Please "Like" "Comment" and "Subscribe" to videos you view on the Jazz Video Guy channel. Bret Primack recalls a unique encounter with the great Jazz organist Jimmy Smith.
Thank you Bret for posting this... Allow me to say this: You missed Lola's hint. Jimmy loved Westerns - had you begun your interview with a question about Lash Larue or Tex Ritter, you would have had Jimmy in the palm of your hand. I use to begin my conversations with him by asking him about a big boxing match or if he had ever eaten a particular Italian dish. Jimmy hated questions about his music. Believe it or not he had a soft side but it was difficult for most to elicit.
I played bass with Jimmy Smith in 2002 and I must say he was a card! The funniest musician that I have ever know. It wasn'd just alcohol,Jimmy was a diabetic & a frequent drug user if someone offered it to him. He was the biggest practical joker ever. I don't know if anyone other than his immediate family knows this, jimmy has played for a Seventh Day Adventist church once, he said that he eventually was fired for playing to many notes all of the time, lol!
Big Jimmy fan here. At first I laughed, then I laughed again, even harder! Then some feelings for Mr Primack and his attempt to do a "professional" interview. I love the writing that accompanies many of the old recordings and so view them as very useful, informative and sometimes entertaining. This is the type of content Mr Primack was trying to get from Jimmy for the Verve set. Then I thought of the relationship many of the Jazz greats had with their record labels, touring management etc. Not pretty and Jimmy has been recording since the 50's (possibly 49?), so I am sure he has experienced much of the exploitation and plain theft of his work. Maybe that was part of the anger or was it just that he liked a drink, westerns, hot sauce and being a grump. Bottom line is that I am still laughing at this little gem of insight into someone who I have seen live twice (likes to grunt and curse on stage between and during tunes) and have loads of albums. Thanks for this Mr Primack!
Pete and Bret, I must say that my one encounter with Jimmy Smith was quite pleasant. I saw him at a supper club in Atlanta I think in 1995. Lola was with him. His drummer asked me to never mention Joey's name when they allowed me to talk to him after dinner which was in between sets. He was quite kind to me and after I showed him discs of Groove Holmes, Shirley Scott , Don Patterson and Jimmy McGriff, he said "these all were my students". He took the time to sign all of my Jimmy Smith discs.
Saw Jimmy Smith, Play his on his first U.K. tour : Free Trade Hall, Manchester, ( appx 1966 ) Recall Thelonious Monk, was other half of concert. First came across Jimmy, ( through a Manchester, friend of mine.( 1960 ) Peace to all !!
True that sometimes you just separate the people from the art. Fortunately, I have met many of the greatest Masters of jazz music, and I would say 99% of the time, they were warm and kind because as a young man I would approach them respectfully and back off if they needed some space. J. DeJohnette was ice cold to me even though I was helping him carry some heavy equipment to the stage door and did not bombard him with any questions. But the vast majority of brilliant jazz musicians were very interesting and nice meeting them, fortunately.
Fascinating history - thanks! Stuff like this really adds some depth to the saccharine , two-dimensional world by which we usually perceive those musical giants.
What a wonderful lesson I learned today from you about learning to separate the THE MUSIC from the PERSON. Thank you for that wonderful little gem. That is good advice.
A great video! I have heard MANY Jimmy Smith stories, From Jazz musicians, they say the exact same damned thing, about Jimmy. A Great legendary musician, but an angry, crazy, pissy old man. I saw him once, in person, at a show. He was pissy that night, too.
I was a resident of Holland in the years 1968-74....in that time, I believe it was 72, Jimmy Smith played a concert in Rotterdam which I attended.... Illinois Jacquet and dear friend Clark Terry were in the band (I played 1st trombone in Clark's first big band at the Half Note in 1967) Early on, it was obvious that Jimmy was 'bombed!' He was very abusive towards the audience..and then began to get on the musicians! The next thing that happened was the musicians left the stage...
So funny. I just had the thought to try to find an interview with Jimmy Smith. I figured he was a complicated character. Thanks for making this. Comments are gold
I saw Jimmy Smith twice.The first time was beautiful.the second time he got mad about a spotlight and then at the audience-not the most inspiring evening I ever had.
Thanks. You introduced me to that word "Meshugganah". Whenever I hear JS I think of this interview. I guess he was a bit intense, eh? As a journalist, I understand what you were facing. As a retired, amateur musician, I try to only play with people I can get along with. Who needs that sh*t. That being said, he selected some great people to play with. Wes and Eddie MacFadden come to mind.
Bret, I found my Jimmy Smith album from the 70's and almost threw it out after listening to this/your video.....but decided to keep it because because what his fingers say are too good.
