Jimmy Smith Has Passed

[Vincent, Paris]

Together again. 

uhhh...that's not jimmy.

I right clicked the picture and the guy over the key board apparently is Jimmy Smith. The picture was identified as "Wes and Jim".

It's more likely Wes' brother, Buddy Montgomery.

[couw]

RIP JOS

[Guest ariceffron]

ONE OF THE 1ST BIG NAME JAZZ ARTISTS I SAW, AND DEFINETLY THE VERY 1ST I SAW IN LA, WAS JIMMY. THE 1ST TIME I SAW HIM WAS ABOUT 98 MAYBE 99 AND THAT WAS THE BEST TIME. AFTER THAT I THINK HE GOT A LITTLE CRAZY BEACUSE HE WOULD SOMETIMES FREAK OUT OR BE MEAN BUT THATS OK BECAUSE IM SURE HE HAD HIS REASONS. IMMAGINE WHAT YOU WOULD BE THINKING IF YOU WERE J.O.S. AND IT WAS 2004, AND YOURE LIfE IS ALMOST OVER. IM SURE HE HAD GOOD REASONS BEING CRABBY ALL THE TIME, AND IN DEATH I DONT BLAME HIM REALLY. BESIDES THAT IM SURE HE HAD A VERY INTERESTING STORY TO TELL WHICH I ASSUME WILL NEVER BE KNOWN SINCE HE PROBABLY DIDNT DO SOME KIND OF MEMOIRS, BUT IT WOULD OF BEEN INTERESTING. DIDNT HE EVEN HAVE HIS OWN CLUB IN LA FOR A WHILE? I DONT REMEMBER. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE MANY GOOD ORGAN PLAYERS AT THE TIME, I DO AGREE THAT JIMMY REVOLUTIONED THE WAY TO PLAY THE HAMMOND, ETC. HE WAS REALLY THE 1ST TO MAKE IT A BEBOP INSTRUMENT, RIGHT? MAYBE OTHERS WERE PLAYING THAT WAY IN THE CLUBS AROUND THE EARLY/MID 50S BUT I DO NOT KNOW THAT AND WOULD LIKE SOMEONE TO ELABORATE ON THAT POINT FOR ME. IT IS INTERESTING THAT JIMMY SURRVIVED AS LONG AS HE DID AND THAT IS GOOD BECASUE LIVING A LONG LIFE IS GOOD TO DO IN MOST CASES.

Edited February 9, 2005 by ariceffron

[CJ Shearn]

I may stay home from class today, this is affecting me that much. I had a dream last night all was ok and he wasn't dead. I think the first thing I'll pop in later today is "The Boss". RIP Jimmy, I love you.

[paul secor]

Rest in peace, Mr. Smith.

Thank you for a lifetime of music.

[marcoliv]

sad news indeed

his contribution to jazz will always be remembered along with the joy he provided to us on every audition of one of his discs

RIP

[B. Goren.]

RIP Jimmy Smith

[Man with the Golden Arm]

Damn! is right!

[Soul Stream]

Couldn't go to sleep last night. Lay in bed and listened to "Groovin' At Small's Paradise" for a long time. Still very, very hard to comprehend that I won't be seeing him play again.

[catesta]

R.I.P., Mr. Smith.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Bye Jimmy. You created a style that's been imitated but never duplicated.

Kevin

[DatDere]

Sad to hear.. I'm listening to one of his records with Kenny Burrell ("Blue Bash") right now.

R.I.P.

[ralphie_boy]

WKCR has begun a memorial broadcast:

WKCR

[WD45]

A sad day indeed.

[Big Al]

WKCR has begun a memorial broadcast:

WKCR

Thanks Ralphie!

[Ron S]

WKCR has begun a memorial broadcast:

WKCR

Thanks for the notice and link.

Listening now...

Rod

---

Now playing: WKCR - Columbia University

Me too. Thanks.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Another Francis Wolff photo of Jimmy at work... actually the cover shot from the Mosaic set.

[Jim Alfredson]

So no reports in the media yet? Doesn't surprise me. He never got his due. He single handedly redefined the instrument and the music, not unlike Bird, but who cares?

I'm glad we have a little refuge here to honor him. I was just thinking the other day when reading the Wayne Shorter biography thread that someone should get a hold of Jimmy Smith and start a biography of him. Too late now.

RIP Jimmy Smith... the reason why I play the instrument and the music I play.

[Jim Alfredson]

This is the best confirmation we're going to get right now:

http://doodlinlounge.com/news.html

I emailed Pete about this last night but he didn't email me back. He was probably very busy with his show.

[AfricaBrass]

Thank you, Jimmy Smith for all the great music you brought us!

I hope you're looking down on all of us as we're playing your music and remembering you.

I can just see the jam session happening on the other side. I hear they're still making B3's over there.

[Rooster_Ties]

This is the best confirmation we're going to get right now:

http://doodlinlounge.com/news.html

I emailed Pete about this last night but he didn't email me back. He was probably very busy with his show.

Fixed the link: http://doodlinlounge.com/news.html

[Joe G]

He did get some props before checking out, at least..

He was honored as an American Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts just a few weeks ago. This must have given him a further sense of fulfillment...for it surely represented some long over due respect and acknowledgment from the music community and industry which, historically, have been blase about Jazz Organ in general.

[maren]

RIP, and thanks...

[ghost of miles]

Man, what a bummer... I've been off the Net and away from media for the past 15 hours (not that being away from media seems to matter ). Saw the headline about the memorial broadcast in the jazz radio forum and thought, "No, can't be..."

Keep cookin', Jimmy. Your records sure will...

[Dan Gould]

I think its a great idea to honor Jimmy by changing avatars to fave Smith albums. Its nice to see different albums, one after the other, all featuring this master musician and organ giant.