Blue Note and Verve recording artist who basically invented the "organ group" jazz trio sound. He took the standard
Hammond B-3 organ from being a minor jazz instrument to the foreground of that time's jazz scene. Hs first recording were for the venerable
Blue Note Records in 1956. He jumped labels to
Verve Recors in 1962, and his music from that time is documented on a recently released
Ultimate Jimmy Smith compilation.
Some have described Smith's tunes as cliched. They may sound that way today, but that's because every organ player since Jimmy Smith has basically copped his riffs. It's kind of like saying that Edgar Allen Poe's mysteries are cliched, which today they are, but when you invent the genre well ppl are gonna copy.
Verve Discography
- Angel Eyes
- Any Number Can Win
- Bashin'
- The Cat
- Compact Jazz (compilation)
- Damn!
- The Dynamic Duo (with Wes Montgomery)
- Further Adventures of Jimmy and Wes
- Got My Mojo Workin' -- Hoochie Coochie Man
- Jazz Masters 29
- Organ Grinder Swing
- Talkin' Verve: Roots of Acid Jazz (compilation)
- Walk on the Wild Side: Best of the Verve Years (2 CD compilation)