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Jimmy Smith RIP

post #1 of 4
3/22/05 at 2:32am
Thread Starter 
Just found out today that Jazz organist, Jimmy Smith died in february. This very day last year, i went to the Jazz Cafe in Camden to see him play on a rare UK visit.

He was mind blowing. My enduring memory is of him coming down the stairs on the the stage like an old man (he was eighty), but as soon as he got behing the keyboard he was like a young man.

He was also really funny, and his banter inbetween songs was hilarious. -He also flirted with my wife, but he was a legend, so I really didn't mind.

I'll be listening to The Cat, The Sermon and Home Cookin later on in tribute/


http://www.popmatters.com/music/feat...mmysmith.shtml
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post #2 of 4
3/22/05 at 11:42am
Yeah, I was bummed out too.

I never got to see him play, but I used to work in a record store, and we played his albums alot. That guy also had the best album cover photos also.
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post #3 of 4
3/23/05 at 12:58am
Glad to know there are other fans here. Â*I think of Jimmy Smith as the king of jazz organ; I think The Sermon is my most prized jazz CD. Â*Fleet of finger, full of soul, and his tone (organ stops, I guess you'd say) was right on. Â*And he and saxman Stanley Turrentine sure had good chemistry. Â*I've also got Home Cookin' and Midnight Special plus a few of his greatest hits collections. Â*

From Jimmy, I expanded out and picked up Jimmy McGriff's greatest hits. Â*If you like your jazz organ real funky, check out Reuben Wilson, Blue Breakbeats on Blue Note, a collection of his best tracks from the late 60s with extremely funky rhythms that are fun to listen to. Also recommended is Let 'Em Roll by Big John Patton, which features Grant Green on guitar and Bobby Hutcherson on vibes...the organ-vibes dynamic is pretty cool! Another fun one I've got is Jimmy McGriff with guest Dr. Lonnie Smith on McGriff's House Party; George Benson stopped by their recording session and was so inspired, he wrote a funky song they do on the CD.

Back to Jimmy and the title track The Sermon...I think one testament to his talent is keeping the listener's interest on a track that's 20 minutes long, and he sure does!
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post #4 of 4
6/10/05 at 9:27am
I'm a big Jimmy Smith fan too. I think The Sermon and Back at the Chicken Shack are the two best albums.

I want that $60 box set "Retrospective", but I have other priorities fisrt.
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