Jimmie Smith

James Howard " Jimmie " Smith ( born January 27, 1938 in Newark, New Jersey ) is an American drummer of swing and mainstream jazz.

" Jimmie " Smith studied from 1951 to 1954 in Al Germanskys Drum School in Newark, from 1959 to 1960 at the Juilliard School. Around this time he began his career in New York as a professional musician. Around 1960, he worked on Larry Young's debut album Testifying and played until 1962 in his band; in the 1960s he also worked with Jimmy Forrest in 1960, Lambert, Hendricks and Ross 1962/63, with whom he also appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival, with Pony Poindexter in 1963, Jimmy Witherspoon in 1963, Gildo Mahones 1963, Jimmy McGriff 1963 - 65, and Richard " Groove" Holmes 1965.

From 1967 to 1974 he played in Erroll Garner's band; then he moved to California. There he worked with Sonny Criss and several times with Benny Carter, whom he accompanied on the Montreux Jazz Festival. He was then involved in several jam sessions with Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Eddie Lockjaw Davis and Milt Jackson in various formations.

Mid-1970s, Smith acted mainly as a session musician in the environment of mainstream jazz label Concord, where he and a with Hank Jones in 1976, Ernestine Anderson in 1976 and 1986, Plas Johnson worked in 1976. He was also involved in 1988 in this time of shots of Phineas Newborn in 1976, Sweets Edison 1976-78, Tommy Flanagan 1978, 1981 Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis, 1981 Buddy DeFranco 1981, Al Cohn 1983, Red Holloway in 1987 and Dave McKenna. In 1993 he went with organist Jimmy Smith and Kenny Burrell on a tour of Japan.