On August 23, 2000, the Jimmy Smith Quartet performed at the Hollywood Bowl. This highly anticipated musical event was the first time in decades the guitar great Kenny Burrell and tenor sax giant Stanley Turrentine along with Smith performed together. Burrell, Turrentine and Smith had been big stars in their own right even before all three began playing on each other’s sessions back in the late 50’s.

The fourth member of the famous quartet was drummer Donald Bailey. He wasn’t on the bill as had been advertised. He was replaced by Harvey Mason who did a marvelous job holding everything together with a solid swinging groove. This particular last minute substitution took nothing away from a rather remarkable evening of music.

James Oscar Smith was born on December 8, 1925. Thirty years later and for the balance of his life the man known as the Incredible Jimmy Smith would become one of the most important, influential and revered musicians  in the second half of the Twentieth Century. He was a pioneer of the Hammond B3 Organ. Smith blended soul, gospel, funk and mostly blues with jazz. He made music that was that rarest of commodities; it was a favorite of both the music critics and the general public. Smith almost single handedly put the Hammond B3 Organ on the map.

The music of Jimmy Smith was given different labels including hard-bop, soul-jazz and acid-jazz. I think of it as simply Jimmy Smith music, as his particular style became kind of a template or at least the benchmark to which all B3 players could aspire. Smith combined a wonderful bluesy, greasy sound that had its roots in down home blues and its inspiration in the improvisational genius of many of the jazz musicians of the 1950s.  

He brought all of that history, along with some baggage which he left at home this evening, to meet up with two of the most accomplished musicians with whom he had been associated and with whom he had recorded extensively.

In addition, the nineteen piece Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra ("CHJO") opened up for and backed up the quartet at various times during the performances.

Chuck Niles the voice of jazz radio in Los Angeles for more than forty years was the evening’s MC. Under the spotlight and in black tie, Niles gave wonderful heartfelt and informative introductions to the quartet and the CHJO. He also gave a brief primer on the Hammond B3 Organ and Smith’s prominent place alongside that instrument in music history.

The CHJO was made up of first call L.A. jazz cats. They were: John Clayton, Jeff Hamilton, Jeff Clayton, Rickey Woodard, Charles Owens, Bill Cunliffe, Eugene "Snooky" Young, Keith Fiddmont, Lee Callet, Bijon Watson, Oscar Brashear, Bobby Rodriguez, Clay Jenkins, Ira Nepus, George Bohanon, Isaac Smith, Maurice Spears, Jim Hershman and Christopher Luty.

The CHJO warmed up the audience by lighting a fire under some rather languid pieces written by Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Kenny Burrell came up to the stage and fronted the band for a wonderful arrangement of the title track to his 1963 Blue Note album, Midnight Blue. Then Stanley Turrentine followed. The moment he stepped up to take his first solo and that instantly recognizable tone flowed out of his tenor, a woman in the box next to my party's let out a barely perceptible moan of ecstasy. Then Smith himself joined the ensemble.

By this time in his long career Smith had developed the reputation as an unreliable performer often showing up late for gigs, playing with less than adequate pick up bands and arguing with sound men as well as audience members. At times he would just “phone-in” the performance, disappointing fans that had come to expect the greatness that lies at the heart of this extraordinary musical visionary.

Any concerns along those lines were immediately put to rest as Smith seemed to rise to the occasion. He became immersed in the unique instrument, an instrument made famous by his indelible performances. He brought out all the textures, colors and possibilities the B3 had to offer. He had no intention of letting down his old colleagues, let alone the 17,000 in attendance at this prestigious venue. He dug in and scorched the joint.

After intermission the stage was turned over to the quartet. It was time to hear new interpretations of the material from the 50’s and 60’s Blue Note years of Smith and company. The blues from the classic albums Home Cookin’, Midnight Special and Back at the Chicken Shack were presented and played with the urgency, swing and restraint in which these master craftsmen excelled.

Then the CHJO re-emerged and backed Smith, Burrell and Turrentine on the great Jimmy Smith sides he cut for the Verve label which featured the great big band arrangements by Oliver Nelson and Lalo Shifren. Nelson’s Walk on the Wild Side was taken out for a spin and was one of the most exhilarating explorations in an evening full of them.

The Jimmy Smith classic work out, The Sermon was a fitting closing number. The Big Boss man of the B3 let everyone know he was still the high priest. His disciples all leapt to their feet at the conclusion of the lengthy piece and marvelous evening of music. It was an ovation fit for the jazz/blues emissaries from the halcyon days of the Blue Note and Verve Record labels.

On this very special night Smith bridged the continent, the decades and the generations. He made the huge bowl feel like Rudy Van Gelder’s home studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, where this material was recorded before many in the CHJO were even born.

This reunion turned out to be their last. Stanley Turrentine passed away just three weeks later on September 12th.          

On January 9, 2001, Smith released his final album, Dot Com Blues. The album, which was completed in June of 2000, featured a rhythm section of John Clayton on double upright bass and Harvey Mason on drums. Other members of the CHJO appear on the recording which was a special guest heavy affair which included B.B. King, Etta James, Dr. John, Keb Mo, Taj Mahal and others.

Jimmy Smith died on February 8, 2005.

Kenny Burrell remains a distinguished professor and the Director of Jazz Studies at UCLA. His extensive discography includes 97 albums recorded under his own name and hundreds as a side man for artists who, like Burrell himself, are some of the most influential in the history of American music. Besides of course Jimmy Smith that long list includes Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Billy Holiday, Sonny Rollins, Tony Bennett, Quincy Jones, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Oscar Peterson, Coleman Hawkins, Nat King Cole, Art Blakey, Ray Charles and others. One can still occasionally catch Kenny Burrell perform live at Catalina Bar and Grill in Hollywood.

It was immediately apparent that this great night at the Hollywood Bowl would rank amongst the most memorable musical experiences of my life. It was an evening where three musicians who all have massive recorded legacies and who are amongst the most respected to ever play their particular instruments came together for one last time to create a form of blues seldom heard these days.

In addition, what made this evening particularly memorable was it was spent in the company of two of my dearest friends, John “J.R.” Reilly and his dad Jack. We drove from Orange County and met up with our friend, Italian blues guitarist, Enrico Crivellaro, who was living in Los Angeles at the time and had studied under Burrell. All three men had an extensive knowledge, a deep understanding and feeling for the music that was presented that evening. They didn’t need a primer to know that this was a once in a lifetime event that would stay with each of us forever and would be a bond which we will always share. 

-David Mac

Dedicated to the memory of Jack Reilly

Jack Reilly (with his son J.R.)

1932 - 2010

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