A young Jimmy Smith, on the 1958 album House Party

Jimmy Smith, nicknamed "The Incredible Jimmy Smith", (December 8, 1925 РFebruary 8, 2005) was a jazz musician whose instrument was the Hammond B-3 electric organ. Image File history File links Jimmy_Smith_House_Party. ... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... February 8 is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Template:Diffgggtgerent calendars 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jazz is an original American musical art form originating around the start of the 20th century in New Orleans, rooted in Western music technique and theory, and is marked by the profound cultural contributions of African Americans. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Hammond organ. ... The Casavant pipe organ at Notre-Dame de Montr̩al Basilica, Montreal The organ is a keyboard instrument with one or more manuals, and usually a pedalboard. ...

Born James Oscar Smith in Norristown, Pennsylvania, USA. Smith was influenced by both gospel and blues. He first achieved prominence in the 1950s where his recordings became popular on jukeboxes before there were commonly used terms to describe his unique musical flavor. In the sixties and seventies he helped create the jazz style known as 'funk' or 'soul jazz'. Norristown is a home rule municipality located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 17 miles (27 km) west by north of Philadelphia, on the Schuylkill River, USA. It formerly was a borough operating under Pennsyvanias borough code, its official name is The Borough of Norristown and it is frequently referred to... Official language(s) None Capital Largest city Harrisburg Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq. ... For the genre of Christian-themed music, see gospel music. ... The blues is a vocal and instrumental form of music based on a pentatonic scale and a characteristic twelve-bar chord progression. ... The 1950s were a decade that spanned the years 1950 through 1959. ... A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that can play specially selected songs from self-contained media. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Funk is a distinct style of music originated by African-Americans, e. ... Soul jazz was a development of hard bop which incorporated strong blues and gospel influences in music for small groups featuring keyboards, especially the Hammond organ. ...

There had been earlier limited use of the electric organ in jazz (notably by Fats Waller and Count Basie), though these early examples sometimes had a novelty feel. Smith is widely recognized as introducing the electric organ as a legitimate musical instrument, capable of vituoso improvisation. The organ is a type of keyboard musical instrument, distinctive because the sound is not produced by a percussion action, as on a piano or celesta, or by means of vibrating strings, as on the harpsichord. ... Album cover of Fats Wallers Aint Misbehavin, 25 Greatest Hits Fats Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an African-American jazz pianist, organist, composer and comedic entertainer. ... William Count Basie (August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was a jazz pianist, organist, and bandleader. ... Improvisation is the act of making something up as it is performed. ...

Smith employed a unique technique to emulate a string bass player on the organ. Although he played walking bass lines on the pedals on ballads, 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. His solos were characterised by percussive chords mixed with very fast melodic improvisation with the right hand. He generally used a drawbar registration of 868000000 or 888000000 on the lower manual, which he used for the bass line and comping chords. He used a similar registration on the upper manual, which he used for soloing, but with the addition of the Hammond's percussion circuit. Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ... Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the taste of the musicians involved, and not in any particular style. ...

Smith was a prolific recording artist. He first recorded with the Blue Note label in 1956. His early albums with Blue Note sold very well, improving its financial viability and aiding the label's efforts to promote other artists. They include Home Cookin' , The Sermon!, Midnight Special, Prayer Meetin' , and Back at the Chicken Shack. In jazz and blues notes added to the major scale for expressive quality, loosely defined by musicians to be an alteration to a scale or chord that makes it sound like the blues. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Sermon! is a 1958 album by Jimmy Smith. ...

Smith signed to Verve Records label in 1963. Smith's albums with Verve include: The Cat, The Boss, Root Down, Peter & The Wolf, Any Number Can Win, The Incredible..., Bashin' , Got My Mojo Workin' , Christmas Cookin' , and Organ Grinder Swing. Verve Records is an American Jazz record label, founded by Norman Granz in 1956, which absorbed the catalogues of his earlier labels: Norgran Records and Clef Records (founded 1953). ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... The Cat can refer to one of a number of fictional characters. ...

It was in this period that he began a regular collaboration with Guitarist Wes Montgomery, with whom he recorded two albums: The Dynamic Duo with Wes Montgomery and Further Adventures Of Jimmy and Wes. John Leslie Wes Montgomery was an African-American jazz guitarist. ...

Smith recorded with a full orchestra and worked with arrangers and conductors such as Lalo Schifrin and Oliver Nelson. He also worked in small groups that featured many of the best jazz musicians of his era: Kenny Burrell, Donald "Duck" Bailey, Grady Tate, Lee Morgan, Lou Donaldson, Tina Brooks, Jackie McLean and Stanley Turrentine among them. Lalo Schifrin Lalo Schifrin (born on June 21, 1932) is an Argentine Jewish pianist and composer, most famous for composing the burning-fuse theme tune from the Mission:Impossible television series. ... Oliver Nelson (1932–1975) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinettist, and composer. ... THE MAN Kenneth Earl Burrell (born 1931) is an American jazz guitarist. ... Grady Tate, born January 14, 1942 in Durham, North Carolina, is a jazz drummer. ... Lee Morgan Lee Morgan (born July 10, 1938 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-died February 19, 1972 in New York City) was a hard bop trumpeter. ... Lou Donaldson (born 1926) is a jazz alto saxophonist. ... Harold Floyd (Tina) Brooks (1932–1974) was an American hard bop tenor saxophonist. ... John Lenwood (Jackie) McLean (born May 17, 1932) is an American jazz alto saxophonist and educator, born in New York City. ... Stanley William Turrentine (1934 – 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. ...

Smith had a career revival in the 'eighties and 'nineties, again recording for Blue Note and Verve, as well as for the Milestone label. There are also numerous recordings with other artists available including: Love And Peace: A Tribute To Horace Silver with Dee Dee Bridgewater (1995) and Blue Bash! with Kenny Burrell (1963). Milestone Records is a United States based jazz record label, founded in 1966 by Orrin Keepnews and Dick Katz in New York City. ...

His influence has been felt across multiple generations and musical styles; nearly every subsequent jazz organist owes a large debt to Smith. The Beastie Boys (who sampled the bassline from Smith's "Root Down (and Get It)"—and saluted Smith in the lyrics—for their own hit "Root Down"), Medeski, Martin & Wood, and The Hayden-Eckert Ensemble are among the better known contemporary bands that pay tribute to Smith's sensibilities and sound. The Acid Jazz movement also reflects Smith's influences. The Beastie Boys are an American hip hop group from New York City: Brooklyn and Manhattan. ... Medeski Martin & Wood (MMW) are a jazz trio formed in 1991, consisting of John Medeski (piano, organ), Billy Martin (drums, percussion) and Chris Wood (double bass, bass guitar). ... Acid jazz (sometimes groove jazz) is a musical genre that combines jazz influences with elements of soul music, funk, disco and hip hop. ...

Smith died on February 8, 2005, in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA. Scottsdale is a suburb of Phoenix located in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA. Named by the New York Times as The Beverly Hills of the Desert and by Travel Channel as one of the most luxurious destinations in the nation, Scottsdale has become internationally recognized and regarded as one of the... Official language(s) None Capital Largest city Phoenix Phoenix Area  Ranked 6th  - Total 113,998 sq mi  (295,254 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 0. ...

External links

• Jimmy Smith at the Hard Bop Home Page
• Jimmy Smith on Verve Records
• Jimmy Smith on Blue Note Records
• a comprehensive discography