Jimmy Smith (musician)
Encyclopedia
Jimmy Smith was a jazz
musician whose performances on the Hammond B-3 electric organ
helped to popularize this instrument. In 2005, Smith was awarded the NEA Jazz Masters Award
from the National Endowment for the Arts
, the highest honor that the United States bestows upon jazz musicians.
, at the age of six he joined his father doing a song-and-dance routine in clubs. He began teaching himself to play the piano. When he was nine, Smith won a Philadelphia radio talent contest as a boogie-woogie pianist. After a stint in the navy, he began furthering his musical education in 1948, with a year at Royal Hamilton College of Music
, then the Leo Ornstein
School of Music in Philadelphia in 1949. He began exploring the Hammond organ in 1951. From 1951-54, he played piano, then organ in Philly R&B bands like Don Gardner
and the Sonotones . Smith switched to organ in 1953 after hearing Wild Bill Davis
.
Upon hearing him playing in a Philadelphia club, Blue Note's Alfred Lion immediately signed him to the label and with his second album, also known as The Champ, quickly established Smith as a new star on the jazz scene. He was a prolific recording artist and, as a leader, The Incredible Jimmy Smith recorded around 40 sessions for Blue Note
in just eight years beginning in 1956. His most notable albums from this period include The Sermon!
, House Party, Home Cookin' , Midnight Special, Back at the Chicken Shack
and Prayer Meetin' .
Smith signed to the Verve
label in 1962. His first album, Bashin, sold well and for the first time set Smith with a big band, led by Oliver Nelson
. Further big band collaborations followed, most successfully with Lalo Schifrin
for The Cat
and guitarist Wes Montgomery
, with whom he recorded two albums: The Dynamic Duo and Further Adventures Of Jimmy and Wes. Other notable albums from this period include Blue Bash and Organ Grinder's Swing with Kenny Burrell
, The Boss with George Benson
, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Got My Mojo Working
, and Root Down.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Smith recorded with some of the great jazz musicians of the day such as Kenny Burrell
, George Benson
, Grant Green
, Stanley Turrentine
, Lee Morgan
, Lou Donaldson
, Tina Brooks
, Jackie McLean
, Grady Tate
and Donald Bailey
.
In the 1970s, Smith opened his own supper club
in Los Angeles
, California
and played there regularly with guitarist Paul C. Saenz, Larry Paxton on drums and Freddy Garcia on saxophone.
Smith had a career revival in the 1980s and 1990s, again recording for Blue Note and Verve, and for Milestone
and Elektra
. Smith also recorded with other artists including Quincy Jones/Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson
, Dee Dee Bridgewater
and Joey DeFrancesco
.
His last major album, Dot Com Blues (Blue Thumb, 2000), featured many special guests such as Dr. John
, B. B. King
and Etta James
.
, Count Basie
, Davis and others, Smith's virtuoso improvisation
technique on the Hammond helped to popularize the electric organ as a jazz and blues instrument. The B3 and companion Leslie speaker
produce a distinctive sound, including percussive "clicks" with each key stroke. Smith's style on fast tempo pieces combined bluesy "licks" with bebop
-based single note runs. For ballads, he played walking bass lines on the bass pedals. For uptempo tunes, he would play the bass line on the lower manual and use the pedals for emphasis on the attack of certain notes, which helped to emulate the attack and sound of a string bass.
, Brother Jack McDuff, Richard "Groove" Holmes, Joey DeFrancesco
and Larry Goldings
, as well as rock
keyboardists like Jon Lord
, Brian Auger
and Keith Emerson
. More recently, Smith influenced bands such as the Beastie Boys
, who sampled the bassline from "Root Down (and Get It)" from Root Down
—and saluted Smith in the lyrics—for their own hit "Root Down," Medeski, Martin & Wood, and The Hayden-Eckert Ensemble. Often called the father of acid jazz
, Smith lived to see that movement come to reflects Smith's organ style. In 1999, Smith guested on two tracks of a live album, Incredible!, the hit from the 1960s, with his protégé, Joey DeFrancesco
, a then 28-year-old organist. Smith and DeFrancesco later played together on the collaborative album Legacy, released in 2005 shortly after Smith's death. In the 1990s, Smith went to Nashville, taking a break from his ongoing gigs at his Sacramento restaurant which he owned and, in Music City, Nashville he continued his cutting edge work, he worked with a webmaster to produce Dot Com Blues, his last Verve album.