Im kind of disappointed and frankly shocked at Jimmy's behavior here,,,I alway thought his music was great and he was a happy guy as he was always looked so happy on his album covers.People have moods,,,,and sometimes peoples personalities change for the worse after a few drinks.I love Jimmy ,his amazing playing and timeless recording and always wikk but I am greatly saddened by this kind of behavior.I will say I saw Jimmy at his club in Los Angeles and everything was cool,it was a great set and I recall this woman ,Jimmys wife Lola handing out hand percussion instruments like tamborines ,maracas, and claves to the audience to jam along with ,and everybody had a great time.I had never seen anything like that in any club situation.Thats why this bad interview with Jimmy just blows my mind.
I saw Jimmy Smith at the Royal Festival Hall in London in the 60s and loved the way he opened the gig. It was 7:30pm and the house lights were still on and people still milling about trying to find their seats. On walks Jimmy on his own and sits down at the Hammond and switches it on, with people assuming he was a roadie or house technician. Then immediately after switching on, he burst into some loud and fast playing that took everyone by surprise. He got a big round of applause as soon as the audience realised he was who they paid to watch and the straglers quickly got to their seats. He played for about three minutes before the drummer and guitarist joined him on stage. An amazing night.
Meshugganah?? Oye!! Hard to believe they would do it to you, a member of the media and all. I went to a Jimmie Smith concert in a club a long time ago and jimmie got up to play. Only thing no band and no B3. Thats what we came to hear, his B3. He proceeded to play solo piano in the style of McCoy Tyner??Was great but was expecting some organ trio stuff. He then told us about his next gig in NY..said it didnt pay much but they had great Italian food. Jimmie was shall we say very "happy" that night. Maybe hes bi-polar. Lots of jazz guys are.
i saw Jimmy Smith when he he was the opening of the dc club and he played 6 songs. i felt cheated but he signed 2 of my CD's while we shared a smoke outside during intermission. I love liner notes and feel sorry for the writers, but to be fair these guys were savants and like others have posted here: recorded for peanuts they got paid for recording they had made. Its a cylical story of black america being abused for the work they actually did.
I caught Jimmy at an afternoon session in the mid-nineties at Jazz Showcase, Chicago. It was a local rhythm section (no slouches, renowned players in Chicago area). I ran down in the elevator with him at break time, and all he did was trash the lousy musicians he'd been given--meanwhile bouncing around in the elevator like a little kid. Not the personification of cool gentility. And in his last recorded live sessions he was rushing his tempos to a point that Grady Tate couldn't hold him back with an iron gate. Maybe alcohol was the wrong drug.
I saw Jimmy Smith live once. He was hostile and insulting towards the audience, so this video does not come as a huge surprise to me. Still, he was one hell of an organist and I will always be in awe of his talent as a musician.
I don't think it was really racism, just eccentricity and drug abuse by Jimmy Smith. Smith had a reputation for fairly heavy drug use and was known to be eccentric. When I was a (white) teenager I worked or sat in with lots of black musicians, some quite well known like Groove Holmes and Lou Donaldson to name a couple, and some had an attitude but not one was mean. When I was invited to sit in with Lou he said "cornball!" real loud over the mike as he invited me up. I just laughed. Nobody was gonna take my chance away to play with Lou! Those guys endured a lot of racism in those days and they still do. But I hear Jimmy was pretty eccentric.
When I called Jack McDuff about this he was quite surprised as he had just been cussed out my Jimmy Smith at a dual session in New York. Joey said that the presence of Lola was the reason that he was nice to me. Mel Rhyne intimated his personal dislike for Jimmy Smith since he said on more the one occasion Smith literally kicked him off his own gigs with Wes Montgomery and played the sets. He said that Jimmy was so ignorant! Your story rings true but I wish it didn't.
Great! I love this. I’m not good enough to ever do anything close to what Jimmy Smith could do on the organ but I try daily to work toward it. Though I’m not so sure I’m glad to know that he was a real person with real problems and a raspy voice. It makes that achievement so much daunting knowing mere mortals can actually do it. …After typing this I’m thinking maybe it’s a good thing that mere mortals can actually do it. Thank you for this. (is it weird to comment on a video that’s 10 years old?)
Great story, Bret. It's funny hearing you tell it now but I'm guessing that when you were laughing at Jimmy's "sandwich" comment, that your laughter was a bit nervous. I know my laughter would have been in that kind of situation. Anyway, as always, thanks for all that you do.
Hey Brett, thanks for posting this! It's kind of a shame there is no written autobiography of Jimmy Smith out there, or no journalist has even begun writing one. ( how bout it Brett ;-) )
and it wasn't just the alcohol either!! interesting story and pretty typical Jimmy Smith. I remember seeing him perform and it was like something akin to a "porno" show. he could be really obscene. he had a lot of problems. sad.
Wow.What an interesfing story.I listen to Jimmy Smith a lot..I always thought of him as a upbeat guy with a big smile o. his face as hes depicted on his album covers.Yes you have to seperate the man from the music.
