Jimmie Smith

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jimmie Smith
Born (1938-01-27) January 27, 1938 (age 86)
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
GenresJazz
InstrumentsDrums

James Howard Smith (born January 27, 1938) is an American jazz drummer.

Early life and education[edit]

The cousin of Larry Young,[1] Smith was born in Newark, New Jersey. He studied at the Al Germansky School for Drummers from 1951 to 1954 and the Juilliard School in 1959 and 1960.

Career[edit]

Smith began his professional career in New York City around 1960.

In the 1960s, he played with Jimmy Forrest (1960), Larry Young (1960–62), Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross (1962–63), Pony Poindexter (1963), Jimmy Witherspoon (1963), Gildo Mahones (1963), Jimmy McGriff (1963–65), and Groove Holmes (1965).

From 1967 to 1974 he played with Erroll Garner before moving to California around 1975. He then played with: Benny Carter (1975, 1978, 1985), Sonny Criss (1975), Bill Henderson (1975, 1979), Hank Jones (1976), Ernestine Anderson (1976, 1986), Plas Johnson (1976), Phineas Newborn, Jr. (1976), Harry Edison (1976–78, with Eddie Lockjaw Davis and Zoot Sims), Lorez Alexandria (1977–78), Tommy Flanagan (1978), Terry Gibbs (1978, 1981), Bob Cooper (1979), Marshal Royal (1980), Great Guitars (1980), Barney Kessel (1981), Herb Ellis (1981), Buddy DeFranco (1981), Al Cohn (1983), Red Holloway (1987), and Dave McKenna (1988). In 1993, he toured Japan with Jimmy Smith and Kenny Burrell.

In 1977, Smith performed at the Montreux International Jazz Festival with Oscar Peterson, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Ray Brown, Benny Carter, Miles Davis, Milt Jackson, Dizzy Gillespie, and Count Basie.

Discography[edit]

With Ernestine Anderson

  • Hello Like Before (Concord, 1977)
  • Be Mine Tonight (Concord, 1987)

With Kenny Burrell

With Benny Carter

With Sonny Criss

With Harry Edison

With Tommy Flanagan

With Jimmy Forrest

With Dizzy Gillespie

With Richard "Groove" Holmes

With Milt Jackson

With Etta Jones

With Hank Jones

With Barney Kessel

  • Jelly Beans (Concord, 1981)

With Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan

With Gildo Mahones

With Jimmy McGriff

With Phineas Newborn, Jr.

With Pony Poindexter

With Jimmy Witherspoon

With Larry Young

References[edit]

  1. ^ Original linear notes from Larry Young's Groove Street
  • Chris Sheridan, "Jimmie Smith". Grove Jazz online.