadelphia.
In
1951, Smith began playing with several R&B acts in Philadelphia while
working with his father during the day, but after hearing pioneering organ
player Wild Bill Davis, Smith was inspired to switch instruments. Smith bought
a Hammond B-3 organ and set up a practice space in a warehouse where he and his
father were working; Smith refined the rudiments of his style over the next
year (informed more closely by horn players than other keyboard artists, and
employing innovative use of the bass pedals and drawbars), and he began playing
Philadelphia clubs in 1955.
In
early 1956, Smith made his New York debut at the legendary Harlem nightspot
Small's Paradise, and Smith was soon spotted by Alfred Lion, who ran the
well-respected jazz label Blue Note Records. Lion signed Smith to a record
deal, and between popular early albums such as The Incredible Jimmy Smith at
Club Baby Grand and The Champ and legendary appearances at New York's Birdland
and the Newport Jazz Festival, Smith became the hottest new name in jazz.
A
prolific recording artist, Smith recorded more than 30 albums for Blue Note
between 1956 and 1963, collaborating with the likes of Kenny Burrell, Stanley
Turrentine, and Jackie McLean, and in 1963, Smith signed a new record deal with
Verve. Smith's first album for Verve, Bashin': The Unpredictable Jimmy Smith,
was a critical and commercial success, and the track "Walk on the Wild
Side" became a minor hit.
Smith
maintained his busy performing and recording schedule throughout the 1960s, and
in 1966 he cut a pair of celebrated album with guitarist Wes Montgomery. In
1972, Smith's contract with Verve expired, and tired of his demanding tour
schedule, he and his wife opened a supper club in California's San Fernando
Valley. Smith performed regularly at the club, but it went out of business
after only a few years. Smith continued to record regularly for a variety of
labels, but his days as a star appeared to be over.
However,
in the late '80s, Smith began recording for the Milestone label, cutting
several well-reviewed albums that reminded jazz fans Smith was still a master
at his instrument, as did a number of live performances with fellow organ
virtuoso Joey DeFrancesco. In 1987, producer Quincy Jones invited Smith to play
on the sessions for Michael Jackson's album Bad. And Smith found a new
generation of fans when hip-hop DJs began sampling Smith's funky organ grooves;
the Beastie Boys famously used Smith's "Root Down (And Get It)" for
their song "Root Down," and other Smith performances became the basis
for tracks by Nas, Gang Starr, Kool G Rap, and DJ Shadow.
In 1995, Smith returned to Verve Records for the album Damn!, and on 2001's Dot Com Blues, Smith teamed up with a variety of blues and R&B stars, including Etta James, B.B. King, Keb' Mo', and Dr. John. In 2004, Smith was honoured as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts; that same year, Smith relocated from Los Angeles to Scottsdale, Arizona. Several months after settling in Scottsdale, Smith's wife succumbed to cancer, and while he continued to perform and record, Jimmy Smith was found dead in his home less than a year later, on February 8, 2005. He was deemed to have died in his sleep of natural causes.
His
final album, Legacy, was released several months after his passing. (Info mainly
from All Music)
1 comment:
For Jimmy Smith's Finest Hour (1962-1995) go here:
http://www42.zippyshare.com/v/53633409/file.html
1. Walk On The Wild Side (Album Version) 5:56
2. Ol' Man River (Album Version) 3:58
3. Organ Grinder's Swing [feat. Kenny Burrell] 2:15
4. Got My Mojo Workin' 8:01
5. Hobo Flats (NY Version) 4:44
6. Blues For Del (Album Version) 6:18
7. The Cat 3:25
8. Blues In The Night 4:47
9. The Sermon 7:42
10. James And Wes (Album Version) 8:12
11. Papa's Got A Brand New Bag 7:36
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