Verve
Milestone Records
Other labels
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician whose performances on the Hammond B-3 electric organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
helped to popularize this instrument. In 2005, Smith was awarded the NEA Jazz Masters Award
NEA Jazz Masters
The National Endowment for the Arts , every year honors up to seven jazz musicians with Jazz Master Awards. The National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowships are the highest honors that the United States bestows upon jazz musicians...
from the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
, the highest honor that the United States bestows upon jazz musicians.
Early years
His birth year is of some confusion, with various sources citing either 1925 or 1928. Born James Oscar Smith in Norristown, PennsylvaniaNorristown, Pennsylvania
Norristown is a municipality in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, northwest of the city limits of Philadelphia, on the Schuylkill River. The population was 34,324 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County...
, at the age of six he joined his father doing a song-and-dance routine in clubs. He began teaching himself to play the piano. When he was nine, Smith won a Philadelphia radio talent contest as a boogie-woogie pianist. After a stint in the navy, he began furthering his musical education in 1948, with a year at Royal Hamilton College of Music
Royal Hamilton College of Music
The Royal Hamilton College of Music was a Canadian music conservatory in Hamilton, Ontario that was actively providing higher education in music during the late 19th century and 20th century...
, then the Leo Ornstein
Leo Ornstein
Leo Ornstein was a leading American experimental composer and pianist of the early twentieth century...
School of Music in Philadelphia in 1949. He began exploring the Hammond organ in 1951. From 1951-54, he played piano, then organ in Philly R&B bands like Don Gardner
Don Gardner
Don Gardner is an American rhythm and blues drummer and vocalist.Born in Philadelphia, Gardner had formed his own group, the Sonotones, in 1953, but teamed up with Dee Dee Ford in the early 1960s to have his biggest successes. Their biggest hit was "I Need Your Lovin'," a Top 20 hit in 1962...
and the Sonotones . Smith switched to organ in 1953 after hearing Wild Bill Davis
Wild Bill Davis
Wild Bill Davis was the stage name of American jazz pianist, organist, and arranger William Strethen Davis.Davis was born in Glasgow, Missouri...
.
Career
He purchased his first Hammond organ, rented a warehouse to practice in and emerged after little more than a year with an exciting new sound which was to completely revolutionize the way in which the instrument could be played. It was sometimes said his year or so of practice, in that New York warehouse, essentially alone with the instrument, and his music, changed his life completely - but what can be safely said is that after the New York warehouse days, a new music was born; and by the middle of the 1960s he was - without challenge - referred to as "The Incredible" in the industry.Upon hearing him playing in a Philadelphia club, Blue Note's Alfred Lion immediately signed him to the label and with his second album, also known as The Champ, quickly established Smith as a new star on the jazz scene. He was a prolific recording artist and, as a leader, The Incredible Jimmy Smith recorded around 40 sessions for Blue Note
Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
in just eight years beginning in 1956. His most notable albums from this period include The Sermon!
The Sermon!
The Sermon! is a 1958 album by jazz organist Jimmy Smith. It was produced by the Blue Note record label. Allmusic's Lindsay Planer described the album as "a prime example of Smith and company's myriad of talents".-Personnel:* Jimmy Smith - organ...
, House Party, Home Cookin' , Midnight Special, Back at the Chicken Shack
Back at the Chicken Shack
Back at the Chicken Shack is an album by Jimmy Smith. It was recorded in 1960 and released in 1963 on the Blue Note label. It was cited in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.- Track listing :...
and Prayer Meetin' .
