RIP Jimmy Smith

I didn’t discover Jimmy Smith until within the past year when I pulled out an old Blue Note Jazz Sampler that I had stashed away for years. Jimmy was a master of the Hammond B3 organ, and a pioneer of the organ as a jazz instrument. The sounds this man could put together are nothing short of amazing. I urge everyone to explore Jimmy’s music. Jimmy died on Wednesday at the age of 76 right down the road from me in Scottsdale, Arizona [NYT Obit].

Here’s one of Jimmy’s tunes from the early 70’s that absolutely COOKS…

Jimmy Smith – Sagg Shootin’ His Arrow – from ‘Root Down’, 1972, Verve – {Buy Jimmy Smith on Amazon}