Born James Oscar Smith on 8th December 1925 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, USA. Smith was influenced by both gospel and blues. He first achieved prominence in the 1950s where his recordings became popular on jukeboxes before there were commonly used terms to describe his unique musical flavor. In the sixties and seventies he helped create the jazz style known as soul jazz.
Smith employed a unique technique to emulate a string bass player on the organ. Although he played walking bass lines on the pedals on ballads, for uptempo tunes, he would play the bass line on the lower manual and use the pedals for emphasis on the attack of certain notes. His solos were characterised by percussive chords mixed with very fast melodic improvisation with the right hand.
Smith was a prolific recording artist. He first recorded with the Blue Note label in 1956. His early albums with Blue Note sold very well, improving its financial viability and aiding the label's efforts to promote other artists. They include Home Cookin' , The Sermon!, Midnight Special, Prayer Meetin' , and Back at the Chicken Shack.
Smith signed to Verve Records label in 1963. Smith's albums with Verve include: The Cat, The Boss, Root Down, Peter & The Wolf, Any Number Can Win, The Incredible..., Bashin', Got My Mojo Workin', Christmas Cookin', and Organ Grinder Swing.
His influence has been felt across multiple generations and musical styles; nearly every subsequent jazz organist owes a large debt to Smith. The Beastie Boys (who sampled the bassline from Smith's "Root Down (and Get It)"—and saluted Smith in the lyrics—for their own hit "Root Down"), Medeski, Martin & Wood, and The Hayden-Eckert Ensemble are among the better known contemporary bands that pay tribute to Smith's sensibilities and sound. The Acid Jazz movement also reflects Smith's influences.
Smith died on 8th February 2005, in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.
There are several other artists with this name: 1. an American jazz trumpeter, 2. an American jazz drummer, 3. a British guitarist for the band Foals, 4. blues guitarist Jimmy "Guitar" Smith.
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See Wikipedia for a disambiguation page for Jimmy Smith#Musicians.
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
Jimmy Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stopped off at the North Pole to spend a holiday
I called on dear old Santa Claus
To see what I could see
He took me to his workshop
And told his plans to me, so
[Chorus]You better watch out, you better not cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
He's making a list and checking it twice
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is comin' to town
He sees you when you're sleepin'
He knows when you're a wake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake
Oh! You better watch out, you better not cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
With little tin horns and little toy drums
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
Santa Claus is comin' to town
And curly head dolls that toddle and coo
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
They're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
So! You better watch out, you better not cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
He's got millions of stockings to fill on Christmas day
You'd better write your letter now
And mail it right away
Because he's getting ready
His reindeer's and his sleigh. So
[Chorus]
With little tin horns and little toy drums
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
Santa Claus is comin' to town
And curly head dolls that toddle and coo
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
They're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
So! You better watch out, you better not cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
In Jimmy Smith's version of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” the singer tells a story of a trip he recently took to the North Pole to visit Santa Claus at his workshop. The singer reveals that Santa has informed him about his upcoming plans to make a list of all the good and bad children, double-check it, and ensure that all of their stockings are filled with gifts on Christmas day. The singer uses the chorus to warn children that Santa is always watching and he will know if they have been naughty or nice, so they should be on their best behavior. Then in the second verse, the singer lists some of the toys that Santa will be bringing to children, such as dolls, toy drums, and kiddie cars. The singer ends with another warning to the children and encourages them to write a letter to Santa and mail it as soon as possible.
Line by Line Meaning
I just came back from a lovely trip along the Milky Way
I returned from a pleasant trip through the galaxy
Stopped off at the North Pole to spend a holiday
I made a pit stop at the North Pole for a vacation
I called on dear old Santa Claus
I visited the beloved Santa Claus
To see what I could see
To observe what was possible
He took me to his workshop
He brought me to his factory
And told his plans to me, so
And explained his intentions to me
You better watch out, you better not cry
You should pay attention and avoid crying
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Don't become sad, I'll explain the reason
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa Claus is arriving in the city
He's making a list and checking it twice
He's creating a list and examining it twice
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice
He plans to distinguish between those who are good and those who are bad
He sees you when you're sleepin'
He's observing when you're asleep
He knows when you're a wake
He's aware when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
He's knowledgeable about whether you've been well-behaved or poorly-behaved
So be good for goodness sake
Therefore, be well-behaved for the sake of being a good person
With little tin horns and little toy drums
With small metallic horns and toy drums
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
Musical sounds of celebration and excitement
And curly head dolls that toddle and coo
Plus dolls with curly hair that walk and make soft noises
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
Also toy elephants, boats, and small cars
Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
The children in the land of girls and boys will have a joyful celebration
They're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
They're intending to create a land of toys centered around the Christmas tree
Now Santa is a busy man, He has no time to play
Santa is a hardworking man; he's too busy to engage in leisure activities
He's got millions of stockings to fill on Christmas day
He has to stuff millions of stockings on Christmas day
You'd better write your letter now
You should write your letter immediately
And mail it right away
And send it promptly
Because he's getting ready
Because he's preparing
His reindeer's and his sleigh. So
His reindeer and sleigh are prepped. Thus,
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Coots, Haven Gillespie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@williamclark5647
So I work for a cellphone sales place... and this song came on during the holidays. At first, I was just like “man, that’s jazzy!” But then this dude absolutely decimated the keys! I’m now going to unironicly rock this song 365 days a year.
@adeduction
Great upload by The Master. Thanks for sharing it. When I was drafted in '67 and sent to Ft Knox in Kentucky for basic there was only one jazz album in the library on the base and I was very lucky because it was Smith's Live at the Baby Grand Vol 1 - the album with 'Where or When' 'Rosetta' etc. I would go and listen to over and over every day I could. I knew who Jimmy Smith was but I didn't have any of his albums and I remember I couldn't seem to get enough of it. That's the definition of a great artist.
@CJOnGee
Christmas Cookin' is the only Christmas album I've had for years. I haven't played the vinyl for a while, but I think I'll get it out... even if it is after Christmas. YouTube rocks!
@迫屋健一
さすがジミースミスですね、メリークリスマス。
@sergenaud731
The dirt is goiing where ??????????????????????