Smith signed to the Verve
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
label in 1962. His first album, Bashin, sold well and for the first time set Smith with a big band, led by Oliver Nelson
Oliver Nelson
Oliver Edward Nelson was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger and composer.-Early life and career:...
. Further big band collaborations followed, most successfully with Lalo Schifrin
Lalo Schifrin
Lalo Schifrin is an Argentine composer, pianist and conductor. He is best known for his film and TV scores, such as the "Theme from Mission: Impossible". He has received four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations...
for The Cat
The Cat (album)
The Cat is a 1964 album by Jimmy Smith. It features the sound of Smith's Hammond B-3 organ with big band arrangements by composer Lalo Schifrin...
and guitarist Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery
John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily...
, with whom he recorded two albums: The Dynamic Duo and Further Adventures Of Jimmy and Wes. Other notable albums from this period include Blue Bash and Organ Grinder's Swing with Kenny Burrell
Kenny Burrell
Kenneth Earl "Kenny" Burrell is an American jazz guitarist. His playing is grounded in bebop and blues; he has performed and recorded with a wide range of jazz musicians.-Biography:...
, The Boss with George Benson
George Benson
George Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....
, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Got My Mojo Working
Got My Mojo Working
"Got My Mojo Working" is a 1956 song written by Preston Foster and first recorded by Ann Cole, but popularized by Muddy Waters in 1957. Waters' rendition of the song was featured on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time at #359 and was inducted in the Grammy Hall of...
, and Root Down.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Smith recorded with some of the great jazz musicians of the day such as Kenny Burrell
Kenny Burrell
Kenneth Earl "Kenny" Burrell is an American jazz guitarist. His playing is grounded in bebop and blues; he has performed and recorded with a wide range of jazz musicians.-Biography:...
, George Benson
George Benson
George Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....
, Grant Green
Grant Green
Grant Green was a jazz guitarist and composer....
, Stanley Turrentine
Stanley Turrentine
Stanley William Turrentine, also known as "Mr. T" or "The Sugar Man", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.-Biography:Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh's Hill District into a musical family...
, Lee Morgan
Lee Morgan
Edward Lee Morgan was an American hard bop trumpeter.-Biography:...
, Lou Donaldson
Lou Donaldson
Lou Donaldson is a jazz alto saxophonist. He was born in Badin, North Carolina. He is best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was, as many were of the bebop era, heavily influenced by Charlie Parker.His first recordings were...
, Tina Brooks
Tina Brooks
Harold Floyd "Tina" Brooks was an American hard bop tenor saxophonist and composer.-Early years:Harold Floyd Brooks was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and was the brother of David "Bubba" Brooks. The nickname "Tina", pronounced Teena, was a slight variation of "Teeny", a childhood moniker....
, Jackie McLean
Jackie McLean
John Lenwood McLean was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader and educator, born in New York City.-Biography:McLean's father, John Sr., played guitar in Tiny Bradshaw's orchestra...
, Grady Tate
Grady Tate
Grady Tate, , is a hard bop and soul-jazz drummer and singer.He has played with Lional Hampton, Jimmy Smith, Grant Green, Lena Horne, Astrud Gilberto, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Blossom Dearie, Chris Connor, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles, Cal Tjader, Peggy Lee, Bill Evans, Duke Ellington, Count...
and Donald Bailey
Donald Bailey (musician)
Donald "Duck" Bailey is an American jazz drummer.He is probably best known as the drummer in the trio of jazz organist Jimmy Smith from 1956 to 1964 and also for his work with The Three Sounds on Blue Note Records. Bailey also worked as a sideman for some of the most famous musicians in jazz...
.
In the 1970s, Smith opened his own supper club
Supper club
A supper club, in general, refers to a dining establishment that also functions as a social club. The term may describe different establishments depending on the region, but in general, supper clubs tend to present themselves as having a high-class image, even if the price is affordable to...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and played there regularly with guitarist Paul C. Saenz, Larry Paxton on drums and Freddy Garcia on saxophone.
