Before Jimmy Smith, the electric organ had been nearly a novelty in jazz; it was he who made it an important instrument in the genre and influenced nearly every subsequent notable organist in jazz and rock, including Jimmy McGriff, Jack McDuff, Larry Young, Shirley Scott, Al Kooper and Joey DeFrancesco. By 1955 -- which coincidentally was the year Hammond introduced its most popular model, the Hammond B3, he had an organ trio with a new sound. His appearances at Birdland and the 1957 Newport Jaz

264K views · 13K reactions | Jimmy Smith revolutionized the Hammond...