Jimmy Smith

Once described as an “excitement merchant” for his soul-stirring sound, Jimmy Smith brought the Hammond B-3 organ to the forefront of the jazz community. The virtuosic keyboard man was the first to use the unwieldy instrument extensively in jazz, leading bassless trios, fronting powerful big bands and pioneering a path for every organist who followed. As part of the Peabody Award-winning documentary series “Jazz Profiles,” this episode about Jimmy Smith was produced in 1998 by Njemile C. Jo...