Smith had a career revival in the 1980s and 1990s, again recording for Blue Note and Verve, and for Milestone
Milestone Records
Milestone Records is a United States based jazz record label, founded in 1966 by Orrin Keepnews and Dick Katz in New York City. The company was incorporated into Fantasy Records in 1972, since then it has been used for reissues as well as for new recordings....
and Elektra
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
. Smith also recorded with other artists including Quincy Jones/Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Dee Dee Bridgewater
Dee Dee Bridgewater
Dee Dee Bridgewater is an American Jazz singer. She is a three-time Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award - winning stage actress and host of National Public Radio's syndicated radio show JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater...
and Joey DeFrancesco
Joey DeFrancesco
Joey DeFrancesco is an American jazz organist, trumpeter, and vocalist. Down Beat's Critics and Readers Poll selected him as the top jazz organist every year since 2003.DeFrancesco was born in Springfield, Pennsylvania...
.
His last major album, Dot Com Blues (Blue Thumb, 2000), featured many special guests such as Dr. John
Dr. John
Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...
, B. B. King
B. B. King
Riley B. King , known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter.Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No.3 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. According to Edward M...
and Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
.
Musical style
While the electric organ had been used in jazz by Fats WallerFats Waller
Fats Waller , born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer...
, Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
, Davis and others, Smith's virtuoso improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
technique on the Hammond helped to popularize the electric organ as a jazz and blues instrument. The B3 and companion Leslie speaker
Leslie speaker
The Leslie speaker is a specially constructed amplifier/loudspeaker used to create special audio effects using the Doppler effect. Named after its inventor, Donald Leslie, it is particularly associated with the Hammond organ but is used with a variety of instruments as well as vocals. The...
produce a distinctive sound, including percussive "clicks" with each key stroke. Smith's style on fast tempo pieces combined bluesy "licks" with bebop
Bebop
Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...
-based single note runs. For ballads, he played walking bass lines on the bass pedals. For uptempo tunes, he would play the bass line on the lower manual and use the pedals for emphasis on the attack of certain notes, which helped to emulate the attack and sound of a string bass.
Influence
Smith influenced a constellation of jazz organists, including Jimmy McGriffJimmy McGriff
James Harrell McGriff was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who developed a distinctive style of playing the Hammond B-3 organ.-Early years and influences:...
, Brother Jack McDuff, Richard "Groove" Holmes, Joey DeFrancesco
Joey DeFrancesco
Joey DeFrancesco is an American jazz organist, trumpeter, and vocalist. Down Beat's Critics and Readers Poll selected him as the top jazz organist every year since 2003.DeFrancesco was born in Springfield, Pennsylvania...
and Larry Goldings
Larry Goldings
-Life and career:Goldings was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His father was a classical music enthusiast, and Larry studied classical piano until the age of twelve. While in high school at Concord Academy, he attended a program at the Eastman School of Music. During this period Erroll Garner,...
, as well as rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
keyboardists like Jon Lord
Jon Lord
Jonathan Douglas "Jon" Lord is an English composer, pianist and Hammond organ player.Jon Lord, also known as 'Hammond Lord', is a classically trained piano player. He is recognised for his Hammond organ blues-rock sound and for his pioneering work in fusing rock and classical or baroque forms...
, Brian Auger
Brian Auger
Brian Auger is a jazz and rock keyboardist, who has specialized in playing the Hammond organ.A jazz pianist, bandleader, session musician and Hammond B3 player, Auger has played or toured with artists such as Rod Stewart, Tony Williams, Jimi Hendrix, Sonny Boy Williamson, Led Zeppelin, Eric Burdon...
and Keith Emerson
Keith Emerson
Keith Noel Emerson is an English keyboard player and composer. Formerly a member of the Keith Emerson Trio, John Brown's Bodies, The T-Bones, V.I.P.s, P.P. Arnold's backing band, and The Nice , he was a founder of Emerson, Lake & Palmer , one of the early supergroups, in 1970...
