Jimmy Smith - Up Tempo Blues (1964)

[treblemakerful]

In 1978, I learned how to play left hand bass lines by going to Jimmy's club in LA every day for 6 weeks. I am not an organist; I play piano and other keyboards. I learned how to swing by listening to the master. I have been playing key bass for the last 33 years. I'm not known to the the general public, but many musicians in the Southern California area who will read this know who I am. RIP, Jimmy Smith. I was the kid you laughed at when I sat in one night. You'd be proud of me today!!

[mickeymousebiker1]

KING TONE! Nothing out there today can get near this!

[cpayton314]

about 1:41-1:45; He leaves the planet! Almost 50 yrs ago. WOW! To the greatest oraganist to ever touch a B-3! Mr. Jimmy Smith!

[ribarraatx]

great stuff!! low down!!

[BluesRenegade]

This is really great playing and the smile on his face says it all. Thank you, Jimmy!!

[keithappleton]

Jimmy Smith inspired so many .............. !

[fyrcrack]

I learned to play bass by trying to copy Jimmy's foot pedal work when I was in high school. Damn, thumpin the bass pedals with his feet, rythm figures with his left hand and great solo work with his right. I could barely cop the bass lines!

[CadillacL]

Listen to that groove. They are tight!

[amplifiedsilence]

if the b3 were the world, jimmy smith would be its god.

[dannyman60001]

Jimmy Smith stood out but there many others like Groove Holmes and others that need to be remembered---they are the inspiration and "high water mark" of B3 GREATNESS!! Funky Blues/Jazz!!!!

[koonichy]

Jimmy was wonderful. There is another who is often overlooked....Groove Holmes.

[afterburner14]

Back in the early 60's, my dad would wake my brother and i up early on Saturday mornings to Jimmy Smith on the stereo.Im 62, and im still amazed at his playing. His bass line was so heavy. The one and only.

[lovejazz42]

This man is killing me!

There is no one like him!

[johnydeltablues]

DAMN!!!

[davisismail1comcast]

TALK ABOUT TICKLING THE IVORYS, DAMN.

[jplent]

Fabulous!

[Anon5K]

Jimmy Smith reigns Supreme!

He was shunned by the Apollo in the late 50's, due to personal issues that denied him a Caberet licence. His Jazz organ was unparraled. I was working at Birdland then for M&M Concessions, also the Embers, 5 Spot..........etc. The only ot;her Jazz artrist that ever cut through Jazz OD's was Max Roach.

[florafox]

i also liked the style of Quentin Warren. He was the guitarist on "crazy baby" fantastic playing !

[pascjen]

I love jimmy smith but I want to clarify that it did not play bass with the feet, There are also some jazz organist who uses them, apart Rhoda Scott and Barbara denerlein I ' not know in others. most of them are pianists and converted the bass with his left hand on the bottom of the organ keyboard.

[Gedacktpommer]

@pascjen Have a look at 1.23

[pascjen]

@pascjen sorry for my english i use a traslator ,my english is bad

[cgn49]

crazy

[Ouhconmerde]

On n'a jamais mieux swingué sur du blues que Jimmy Smith. Le rythme, la race, l'élégance, la virtuosité, le son...

[dreadtodred]

Jimmy was the King

[skaleewag]

WTF - cut short! - i was grooving on that fantastic sh**t.

Man you guys are wasting time talking sh**t!

[taildragger53]

Jimmy did alot of martial arts...i think he held several belts. He also said it helped him with him lightnin' speed. The guy was the best!

[waldo2384]

@taildragger53 The belts also helped a great deal with holding his pants up. If more kids studied martial arts today, maybe they wouldn't look like gangsters with their saggy pants and underwear showing.

[bobjazz11]

@waldo2384

:-D

[taildragger53]

@waldo2384 Back in the 1950s-1960s jazz artists looked COOL. The kids today look like gangsters to many..but to me, they look like f******* tramps! Hilarious ones as well. Al Capone, aha, now there was a gangster.

[rafalweb]

I'm trying to imagine how it would be if you put Jimmy Smith and Rhoda Scott in the same room with two Hammonds.........damn.

[mensportdnl]

thanks for posting!

[evensteve284]

SO GOOD! Its a shame that this vid is cut short. Whats up w/ that? Is there anymore of this? Wow. Thanks 4 posting.

[1245b]

Lol! Jimmy Smith was the best!!

[peppersax]

Sick, Sick, Sick!!! He's playing pedals, killer bass lines and a whole lot of shit in his right hand!  What more can you ask for? Jimmy Smith was the best on the B3......PERIOD!!!

[bopkick5]

forget da stealth bomber de B2 . The B3 is where its at people

[bluehazer]

@peppersax And who didn't copy him? And that famous 888000000 drawbar setting? Smith set the standard for everyone else to use.

[bobjazz11]

@bluehazer

....Larry Young .... Baby Face Willette....

