Doggedly searching for the crux of the biscuit.
Given that its golden age was four to five decades ago, the steady drumbeat of obituaries for legendary jazzmen is hardly surprising, and the ones leaving now are doing so after long, full lives, but it still makes me sad. Jimmy Smith was the Hammond Organ. Few performers have ever so thoroughly defined their specific instrument and he changed the sound of jazz and rock as much as anybody in the profession.
TrackBackJimmy was amazing. The world is worse without him. I'm listening to "The Sermon" right now.
Posted by: Jake at February 10, 2005 03:22 PMThe wizard of the B3, which he introduced to the world of jazz.
He was the leader that introduced the use of the instrument to popular music genres and moved it beyond the sports stadium.
Posted by: Bryan at February 10, 2005 04:06 PMSmith did what nobody else could... took the B3 from cornball to cool. I've probably listened to "The Sermon" a thousand times, and am still hearing new things in it.
A friend of mine used to collect the collaborative albums of Smith and guitarist Wes Montgomery. Highly recommended listening.
Posted by: Charlie at February 10, 2005 09:52 PM