Thursday, February 10, 2005
Turn the sound down low and mournful
As mentioned on Delawhere and Soul Sides, the great B-3 Hammond Jazz organist Jimmy Smith died in his sleep on Tuesday at the age of 76. Here's his obit from his home town paper, the Philadelphia Inquirer. By lucky timing, Concord is releasing a cd next week titled "Legacy". Fellow Philly organist Joey DeFrancesco joins Mr. Smith on duets. (An excellent piece by Geoff Alexander on Jazz Organ is available here.)
He joined the Navy at 15, finishing his service in 1947. Through the use of the G.I. Bill (arguably the single most forward thinking piece of legislation passed by COngress in the last 70 years), Mr. Smith studied music at Hamilton Scholl of Music in NYC and at the Orenstein School of Music in Philly, where he studied bassa & piano. As the NYT mentions, "Like many other great jazz musicians, (Jimmy) Smith insisted that the key to finding his own sound was through studying musicians who did not play his instrument.". He latched onto Charlie Parker as someone he wanted to sound like. In turn, Jimmy Smith developed his own unique sound, a sound that is thankfully available on over 50 recordings, including 12 albums that he and guitarist Kenny Burrell collabarated on. The number of B-3 Hammond players has lost a significant member.
As mentioned on Delawhere and Soul Sides, the great B-3 Hammond Jazz organist Jimmy Smith died in his sleep on Tuesday at the age of 76. Here's his obit from his home town paper, the Philadelphia Inquirer. By lucky timing, Concord is releasing a cd next week titled "Legacy". Fellow Philly organist Joey DeFrancesco joins Mr. Smith on duets. (An excellent piece by Geoff Alexander on Jazz Organ is available here.)
He joined the Navy at 15, finishing his service in 1947. Through the use of the G.I. Bill (arguably the single most forward thinking piece of legislation passed by COngress in the last 70 years), Mr. Smith studied music at Hamilton Scholl of Music in NYC and at the Orenstein School of Music in Philly, where he studied bassa & piano. As the NYT mentions, "Like many other great jazz musicians, (Jimmy) Smith insisted that the key to finding his own sound was through studying musicians who did not play his instrument.". He latched onto Charlie Parker as someone he wanted to sound like. In turn, Jimmy Smith developed his own unique sound, a sound that is thankfully available on over 50 recordings, including 12 albums that he and guitarist Kenny Burrell collabarated on. The number of B-3 Hammond players has lost a significant member.
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