R.I.P. Jimmy Smith

It is a very sad day. Jimmy Smith, master of the Hammond B3 passed away yesterday at his home in Phoenix. He was 79 years old. Jimmy was on tour with Joey DeFranscesco and was found at his home on Tuesday by his manager.

My Dad turned me on to Jimmy Smith when I was very young. There are many great B3 players out there, but the soul in which Jimmy imparted in his playing has never been equaled. By listening to his records, he taught me how to swing, improvise and comp like no other teacher I have ever had.

RIP, Mr. Smith. God Bless.

Dave McMahan


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Wm. David McMahan
Nat'l Product and Support Manager
Generalmusic USA

Monster player. He REinvented the B3, and made us ALL want to get "that sound".
God Speed, Jimmy!

...well put U.D.
So long Mr.Smith...and Thanx

No doubt he's now fronting a choir of angels ... I had the opportunity to hear him live around 1980 in a small room in a Chicago hotel ... It was during the jazz festival ... I think I paid a $3 cover charge .... $3 ?!?!?!? ...
t.

Jimmy,

Rest in peace I can still hear the first
track I ever experienced "Night In Tunisa"

Awesome

Barry

"Dynamic Duo", by Jimmy Smith and Wes Montgomery is one of my all-time favorite recordings I wore out 6 or 7 of them before I got a CD.

Saw Jimmy several times at the WNOP jazz fest in Cincinnati. He not only had that great left hand, but was an extremely tasteful ballad player, playing beautiful chord inversions and pedals. Saw him with Clark Terry. What a delight.

Learned left handed bass by listening to him, and still play selections from "Dynamic Duo" whenever I play my B-3.

He was a real inspiration.

Russ

Oh my, THE MAN is gone.

Like many of the other people here, Mr. Smith was the man who stood me on my ear all those years ago. The first album I ever bought was Walk on the Wild Side and I still play it to this day.

So definitely one of a kind - the heavens will be swinging tonight.

I was 15 when I first saw Jimmy Smith play live. My Mom and Dad took me to a jazz club in Cincinnati and it was incredible.

Then I went to see him play at the WBLZ Jazz Festival at the Coliseum in Cincinnati. Anyone familiar with that festival knows that the term jazz is used very loosely at that festival. Jimmy was really the only jazz musician appearing. He opened the festival and I think just me and a handful of others were the only ones paying any attention to him. What a shame.

Dave

As with the passing of Ray Charles and so many others, thank goodness for the many recordings... allowing for their musical enjoyment and inspiration to live on.

First song I heard him do was Summertime, back in the 60's. Fantastic talent.
DonM

Leslie Horns all over the world are spinning just a little slower today.... :-(


Very sad news indeed!

I have that album as well. I really like "Ogd". I really like Wes Montgomery too, so the two of them together is awesome.
Starkeeper

You're right, Kevin. Been trying to play like Wes on guitar and Jimmy on organ for years...ain't even close!

Great goals to work toward, though.


Russ

I'm Bummed out.
Jimmy Smith was BIG in San Jose at our Jazz festivals. I spent hours listening to him
RIP Jimmy, you were a good man and everyones peer.
Bebop

During the years 1965 to 1968 I was a sailor onboard the USS Walke (pronounced walk) DD-723 a US Navy Destroyer. I don't know exactly when "Walk on the Wild Side" came out but when it did the ship's crew pretty much adopted it as the ship's song. When underway for extended periods of time, as often occured when operating in the Tonkin Gulf off the coast of Viet Nam, the ship would require refueling from time to time which on some occasions was accomplished by pulling up alongside the aircraft carrier we happened to be operating with, hauling over a couple of large, heavy fuel transfer lines and then receiving the fuel. These transfers would take a half hour to 45 minutes and weather and seas permitting, musicians on the aircraft carrier would some times line up on the flight deck and entertain us with several tunes. On more than one occasion as our little ole "Tin Can" would pull up along side the band would break into a rousing rendition of "Walk on the Wild Side" to which we would respond with wild cheers and whistles. Those were proud moments for those of us who got to see and hear it. I imagine Mr. Smith was never aware of the USS Walke or the unusual circumstances under which "Walk on the Wild Side" was played. May he R. I. P. Just for information, Destroyer sailors often refer to their rough and rugged little ships as "Tin Cans".