. More recently, Smith influenced bands such as the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
, who sampled the bassline from "Root Down (and Get It)" from Root Down
Root Down (Jimmy Smith album)
Root Down is a live jazz album by Jimmy Smith, released on the Verve label. It was recorded in Los Angeles on February 8, 1972. It includes the song "Root Down " which was sampled by the Beastie Boys for their song "Root Down."-Track listing:...
—and saluted Smith in the lyrics—for their own hit "Root Down," Medeski, Martin & Wood, and The Hayden-Eckert Ensemble. Often called the father of acid jazz
Acid jazz
Acid jazz is a musical genre that combines elements of jazz, funk and hip-hop, particularly looped beats. It developed in the UK over the 1980s and 1990s and could be seen as tacking the sound of jazz-funk onto electronic dance: jazz-funk musicians such as Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd and Grant Green are...
, Smith lived to see that movement come to reflects Smith's organ style. In 1999, Smith guested on two tracks of a live album, Incredible!, the hit from the 1960s, with his protégé, Joey DeFrancesco
Joey DeFrancesco
Joey DeFrancesco is an American jazz organist, trumpeter, and vocalist. Down Beat's Critics and Readers Poll selected him as the top jazz organist every year since 2003.DeFrancesco was born in Springfield, Pennsylvania...
, a then 28-year-old organist. Smith and DeFrancesco later played together on the collaborative album Legacy, released in 2005 shortly after Smith's death. In the 1990s, Smith went to Nashville, taking a break from his ongoing gigs at his Sacramento restaurant which he owned and, in Music City, Nashville he continued his cutting edge work, he worked with a webmaster to produce Dot Com Blues, his last Verve album.
As leader
Blue NoteBlue note
In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note sung or played at a slightly lower pitch than that of the major scale for expressive purposes. Typically the alteration is a semitone or less, but this varies among performers and genres. Country blues, in particular, features wide variations from the...
- 1956: A New Sound... A New Star... Jimmy Smith at the Organ Volume 1A New Sound... A New Star...A New Sound... A New Star... is the debut album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1956 and released on the Blue Note label...
- 1956: A New Sound A New Star: Jimmy Smith at the Organ Volume 2A New Sound A New Star: Jimmy Smith at the Organ Volume 2A New Sound A New Star: Jimmy Smith at the Organ Volume 2 is the second album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1956 and released on the Blue Note label. The album was rereleased on CD combined with Smith's debut LP A New Sound.....
- 1956: The Incredible Jimmy Smith at the OrganThe Incredible Jimmy Smith at the OrganThe Incredible Jimmy Smith is the third album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1956 and released on the Blue Note label. The album was rereleased on CD combined with Smith's previous two LP's A New Sound.....
- 1956: At Club Baby Grand Volume OneAt Club Baby GrandAt Club Baby Grand is a live album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded at Club Baby Grand in Wilmington, Delaware in 1956 and originally released in two volumes on the Blue Note label.-Reception:...
- 1956: At Club Baby Grand Volume TwoAt Club Baby GrandAt Club Baby Grand is a live album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded at Club Baby Grand in Wilmington, Delaware in 1956 and originally released in two volumes on the Blue Note label.-Reception:...
- 1957: A Date with Jimmy Smith Volume OneA Date with Jimmy Smith Volume OneA Date with Jimmy Smith Volume One is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1957 and released on the Blue Note label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 3 stars out of 5.-Side one:...
- 1957: A Date with Jimmy Smith Volume TwoA Date with Jimmy Smith Volume TwoA Date with Jimmy Smith Volume Two is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1957 and released on the Blue Note label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 3 stars out of 5.-Side one:...
- 1957: Jimmy Smith at the Organ Vol. 1
- 1957: Jimmy Smith at the Organ Vol. 2
- 1957: The Sounds of Jimmy SmithThe Sounds of Jimmy SmithThe Sounds of Jimmy Smith is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1957 and released on the Blue Note label...
