Jimmy Smith dies

Award-winning jazz organist Jimmy Smith died on Tuesday.

First Johnny Cash, then Ray Charles, now Jimmy Smith - it seems like the generation who profoundly shaped American music since the 50s are now swiftly dying away.

I have many CDs... well, far too many CDs. I'd say hundreds, but if you include all the boxes full of CDs that are squirelled away here and there, it's probably closer to a thousand, much of it, I'll freely admit, complete rubbish. But in the midst of all the chaff are 12 Jimmy Smith albums, mostly Blue Note, as I don't hugely like his later stuff - which is on Verve.

I'd recommend Back at the Chicken Shack and Crazy Baby if you were looking for somewhere to start exploring.