:-)

Bob

[aliens563]

@peppersax He's not playing the pedals as a bass line hes just mucking around with them, look at his left hand

:-)

[peppersax]

@aliens563 You're right, but what he played with just one hand is more than 10 guys put together:)

[aliens563]

@peppersax Yes That very true I love jimmy smith he is an amazing hammad organ player, an inspiration to us all. Listen to his playing i wish i could do that :D

[peppersax]

@aliens563 Yea, the problem is that, we're just.............mortals LoL

[aliens563]

@peppersax Yeah that's true, just because there amazing at there instrument doesn't mean that they have to be 100% perfect at it and better than everyone else. :D Mozart wasn't immortal haha or Beethoven. But they were the best.

Anyway :P

[peppersax]

@aliens563  So true!!!

[TheTchikbaams]

@peppersax

I totally agree

[beatlesnecktie]

eso es jazz,improvisacion,no repaso de las lecciones en publico

[TheFsDesign]

Oh... awsome.. very very funny cool stuff!!

[kimsese]

holy shit!!

[flaminfedora]

jimmy smith is the definiton of excellence when it comes to throwin' down on the organ

[FunkySkunk90]

Ohhhh-some ;)

Greats From Germany :D

[zappr5]

Billy Hart, throwing gas on the fire! Wow!

[jsilence418]

Jimmy the genius ! thanks for posting .

[IRACEMABABU]

The guitar player looks like Charles De Gaulle in his early age ! Funny.

[Namsaj61]

Wow, Kenny Burrell with a Strat !!! He be playin' da devil's music on dat thang!

[runhometoyou]

Dayyyum!

[jameljay1]

sick runs man!!!! really sick runs!!! my goodness!!!

[bobgreen623]

most of you organ fans will know this already, but check out 'the other mighty jimmy', namely mr mcgriff, especially when he has hank crawford on board....

[danderegil]

Excelent tunee

Keep it up ;D

[Platano0587]

Now this kat is funky. ;-)

[JDHammondman]

what video/tv show is this from? I need to get it somehow

[ssminopoopy]

There are many wonderful B-3 players such as Monaco, DeFrancesco, Yahel, but brother, there was only one Jimmy Smith. Enough said!

[chalone2]

well said!!

[JColeM7785]

@ssminopoopy please dont' ever forget Earland!

[philjamel12000]

jimmy never evened out his plane...he just kept going higher and higher with his solos.....he never reached an altitude...if you listen he just kept going up and up with his solo...amazing!!!!!

[communistmusic]

i love the sound warren gets out of his strat, most strats don't sound like that, he has such a smooth buttery tone

[colrick1234]

An American Treasure !

[StarryNightBluesBand]

smokin jukin wowin me to new limits in the blue jazzy mind, oh my goodness, too much mastery here, absolutely foundational, phenomenal, intergalactic - blues form another planet i say - thank you mr. smith

[jazzifarian70]

Just excellent Bob! Thanks! Another affectionado, of Da Hammond, Love it Bro!

Best Onya for the holidays, you & yours.

Smokin Stuff. 5 smokin hot turkeys with stuffin;>)

[funkenstein83]

why did me and gcpezzi get negative feedback..what we said is true.

[JClore1950]

Thanks for posting more of this video. I'd only seen the first few seconds on prior postings. This video reflects a little of the power of the undisputed master of the jazz hammond B-3!!!

[funkenstein83]

he is clearly walking a bassline with his left hand...organists ussually use their feet to accent notes in a bassline.

[BuckshotLaFunke]

Man is moving his feet as well.

[buskerbuoy]

Is that Jimmy Smith rockin on in Eric Claptons' Crossroad Festival and in particular Doyle Brahmall 2's 'Green Light Girl'

[mudywaters1]

Hammond organ players use their feet to play the bass pedals. Left hand is used for chording.

[gcpezzi]

Actually... Thats not true in Jimmy Smith style.

The majority of jazz hammond players use their left hand to play the bassline. Feet are used to help the left hand to give an extra 'thumpf' in the bass note that the left hand just played. They use the bass pedals more like an percussion tool, not melodic.

Well, its true some organist do play the bass entirely with their feet (e.g. Barbara Dennerlein and Rhoda Scott).

But, anyways... Jimmy Smith bass was pretty left-hand based.

:)

[bobjazz11]

Well all I can say is that the guys I like use the feet mainly for playing the root or major voicing of a chord with the foot - and run the 'line' with their left hand. So I've given you +ve feedback.

:-)

Bob

[brondeye]

thanks for explaining the bass technique its been puzzlin me for a while! what about groove holmes ? his bass lines are amazing.

[gcpezzi]

Geez! Groove imho is 'the man' when it comes to organ basslines.

Gotta love it!

I just wish I could play like that... :)

[hugleberthumperdink]

@gcpezzi you should see Joey Defranceso man, saw him at Ronnie Scotts, he was treating the pedals like a treadmill, just tiptoing across the entire range whilst pulling off some of his classic screaming licks with that look of glee on his face. Simply astounding

[HighCrystal]

The bass line drives the music along brilliantly, yet if you watch his left hand it hardly moves. Genius.

[cboyproductions]

jazz on a strat! killer!!

[marianna1102]

This is a blues power.

[philjamel12000]

yo.... jimmy's hands are faaassssttttt!!!wow wow wow.... riffs are clean too....

[VanCephus]

I look forward to seeing the rest of this Blues. Thanx for posting.

[alucionante]

Hey man!!! Thanks a lot for that present. You must keep giving sweet presents like this to us... Thans again.