Jimmy Smith Documentary

Not long before Jimmy died I went to see him (again) at the Jazz Cafe in London. I was standing right at the front to watch his footwork. The stage was only about 2 feet high. After the first number, as the applause faded he looked down on me and said to me and my partner, who was treating me for my birthday, "Hey, you two little kids? " I looked around and indeed, the crowd behind us all seemed giants. I'm only 5 5 and gf 5 3. Quick as a flash I said, "Jimmy, I first saw you play the Hammond in 1966. I'm no kid. Thanks for the compliment." He grunted. "Where was that gig?" "Birmingham Town hall." " Bad sound." he said. Indeed, the guitar was miced through the pa. It was all out of balance. He remembered it too!.

I had taken organ lessons from age 9, but when I heard my first Jimmy Smith record I realized that the instrument was SO much different than I had imagined! He changed my life and I still have a Hammond B-3 in my man-cave, 50 years later. Greatest instrument ever made and its greatest player.

At a musical instrument industry show (NAMM) in Chicago in the mid-80s, I was among a cluster of fellow mid-20s keyboard players watching Jimmy demonstrate some German electric keyboard. He noticed us and when done playing he walked over and with a big smile shook hands with each of us. We were speechless. Still beaming he said, “So YOU’re the guys who’ve been stealing my licks!” We all laughed.

Fantastic musician love the Hammond

Great to see this back up on YT - but the original version was even longer - and included footage of Jimmy at home, listening to The Stones Satisfaction in his managers office - before recording it.. would love to see the entire thing again.. James Oscar Smith was the Baddest!

What year was this again? 1965? Jimmy was a force of nature like none other. This proves it. What soul and spirit , hardly ever seen in music.

I saw Jimmy perform several times from 1969 onwards. He was always transcendent

Thank you so very much for uploading this illuminating document.

Thanks. Awesome footage. Great to see the giants of jazz in footage.

A documentary by the great German filmmaker Klaus Wildenhahn ! Here we have an extract and mix from his two JS-films from 1965 and 1966.

I met the great JImmy Smith at the Vine Street Bar and Grill in Hollywood. He was very engaging and funny as hell.

I am so grateful to these guys. I learned to play listening to them. It's great to see dizzy and james moody. These guys have more soul than they can control. And who would want them to?

Fantastic Documentary! Thank you for putting this up

Has to be Jimmy's best ever trio.

Thank you..full doc..quality..love..a heart of soul xx

Love it! It’s the coolest to see these early sixties scenes, and the sounds! JST was awesome!

a 1a vez que o ouvi foi no rádio AM com "Walk on The Wild side". Aí passei a ter tds seus discos inclusive LPs. E o assisti Live em Sampa no Free Jazz Festival. Amém! Aplausos!

As a sometime rock fan, othertimes jazz fan, I can vouch that none of the rock world's organ players, no matter how good, had anything on JS. The man was a powerhouse.

I poured his coffee at Star Seeds Cafe a 24 hour place, adjacent to a Days Inn. Downtown Austin, Texas about Twenty something years ago when he played a 6th street club or there abouts. Many stars, their bands and Hollywood legends rolled in and out.

19:20 — Jimmy’s incredibly long, skinny fingers gave him a significant mechanical advantage when playing a B3. Unlike all electrified keyboards of the time — no digital instruments like synthesizers came along until the 80s — only the Hammond with its unique and patented tone wheel generators produced an actual analog sound. Its unique and naturalistic voice gave its player the ability to play effective legato solos, strings of single notes like a horn player, with an intrinsic “attack” that rivaled the tonality and percussive power of wind instruments. But it was not until a virtuoso like Jimmy came along and exploited its potential that the Hammond’s unique sound made it a fixture in recording studios around the world.