- 1957: Plays Pretty Just for YouPlays Pretty Just for YouPlays Pretty Just for You is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1957 and released on the Blue Note label.-Reception:The Allmusic review awarded the album 3 stars.-Track listing:...
- 1957: Jimmy Smith Trio + LDJimmy Smith Trio + LDJimmy Smith Trio + LD is an album by jazz organist Jimmy Smith and saxophonist Lou Donaldson recorded for the Blue Note label in 1957 but not issued at the time.-Reception:...
- 1957: Groovin' at Small's ParadiseGroovin' at Small's ParadiseGroovin' at Smalls' Paradise is a live album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded at Small's Paradise in New York City in 1957 and originally released in two volumes on the Blue Note label...
- 1958: House PartyHouse Party (Jimmy Smith album)House Party is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1957 and 1958 and released on the Blue Note label...
- 1958: The Sermon!The Sermon!The Sermon! is a 1958 album by jazz organist Jimmy Smith. It was produced by the Blue Note record label. Allmusic's Lindsay Planer described the album as "a prime example of Smith and company's myriad of talents".-Personnel:* Jimmy Smith - organ...
- 1958: Confirmation
- 1958: Softly as a Summer BreezeSoftly as a Summer BreezeSoftly as a Summer Breeze is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1958 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1965...
- 1958: Cool BluesCool Blues (album)Cool Blues is a live album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded at Small's Paradise in New York City in 1958 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1978...
- 1958: Six Views of the BluesSix Views of the BluesSix Views of the Blues is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1958 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1999.-Reception:...
- 1959: Home Cookin'Home Cookin' (album)Home Cookin' is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1958 and 1959 and released on the Blue Note label. The album was rereleased on CD with five bonus tracks.-Reception:...
- 1960: Crazy! BabyCrazy! BabyCrazy! Baby is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1960 and released on the Blue Note label. The album was rereleased on CD with two bonus tracks.-Reception:...
- 1960: Open HouseOpen House (album)Open House is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1960, but not released on the Blue Note label until 1966...
- 1960: Plain TalkPlain Talk (album)Plain Talk is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1960 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1968...
- 1960: Midnight SpecialMidnight Special (Jimmy Smith album)Midnight Special is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1960 and released on the Blue Note label...
- 1960: Back at the Chicken ShackBack at the Chicken ShackBack at the Chicken Shack is an album by Jimmy Smith. It was recorded in 1960 and released in 1963 on the Blue Note label. It was cited in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.- Track listing :...
- 1961: Straight LifeStraight Life (Jimmy Smith album)Straight Life is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1961 but not released on the Blue Note label until 2007.-Reception:...
- 1962: Plays Fats WallerPlays Fats WallerPlays Fats Waller is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances of tunes associated with Fats Waller recorded in 1962 and released on the Blue Note label.-Reception:...
- 1963: I'm Movin' OnI'm Movin' On (Jimmy Smith album)I'm Movin' On is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1963 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1967...
- 1963: Bucket!Bucket!Bucket! is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1963 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1966...
- 1963: Rockin' the BoatRockin' the BoatRockin' the Boat is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1963 and released on the Blue Note label.-Reception:...
- 1963: Prayer Meetin'Prayer Meetin'Prayer Meetin' is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1963 and released on the Blue Note label...
- 1985: One Night With Blue Note, Preserved - Vol. 3One Night with Blue NoteOne Night with Blue Note is a 1985 jazz film directed by John Charles Jopson .Record executive Bruce Lundvall relaunched the defunct Blue Note Records label in 1985 under the parent label EMI Manhattan Records...
