Jazz

Jimmy Smith and His Hammond B-3 Organ Bridged Blues and Jazz

Jazz/blues organist Jimmy Smith was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, in 1925 or 1928 — there is some uncertainty on the date. He was able to put instrumental albums in the Billboard charts, a feat that Wikipedia called “a rare distinction.” He also is credited with creating a link between jazz and soul by use of the Hammond B-3 organ.

The items on the Web about Smith talk about the B-3 as much as about him. The story, as told by Smith via Jazzateria, is that he started on piano and decided to switch to the organ. He bought a B 3 – which is said to be an exceedingly difficult instrument to figure out, much less play – with the “help” of a loan shark. He kept it in a warehouse where he and his dad worked as plasterers. When he was not doing that, Smith was trying to figure out how to play the instrument.

He practiced for between six months and a year and, then, emerged and changed jazz. The Jazzateria bio, which was written by Pete Fallico, quotes Smith giving credit to two great jazz organists who preceded him: Wild Bill Davis and Bill Doggett. That is followed by a fairly technical discussion of how Smith achieved his unique sound. Suffice it to say that the Hammond B-3 is a monster.

Smith is quoted as saying that his style is more modeled after horn players than pianists. Mark Deming at AllMusic characterizes his tone as “rich and grooving.”

Above is “The Sermon” and below is “The Jumpin’ Blues,” featuring Kenny Burrell, Stanley Turrentine and Grady Tate.

Wikipedia, AllMusic and Jazzateria were used to write this post. 

Our New Things: Links to Music Sites and Info on Analog Tech and Vinyl

TDMB has focused on music and musicians. We will continue to do that, of course. We're also expanding our coverage to include vinyl and analog equipment.

More specifically, we'll look at this huge and interesting world from the perspective of music lovers who want a better experience, not committed non-audiophiles.

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--A Tribe Called Quest to The Dick Hyman Trio (In other words, A to H)

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Reading Music

The stories of the great bands and musicians are fascinating. Musicians as a group are brilliant, but often troubled. The combination of creativity and drama makes for great reading.

Here are some books to check out.

Duke Ellington brought class, sophistication and style to jazz which, until that point, was proudly unpolished and raucous. His story is profound. The author, Terry Teachout, also wrote "Pops," the acclaimed bio of Louis Armstrong. Click here or on the image.

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What else is there to say? Here is the story behind every song written by The Beatles. Click here or on the image.

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The Grateful Dead don't get enough credit for the profound nature of its lyrics. Many of the band's songs are driven by a deep and literate Americana ("I'm Uncle Sam/That's who I am/Been hidin' out/In a rock and roll band" and "Majordomo Billy Bojangles/Sit down and have a drink with me/What's this about Alabama/Keeps comin' back to me?").

David Dodd's exhaustive study tells the story, song by song. Click here or on the image.

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