It is a very sad day. Jimmy Smith, master of the Hammond B3 passed away yesterday at his home in Phoenix. He was 79 years old. Jimmy was on tour with Joey DeFranscesco and was found at his home on Tuesday by his manager.

My Dad turned me on to Jimmy Smith when I was very young. There are many great B3 players out there, but the soul in which Jimmy imparted in his playing has never been equaled. By listening to his records, he taught me how to swing, improvise and comp like no other teacher I have ever had.

RIP, Mr. Smith. God Bless.

Dave McMahan


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Wm. David McMahan
Nat'l Product and Support Manager
Generalmusic USA

Monster player. He REinvented the B3, and made us ALL want to get "that sound".
God Speed, Jimmy!

...well put U.D.
So long Mr.Smith...and Thanx

No doubt he's now fronting a choir of angels ... I had the opportunity to hear him live around 1980 in a small room in a Chicago hotel ... It was during the jazz festival ... I think I paid a $3 cover charge .... $3 ?!?!?!? ...
t.

Jimmy,

Rest in peace I can still hear the first
track I ever experienced "Night In Tunisa"

Awesome

Barry

"Dynamic Duo", by Jimmy Smith and Wes Montgomery is one of my all-time favorite recordings I wore out 6 or 7 of them before I got a CD.

Saw Jimmy several times at the WNOP jazz fest in Cincinnati. He not only had that great left hand, but was an extremely tasteful ballad player, playing beautiful chord inversions and pedals. Saw him with Clark Terry. What a delight.

Learned left handed bass by listening to him, and still play selections from "Dynamic Duo" whenever I play my B-3.

He was a real inspiration.

Russ

Oh my, THE MAN is gone.

Like many of the other people here, Mr. Smith was the man who stood me on my ear all those years ago. The first album I ever bought was Walk on the Wild Side and I still play it to this day.

So definitely one of a kind - the heavens will be swinging tonight.

I was 15 when I first saw Jimmy Smith play live. My Mom and Dad took me to a jazz club in Cincinnati and it was incredible.

Then I went to see him play at the WBLZ Jazz Festival at the Coliseum in Cincinnati. Anyone familiar with that festival knows that the term jazz is used very loosely at that festival. Jimmy was really the only jazz musician appearing. He opened the festival and I think just me and a handful of others were the only ones paying any attention to him. What a shame.

Dave

As with the passing of Ray Charles and so many others, thank goodness for the many recordings... allowing for their musical enjoyment and inspiration to live on.

First song I heard him do was Summertime, back in the 60's. Fantastic talent.
DonM