- 1986: Go For Watcha Know
- 1993: The Master
- 1993: The Master II
Verve
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
- 1962: Bashin'
- 1963: Any Number Can Win
- 1963: Blue Bash (with Kenny Burrell)
- 1963: Hobo Flats
- 1963: Live at the Village Gate (Metro)
- 1964: The CatThe Cat (album)The Cat is a 1964 album by Jimmy Smith. It features the sound of Smith's Hammond B-3 organ with big band arrangements by composer Lalo Schifrin...
- 1964: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (album)Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a 1964 studio album on the Verve label by organist Jimmy Smith, accompanied by a big band with arrangements by Oliver Nelson and Claus Ogerman.-Track listing:#"Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" – 7:07...
- 1964: Christmas Cookin'Christmas Cookin'Christmas Cookin' is a 1964 studio album by Jimmy Smith, his only album of Christmas music. - Track listing :# "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" – 4:19# "Jingle Bells" – 3:15...
- 1965: Monster
- 1965: Organ Grinder SwingOrgan Grinder Swing (album)Organ Grinder Swing is a 1965 studio album by Jimmy Smith. -Track listing:#"Organ Grinder's Swing" – 2:16#"Oh No, Babe" – 9:02#"Blues for J" – 5:19...
- 1965: Got My Mojo Workin
- 1965: In Hamburg Live (Metro)
- 1965: Live in Concert /Paris/Salle Pleyel Live (Metro)
- 1965: La Métamorphose des cloportes (Soundtrack) *
- 1966: Hoochie Coochie Man
- 1966: Peter and the Wolf
- 1966: Jimmy & Wes: The Dynamic DuoJimmy & Wes: The Dynamic DuoJimmy & Wes: The Dynamic Duo is an album by American jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery and electric organist Jimmy Smith, released in 1966.- Reception :...
(with Wes MontgomeryWes MontgomeryJohn Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily...
) - 1966: Further Adventures of Jimmy and WesFurther Adventures of Jimmy and WesFurther Adventures of Jimmy and Wes is an album by American jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery and electric organist Jimmy Smith, recorded in 1966 .- Reception :...
(with Wes MontgomeryWes MontgomeryJohn Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily...
) * - 1967: Respect
- 1967: Plays the Standards (Sunset SUS-5175/SUM-1175)
- 1967: Best of Jimmy Smith
- 1968: The BossThe Boss (Jimmy Smith album)The Boss is a 1968 live album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Roy Wynn awarded the album three stars and said "Lots of fine solos...
- 1968: Livin' It Up
- 1968: Stay Loose
- 1968: Live Salle Pleyel (Trema) *
- 1970: Groove Drops
- 1971: The Other Side of Jimmy SmithThe Other Side of Jimmy Smith-Track listing:Side 1My Romance3:29Richard Rogers / Lorenz HartWhy Don't You Try?4:33Johnny PateBewitched3:40Richard Rogers / Lorenz HartYou Don't Know What Love Is4:11Don Raye / Jean DePaulYesterday3:05John Lennon / Paul McCartneySide 2...
- 1971: I'm Gonna Git Myself Together
- 1971: In a Plain Brown Wrapper
- 1972: History of Jimmy Smith [2-LPs]
- 1972: Bluesmith
- 1972: Root Down - LiveRoot Down (Jimmy Smith album)Root Down is a live jazz album by Jimmy Smith, released on the Verve label. It was recorded in Los Angeles on February 8, 1972. It includes the song "Root Down " which was sampled by the Beastie Boys for their song "Root Down."-Track listing:...
- 1973: Portuguese Soul
- 1995: Damn!
- 1996: Angel Eyes
- 2000: Dot Com Blues
Milestone Records
Milestone Records
Milestone Records is a United States based jazz record label, founded in 1966 by Orrin Keepnews and Dick Katz in New York City. The company was incorporated into Fantasy Records in 1972, since then it has been used for reissues as well as for new recordings....
- 1981: All The Way Live (with Eddie HarrisEddie HarrisEddie Harris was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ...
