Jimmie Smith

James Howard Smith (born January 27, 1938, Newark, New Jersey) is an American jazz drummer. Smith studied at the Al Germansky School for Drummers in his home town of Newark from 1951–54, then attended the Juilliard School in 1959–60. He began his professional career in New York City around this time.

In the 1960s he played with Jimmy Forrest (1960), Larry Young (1960–62), Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross (1962–63), Pony Poindexter (1963), Jimmy Witherspoon (1963), Gildo Mahones (1963), Jimmy McGriff (1963–65), and Groove Holmes (1965).

From 1967 to 1974 he played with Erroll Garner before moving to California around 1975. He then played with: Benny Carter (1975, 1978, 1985), Sonny Criss (1975), Bill Henderson (1975, 1979), Hank Jones (1976), Ernestine Anderson (1976, 1986), Plas Johnson (1976), Phineas Newborn, Jr. (1976), Harry Edison (1976–78, with Eddie Lockjaw Davis and Zoot Sims), Lorez Alexandria (1977–78), Tommy Flanagan (1978), Terry Gibbs (1978, 1981), Bob Cooper (1979), Marshal Royal (1980), Great Guitars (1980), Barney Kessel (1981), Herb Ellis (1981), Buddy DeFranco (1981), Al Cohn (1983), Red Holloway (1987), and Dave McKenna (1988). In 1993, he toured Japan with Jimmy Smith and Kenny Burrell.

One of Smith's most noted collaborations took place at the Montreux International Jazz Festival in 1977, where he played with Oscar Peterson, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Ray Brown, Benny Carter, Miles Davis, Milt Jackson, Dizzy Gillespie, and Count Basie.

Discography

With Ernestine Anderson

• Hello Like Before (Concord, 1977)
• Be Mine Tonight (Concord, 1987)

With Kenny Burrell

• Ellington Is Forever (Fantasy, 1975)
• Ellington Is Forever Volume Two (Fantasy, 1975)

With Benny Carter

• Benny Carter 4: Montreux '77 (Pablo Live, 1977)
• A Gentleman and His Music (Concord, 1985)

With Sonny Criss

• Crisscraft (Muse, 1975)
• Out of Nowhere (Muse, 1976)

With Harry Edison

• Edison's Lights (Pablo, 1976)
• Simply Sweets (Pablo, 1978) with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
• Just Friends (Pablo, 1978 [1980]) with Zoot Sims

With Tommy Flanagan

• Something Borrowed, Something Blue (Galaxy, 1978)

With Jimmy Forrest

• Forrest Fire (New Jazz, 1960)

With Dizzy Gillespie

• Dizzy Gillespie Jam (Pablo, 1977)

With Richard "Groove" Holmes

• Soul Message (Prestige, 1965)
• Misty (Prestige, 1965)

With Milt Jackson

• Feelings (Pablo, 1976)

With Etta Jones

• Love Shout (Prestige, 1963)

With Hank Jones

• Jones-Brown-Smith (Concord Jazz, 1976) with Ray Brown

With Barney Kessel

• Jelly Beans (Concord, 1981)

With Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan

• Havin' a Ball at the Village Gate (RCA, 1963)
• At Newport '63 (RCA, 1963)

With Gildo Mahones

• I'm Shooting High (Prestige, 1963)
• The Great Gildo (Prestige, 1964)

With Jimmy McGriff

• Jimmy McGriff at the Organ (Sue, 1964)
• Blues for Mister Jimmy (Sue, 1965)

With Phineas Newborn, Jr.

• Look Out - Phineas Is Back! (Pablo, 1976 [1978])

With Pony Poindexter

• Pony Poindexter Plays the Big Ones (New Jazz, 1963)
• Gumbo! (Prestige, 1963) with Booker Ervin

With Jimmy Witherspoon

• Baby, Baby, Baby (Prestige, 1963)

With Larry Young

• Testifying (New Jazz, 1960)
• Young Blues (New Jazz, 1960)
• Groove Street (Prestige, 1962)

References

• Chris Sheridan, "Jimmie Smith". Grove Jazz online.