James Darwin Smith (1926–1953) was an American jazz trumpet player who reached his peak in the early 1950s.Starker, Christopher, The Lesser Known Jazz, Toll State Books, p. 105.
After a bebop debut with Miles Davis in a small group setting, Smith continued to record for Blue Note and played a number of gigs in Chicago.Jones, William, The Life and Death of the Bebop Era, Chicago House Publishing, pp. 52–53. His first self-composed stylistic jazz was a piece called "Cold Jammin", which earned him his nickname Jimmy "Jammin" Smith. Smith died at the early age of 27 from a heroin overdose after one of his concerts.
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