) - 1989: Prime Time
- 1990: Fourmost Live
- 1990: Fourmost Return
- 1993: Sum Serious Blues'
Other labels
- 1955: The Fantastic Jimmy Smith with Don Gardner trio
- 1972: Newport In New York '72/The Jimmy Smith Jam, Vol.5 (Atlantic RecordsAtlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
) - 1974: Black Smith (Pride)
- 1974: Paid in Full (Mojo)
- 1975: 75 (Mojo)
- 1976: Sit on It! (Mercury)
- 1977: It's Necessary (Mercury)
- 1978: Unfinished Business (Mercury)
- 1980: The Cat Strikes Again (Laserlight)
- 1980: Second Coming (Mojo)
- 1982: Off the Top (Elektra)
- 1983: Keep on Comin (Elektra)
- 2001: Black Cat/Daybreak (Castle)
As sideman
- Quincy JonesQuincy JonesQuincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
& Bill CosbyBill CosbyWilliam Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
- The Original Jam Sessions 1969 (Concord) 2004 - Lenny WhiteLenny WhiteLeonard White III, better known as Lenny White is an American jazz fusion drummer, who is best known for playing in Chick Corea's Return to Forever.-Biography:...
- Venusian Summer (L. White/J. Smith/Larry Young/Larry Coryell/Al DiMeola/Weldon Irvine/Hubert Laws) (Nemperor) 1975 - James IngramJames IngramJames Ingram is an American soul musician. He is best known as a vocalist. He is also a self-taught musician who plays piano, guitar, bass, drums and keyboards...
- It's Your Night (QWest) 1983 - Stanley TurrentineStanley TurrentineStanley William Turrentine, also known as "Mr. T" or "The Sugar Man", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.-Biography:Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh's Hill District into a musical family...
- Straight AheadStraight Ahead (Stanley Turrentine album)Straight Ahead is an album by jazz saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, his first recorded for the Blue Note label since Another Story in 1969, featuring four performances by Turrentine with Jimmy Smith, George Benson, Ron Carter, and Jimmy Madison and two tracks with Les McCann, Jimmy Ponder, Peter...
(S. Turrentine/J.Smith/G.Benson/L.McCann) (Blue Note) 1984 - Frank SinatraFrank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
- L.A. Is My LadyL.A. Is My LadyL.A. Is My Lady is a 1984 studio album by Frank Sinatra, featuring arrangements by Quincy Jones. It was the last solo album that Sinatra recorded, though Sinatra recorded three further songs, which were unreleased until The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings.The album came after an album of duets...
(Warners) 1984 - Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
- BadBad (album)Bad is the seventh studio album by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on August 31, 1987 by Epic/CBS Records, nearly five years after Jackson's previous studio album, Thriller, which went on to become the world's best-selling album...
(Hammond B3 Midi organ solo in "Bad") (Epic/Sony) 1987 - Dee Dee BridgewaterDee Dee BridgewaterDee Dee Bridgewater is an American Jazz singer. She is a three-time Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award - winning stage actress and host of National Public Radio's syndicated radio show JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater...
- Love and Peace: A Tribute to Horace SilverLove and Peace: A Tribute to Horace SilverLove and Peace: A Tribute to Horace Silver is a 1995 studio album by Dee Dee Bridgewater, recorded in tribute to Horace Silver.Silver himself makes two guest appearances on this album, on "Nica's Dream" and "Song for My Father". Silver's contributions were recorded on December 1, 1994...
(Verve) 1994 - Joey DeFrancescoJoey DeFrancescoJoey DeFrancesco is an American jazz organist, trumpeter, and vocalist. Down Beat's Critics and Readers Poll selected him as the top jazz organist every year since 2003.DeFrancesco was born in Springfield, Pennsylvania...
- Incredible! (Concord) 1999 - Joey DeFrancescoJoey DeFrancescoJoey DeFrancesco is an American jazz organist, trumpeter, and vocalist. Down Beat's Critics and Readers Poll selected him as the top jazz organist every year since 2003.DeFrancesco was born in Springfield, Pennsylvania...
- Legacy (Concord) 2005