European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 20, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sou i a jazzman Jimmy Smith at Frankfurt International Airport soul is not a lot of things. Soul Smith says jazz organist Jimmy is simply , baby does he Ever ooze self expression when he talks when remakes faces at startled customs officials when he orders hamburger froma Spanish waitress in a German restaurant. And especially when heels his hands and feet on that burbling electric Box and turns a concert audience into a hand clapping aisle dancing mass of humanity. Soul he says elaborating on a loosely defined word bouncing around today is not food and it s not Flowers no something you go Down to the Bank and buy. Some people think Only Blackfork have soul. That s not necessarily True. It comes from your  have been running from the coloured All their lives. But if they overstayed around they d get  he munched on some French Friesland talked rather like he plays a dozen fugue like variations on a theme jumping from one subject to another and then if you re Lucky Back  talked about his beginnings. Born in Norristown pa., in 1925 to piano playing parents he made h i s own musical debut at 9 on the major Bowes Amateur hour radio show. He also did song and dance routines with his father in clubs around Philadelphia. Imagine who d Ever have though Little of me from that unheard of place Runnin around in Raggedy shoes Charity shoes not store shoes and with holes in my knickers would be Here now. H e pointed his workaround a posh Frankfurt hotel restau rant. Guess that s part of where soul conies from. His voice trails As he Waves and makes face at a waiter he knew Here two years before. He orders a hot Choco late. "1 Don t drink. See i m healthy he Deadpan. I m a karate expert too. 1 Jave done it for 7 years he says Clearing a space to demonstrate on the whle. Hut lie settles for letting every one feel his muscle. J auks Oscar Smith and the elec i Organ began to Rise to jaz Star in 1955 through recordings and appearances. He was perhaps the most extra Ordinary new instrumental a Star to to prominence in 1u56," says Uril Feather s encyclopedia of " "u0 uses a far Yri Ater variety March 20, 1968 by Mary Ann Reese staff writer of stops than most organists and Hasa unique gift for astonishing improvisations at a fast Tempo producing unique tone colors and showing phenomenal technique with both hands and  new York debut leading his Trio at Bohemia in the Early 56 was considered by Many musicians an event of unprecedented interest. He subsequently appeared at the Newport jazz festival Birdland and other jazz spot with great  s. _ o says the Book. And if Jimmy Smith weren t so modest he might Tell you he s the Best organist Ever. Buthe does t say things like that. Instead he tells you Why he plays the Organ instead of the  most clubs the proprietor is too Lazy to take care of the piano. Thearen t tuned. And Beer always gets spilled in the keyboard see Sog Ingup All those poor Little Felt hammers. So he says his voice dripping tears when you sit Down to play you know what you play you play Beer an that s Why i play the Organ. Nobody spills Beer on Organ  or he might Tell you How he gothic first Organ from a Philadelphia loan shark and How he kept it in a Ware House for two years because baby i did t have nowhere to go. Ever saturday night that loan shark showed up with his Shotgun to collect. An believe me i paid him off. If i did to it d he gone so  or he d Tell you How he got to be Osgood. How he went to several people to learn the Organ. But you know they would t teach me. I won t mention any names but when somebody know something they really Don t like to Tell it to anybody else in Case they can Doit better than the  he practice by putting a scale upon the warehouse Wall for the foot Ped als so 1 did t have to look Down Andi practice until i could play anything with the Ball of my  it s yours now. The musicians will be Here at 9." poor Guy spent All Day trying to find who had sent him that Organ. I told All my friends to show up there and they said but you Don t play there and i said tonight i play there so by 9 the place was jammed. By9 30 the club owner did t care about the Organ any More. He was clasping his hands in glee. Trouble was then he would t let me go. When the club Down the Street wanted me my Man said name your Price. Just stay " now he spends much of his Timeon the Road. His Frankfurt appearance ended a whirlwind week s concert tour through Sweden Denmark Italy and Germany. He also keeps a lot of re cording dates and the fruits of these appear often on hit record charts. The trouble is sometimes he does too Well. It s awful he moaned. I have Topay Uncle half of everything i make. I hate that. This year i m working to change that. If i have to i la sit Home and eat  is photos by Guenther Schuettler h 11jljj.k Al of studied classical music andean play classical piano or Organ but 1 guess most of my fugues Are  conned his Way into ins first big i delivered my Organ to this nightclub and the owner threw a panic. He screamed and hollered because heh adn t seen an Organ in a nightclub before but 1 said. Sorry but 1 was told to deliver this to your address. Lome for him is still in Small town pa., where his wife and children Jim my 7, and Jia 4, keep fires burning. He likes to play even on hectic sched Ules. It s a compulsion with him. But his concerts Are much longer he says if he can feel he turns his audience on. When he first walks on stage it s Surprise to anyone who s talked to him privately because he s All business. Heists Down at that Square Brown Box. And it s just Jimmy Smith and that Box no  when his audience gets with it. And can t sit still any longer Jimm Breaks Loose and the Clown joins the musician. He plays his pulsating soul Ful sounds frantically compulsively without stopping for 15 or 20 minute until he fakes a collapse atop his elec tric machine. Then he s off  carried away he jumps up and dances around the stage leaving his guitarist Nathan Page and drummer Bernard Sweetney to keep things moving the fans break up. They love it. Talk to us baby comes a yell fro the Balcony. Tell us How it is comes from somewhere. One More , maybe he sings especially got my Mojo Workin the first re cording of his rasping Gravelly voice. But mostly he tells it with his handstand feet. And then it s Over. He s gone. His fans mob the stage and stare atthe now Sil it or an and Ait for him to return. The stars and stripes Page 11