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Jimmy Smith
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Jimmy Smith, from Norristown near Philadelphia, began as a pianist and switched to the Hammond B-3 organ in the early 1950s. He practised for months on end and played the bass lines with his feet on the pedals and with his left hand. Alfred Lion of Blue Note heard him in 1956 and signed him on the spot. Smith played bebop and blues on the organ with the speed of a saxophonist and used the rotating Leslie speaker for a floating sound. The Sermon! (1958) is a long, relaxed blues. Later he made big band albums for Verve. Smith became the model for almost all later jazz organists.
Listening
Listening tip. Listen to the organ: bass, chords and a fast melody all at once, played by a single musician.
The Sermon · Jimmy Smith, 1958
Back at the Chicken Shack · Jimmy Smith, 1960
Walk on the Wild Side · Jimmy Smith, 1962
Discography
Studio albums
- 1956A New Sound, a New Star: Jimmy Smith at the Organ, Volume 1
- 1956A New Sound, a New Star: Jimmy Smith at the Organ, Volume 2
- 1956The Incredible Jimmy Smith at the Organ, Volume 3
- 1957Jimmy Smith at the Organ, Volume 1
- 1957Jimmy Smith at the Organ: Plays Pretty Just for You
- 1957The Sounds of Jimmy Smith
- 1958House Party
- 1958A New Sound, a New Star: Jimmy Smith at the Organ, Volume 2
- 1959Home Cookin’
- 1959The Sermon!
- 1960Crazy! Baby
- 1961Midnight Special
- 1962Bashin’: The Unpredictable Jimmy Smith
- 1963Any Number Can Win
- 1963Back at the Chicken Shack
- 1963Blue Bash!
- 1963Hobo Flats
- 1963Rockin’ the Boat
- 1964Christmas Cookin’
- 1964Prayer Meetin’
- 1964The Cat
- 1964Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
- 1965Got My Mojo Working
- 1965Monster
- 1965Organ Grinder Swing
- 1965Softly as a Summer Breeze
- 1966Bucket
- 1966Hoochie Coochie Man
- 1966Jimmy & Wes: The Dynamic Duo
- 1966Peter & The Wolf
- 1967I’m Movin’ On
- 1967Respect
- 1968Livin' It Up
- 1968Open House
- 1968Plain Talk
- 1968Stay Loose
- 1969Further Adventures of Jimmy and Wes
- 1969Groove Drops
- 1970The Other Side of Jimmy Smith
- 1971I'm Gon' Git Myself Together
- 1971In a Plain Brown Wrapper
- 1972Bluesmith
- 1973Portuguese Soul
- 1974Blacksmith
- 1974Newport Jazz Festival Japan
- 1974Paid in Full
- 1975’75
- 1977Sit on It!
- 1978Unfinished Business
- 1979Confirmation
- 1980The Cat
- 1981On the Sunny Side
- 1981Second Coming
- 1982Off the Top
- 1982Plays Fats Waller
- 1986Go for Whatcha Know
- 1989Prime Time
- 1992Plain Talk
- 1993Sum Serious Blues
- 1995Damn!
- 1996Angel Eyes
- 1996Lonesome Road
- 1997Got My Mojo Working / Hoochie Coochie Man
- 1998Standards
- 1999Six Views of the Blues
- 2000Dot Com Blues
- 2002La Métamorphose des Cloportes (soundtrack)
- 2005Legacy
- 2005The Fantastic Jimmy Smith
- 2007Straight Life
- 2008Daybreak
- 2010Livin' It Up
- 2012Bashin’: The Unpredictable Jimmy Smith / Hobo Flats
- 2019Groovin' At Smalls' Paradise (Volume 2)
- 2024Merry Christmas, Baby
- ?Walk on the Wild Side
Other work
- 1956A New Sound, a New Star
- 1962Walk on the Wild Side · op Bashin'
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- Jazz MapNL Map
- Mixtape 9: The InstrumentNL Reader
- After Hours: Session 4NL Reader
Mentioned in other articles
- Soul jazz Genre
Jimmy Smith from Norristown near Philadelphia made records with it for Blue Note from 1956, played the bass lines himself with his left hand and pedals, and became the example for a whole generation.
- Hammond organ and Leslie Technology
Jimmy Smith made the Hammond a jazz instrument, and Booker T.