Kevin Whitehead

Organist Jimmy Smith in crisp, bluesy, cooking default mode on 1964's The Cat.

In the 60s, Smith and big bands often squared off as evenly matched sparring partners.

In the 1950s, Smith had reinvented jazz organ, becoming the most imitated organist since Bach.

An early inspiration was Wild Bill Davis, who played a blurrier version of the big band-style shout choruses Smith would later tighten up.

Here's Wild Bill in 1950.

Wild Bill Davis.

Jimmy Smith could sound much like that early on when he first switched over to organ from piano.

But from his first sessions as leader in 1956, his mature concept was there.

The three-piece band with guitar, the deep bluesiness and swing feel, the earthy licks and heavy complications, and the clean and dirty colors he'd draw from the Hammond B-3 organ's tone controls.

And while his hands kept busy with all that, his left foot tapped out bass lines on a pedalboard as his right foot controlled the volume.

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.