Kevin Whitehead

His 1956 blue note sides were an instant sensation.

In no time, his bass camp Philadelphia was rife with new style organ players like Shirley Scott, Charles Erland, Groove Holmes, and Jimmy McGriff.

Smith taught a few of them, including Joey DeFrancesco later.

Soon there were organ rooms everywhere.

Setting the style one more way, Jimmy Smith manipulated the foot pedals and tone controls to give each note a percussive attack, in effect making organ a percussion instrument.

he'd drum on a single key or two to make the point.

An electric organ keyboard has easier action than piano, so Smith could really get around.

But that percussive attack made hitting the keys sound like work, making his fastest playing seem even more superhuman.

Jimmy Smith's insane 1957 variations on Body and Soul look ahead a decade to Sun Ra's interstellar organ solos.

Jimmy Smith might pepper his LPs with bewhiskered oldies like Yes Sir, That's My Baby and Swanee.

But in the 1960s, like other jazz stars, he hoped to connect with younger rock record buyers.

Smith was better positioned to cross over than most with electric guitar and drums for a band and plenty of boogieing momentum on his own electric acts.

You can bet rock organists checked him out.

Jimmy Smith on Oliver Nelson's 1966 version of Peter and the Wolf, one of a few good albums the arranger and organist made together, one with Wes Montgomery on guitar.

In search of radio gold, Jimmy Smith stepped out as a singer on a 1968 session.

Janizer's aiming for youth dollars didn't always hit the mark, but his playing was still on the money.

Then portable keyboard synthesizers came along, and groovy Hammond B3 organs suddenly sounded old hat.

From the 1970s on, jazz organ groups would go out of and come back into fashion, and Jimmy Smith's career had its corresponding downs and ups.

He'd spawned so many admirers, it could be hard to hear him with fresh ears.

But Jimmy Smith always delivered the goods, even as the beats behind him changed, and he always displayed what I think of as outlandish good taste.