have you listened to Jimmy Smith today?

well, have you? Although I've had Jimmy Smith CD's in my collection for quite some time, I only recently heard about his very first album, entitled "A New Sound, A New Star." (see Amazon). Many will tell you that jazz B3 Hammond organ is an acquired taste, and perhaps they are right. For some, this music will at first evoke calliopes or soap operas or melodramatic silent movie soundtracks. But listen again and you'll discover that Mr. Smith is swinging just about as hard as any keyboard player you can think of, and putting out a sound that's much more like a big band than like a trio.