Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Jimmie Smith was born James Howard Smith on January 27, 1938 in Newark, New Jersey and studied drums at the Al Germansky School for Drummers from 1951 – ’54. This was followed by attendance at the Julliard School in 1959.

Smith began his professional career in New York around this time playing through the Sixties with Jimmy Forrest, Larry Young, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Pony Poindexter, Jimmy Witherspoon, Gildo Mahones, Jimmy McGriff and Groove Holmes and ultimately playing with Erroll Garner until 1975 when he moved to California.

His West Coast years saw Jimmie performing and recording into the 90s with a who’s who list such as Sonny Criss, Bill Henderson, Ernestine Anderson, Phineas Newborn, Barney Kessell, Herb Ellis and Al Cohn to name a few. He would tour Japan with Hammond B3 organist Jimmy Smith and guitarist Kenny Burrell in 1993.

One of drummer Jimmie Smith’s most noted collaborations took place at the Montreux International Jazz Festival in 1977, where he played with Benny Carter, Miles Davis, Milt Jackson, Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie. As a leader he recorded “From The Heart” for the Tokyo Sound City label and “Rockin’ In Rhythm” with Ray Brown and Hank Jones for Concord.

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