Jimmy Smith

Everybody has somebody that they patterned themselves after.

People like the idea of the trio and so I did mostly trio.

Ninety-five percent of my audience was white.

It’s a matter of who would be right for each song. Mickey Hart for ‘All We Need is An Island’ – he’s the only guy I know who has Tahitian drums and every kind of drum on the planet.

Three months. I was playing the organ for three months. It was a challenge for me in the beginning.

Choosing people to be on your ‘Sammy Hagar and Friends’ record, you’re going, ‘I’ve got so many friends.’ And so many friends have called me up and said, ‘Come on dude, why didn’t you ask me to be on the record?’ I’m going, ‘Damn, I forgot.’ I really did.

The greatest moments of the human spirit may be deduced from the greatest moments in music.

Something just grabs you about a song.

I am not interested in compromising my music to make it palatable to an assumed sub-standard mass.

You’re just a little too hip for the room. It’s not good to be too hip because two hips make an ass.

Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life.

I’m not playing for other musicians. We’re trying to reach the guy who works all day and wants to spend a buck at night. We’ll keep him happy.

Beiderbecke took out a silver cornet, put it to his lips and blew a phrase. The sound came out like a girl saying ‘yes.’

You gotta mean it and you gotta treat it gentle.

When you listen to someone improvise, the notes that are played are only half the story.

For a long time I wasn’t listening to music, to the rock and roll stuff on the radio, because it would cause me to get sweaty–it would bring back memories I didn’t want to know about, or I would get that feeling that I’m not alive ’cause I’m not making it. And if it was good, I hated it ’cause I wasn’t doing it. And if it was bad, I was furious ’cause I could’ve done it better…

Jazz is a living music; since its beginning has expressed the feelings, dreams and hopes of the people.

Jazz is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

Jazz is an idea that is more powerful than the details of its history.

The trio is the biggest sound you can have with the smallest unit.

I don’t really look at my career in terms of highlights and low lights. I think I’m at this place right now and to be at this place right now I’ve had to go through many obstacles and lots of highs and lows and for me it’s about the entire journey.