Are you actually saying interviewing Jimmy Smith was weirder than interviewing Dr. Lonnie? As a former B3 player I find that difficult to grok... OTOH, When I was playing Rhodes/synth with Willie Bobo, Jimmy came to the gig. Willie introduced me to Jimmy, who just growled, "Another one, " and turned away, so i guess he was REALLY just pissed at Joey D!
@@JazzVideoGuy I Deal with the "Good" Jimmy at the "Old" Yoshi's and a club in Oakland called the Bird Kage and the "Bad" Jimmy (racially motivated Cussing the audience out) at the "New" Yoshi's. The Theater Organist George Wright was also notorious for his personality swings.
@@craigbrowning9448 I have mentioned this all over YT...organists (especially theater ones) have mental disorders. In those days, it wasn't really known (like today). George Wright and his bff, Donald Leslie were assholes. It shows in their music. I could say ADHD, bipolar...some shit like that.
Saw him twice. First time. Walked up to me on break and looking at the pretty girl I was with and proceeded to tell me he was a genius. I agreed . Second time after I had left a crazy bad performance where he was doing exactly what you said from the stage... He approached me and an inch from my face yelled " What you lookin at?"
Great story. Thank you. I saw Jimmy Smith perform at the Colonial Tavern on Yonge St. in Toronto in the early seventies. Sipping my one-drink minimum I watched him slug a white guy, knocking him off the riser backwards and to the floor. This audience member had the audacity to approach him on stage while he warmed up for his set, probably wanting an autograph or something. I watched them talk for a bit and all of sudden the white guy was flying in the air. But the music was great. I knew well enough to stay away, afterwards.
Great stuff Bret! There needs to be more anecdotal material available with so many of the great ones gone. By the way, I really enjoyed your work with Duffy Jackson. I use to see Duffy and Chubby all the time in Miami, back in the 70's. It's 's good to see that he's still playing. Keep the films coming! They're historically valuable and highly entertaining.
You’re more than a man for that than Jimmy Smith ever was treating you in that way and I’ve been a Jimmy Smith fan from the Sixties, my first Jazz record was organ grinder swing.
Sad story for Jimmy Smith fans. I've always put the man on a pedestal as one of the most fantastic musicians of all time. But his personal character and life is obviously something that needs to be separated from the music, as you have pointed out.
Sure, Jimmy was talented but that doesn't mean he was a nice guy. Buddy Rich was an asshole but a great talent. Brett Primack is a great writer and did a great series on Ray Charles. Pretty stupid comment.
jimmy was a real fucking peach . explains the sheer terror in the eyes of the guys who played with him. fuck. he probably didnt have a friend in the world other than lola. and yet people talk about miles being touchy..
This is a wonderful video. We need to get over the taboo of racial division because it's there. If we keep avoiding it and pretending like it's not there then we can't address the problems in our society. The only thing Mr. Primack is doing is telling a true story. Lighten up a little bit. It's 2013. Haha, no offense is meant towards you wel722. I don't want you to think that I'm trying to demean you. I understand that this particular topic is sensitive but it's good that he talked about it.
''black and white ribs''?? 😂 what a great title for a tune ....though I don't know the meaning of ''Meshugganah'' but I guess this video kinda describe the Smith way . In the 70' a friend and I met him in Montreal at the Esquire show bar and before the set we introduced and chit chat a bit I guess Jimmy was in a good mood at this times and my friend was a jazz organist too and both of them started to talk music and beleive it or not Jimmy asked my friend to go on stage and play something for him and of course it did not happen. My friend said to me '' are you crazy me playing for JS ? .............our favorite JS all time album.....The cat
This is a perfect example of someone who was a total genius that could act like an asshole and often did by many accounts. I couldn't have exercised the restraint Brett did.
@@JazzVideoGuy Ha! I'm glad you did! Rightfully so! They should've added a "taking Jimmy Smith's B.S." increased amount, adjustment differential! :) Great story, thanks for sharing and all that you do.
You've got a great attitude. I get it about that 'Jekyl and Hyde' situation; booze can be a disease, it is to some. I'm a 60's child; have been fortunate to know many from Jimmy's day without any issue on race, some with. Thanks for the history.
That's right-separate the personality from the music. Smith was probably doing coke right up to the end anyway, that's what I heard from his last trip to Australia anyway.
How frustrating it must be, to be brilliant, a hard worker but not look like everyone else. It might even drive some people crazy or make some turn to alcohol and/or drugs.
Hi Bret, thanks for sharing this interview. I must ask you, you used the word ' bitter people' ? Perhaps ' troubled people' is more correct in this case ? I mean we can't take the American racial dynamic cause 'n' effect out of Jazz as it's a major part of it - that I'm sure you are aware of. Perhaps tell some stories re jazz about the world that created anger towards to other races perhaps, in a purely cultural/educational way ? Regards.
What a review. So no one would ever view this had it not been for the mention of Jimmy Smith, the interviewer should be glad Smith took time to talk with him. BTW this was all a paraphrased recollection. So Idiol worship stops with the reality check.
