A KAFKA REPORT

Butter(For Yo Popcorn)- Brother Jack McDuff

Brother Jack McDuff (organ), Jay Arnold (tenor sax), Charlie Freeman (guitar), Sammy Creason (drums) other musicians unidentified.
    Memphis: June 10,1969.
    from: Brother Jack McDuff 'Down Home Style' Blue Note 4322.)

Usually associated as a money-spinning mainstay of the Prestige operation (over two dozen albums in six years), 'Screamin' Brother Jack McDuff successfully fought off all-comers to retain his coveted position as state-of-the-art chitlin' circuit organ top gun. This, Brother Jack achieved, sharing the frontline with a succession of tough tenors that  took in Willis 'Gator' Jackson (with who's combo McDuff first gained attention), Jimmy Forrest, Eddie Chamblee, Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt Harold Vick and Red Holloway. En route, the Hammond Hero gave initial breaks to George Benson and Lou Donaldson protege Grant Green. In the mid 60's, McDuff switched to Atlantic before taking up an eight year residency with Chess, the latter interrupted by a brief liaison with Blue Note during which this perennial fatback track was waxed.

United Snakes of Amerika

Harry Pulone (vocals, drums), Tom Haerther (Guitar), Doug Miller (Organ)
    recorded 1985 at The ChikunShak Studios, Princeton Junction, NJ.
    "Live at the Chikun Shak" UpTown Records #292 limited release LP.

Continuing in the organ trio tradition the work of this famous Mercer County, New Jersey trio has been well documented.

Boyz Nite Out

Nutin' but da' blues

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Eddy Louiss - Flomela

Bass - Luigi Trussardi, Drums - Jean Louis Viale, [Hammond]Organ Piano Vocals - Eddy Louiss.
Naissance written by Eddy Louiss. Mixed by Steve Forward.
    Recorded in 1968 & 1973 at Studio Davout. Re-mixed in 1996 Label: Disques Dreyfus FDM 36578-2

Eddy Louiss has spent most of his career leading his own group in France, but twice has made particularly notable recordings, both on organ. He had sung as a member of the Double Six (1961-1963), played piano with Johnny Griffin in the mid-'60s, and worked at times with Kenny Clarke and Jean-Luc Ponty. But he is best-known for recording Dynasty with Stan Getz (1971) and for his duet set with pianist Michel Petrucciani (1994) on Dreyfus.

St. Louis Blues

Naissance

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Barbara Dennerlein - Outhipped

Composed, and arranged by Barbara Dennerlein - GEMAiManuskript
Barbara Dennerlein - hammond organ B3 & footpedals, synthesizer
Don Alias percussion
Ray Anderson trombone & tuba
Darren Barrett trumpet,
James Genus acoustic bass
Craig Handy tenor & baritone saxophone
Antonio Hart soprano & alto saxophone,
Steve Nelson marimba, vibraphone
Alex Sipiagin flugelhorn,
Steve Slagle flute, alto & picolo flute
Mitch Watkins acoustic & electric guitar
Jeff "Tain" Watts drums
Ada Dyer & André Smith vocals
Recorded and mixed Avatar Studios, NYC in February 1999
  Verve - 314 547503-2

German organist Barbara Dennerlein stands out in contemporary soul jazz, stretching the idiom with every fresh outing. Combining the deep grooves of Jack McDuff and the scintillating fleetness of Jimmy Smith, she also adds a repertoire of sounds and approaches that connect Martin Denny's     lounge exotica to Sun Ra's cosmic atmospherics.

Outhipped

Farewell To Old Friends

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Richard "Groove" Holmes - Good Vibrations

Richard "Groove" - Holmes Organ
Houston Person - Tenor Saxophone
Bob Devos - Guitar
Idris Muhammad - Drums
Buddy Caldwell - Congas
    Recorded 12/19/1977
    Englewood Cliffs, NJ by Rudy Van Gelder
    LP Muse Records MR5167

The name says it all. This man knew how to groove with both hands and feet. He acknowledged himself that in the world of organ players, there was Jimmy Smith and then all the rest; but he (humbly!) considered himself to be at the top of the rest. IMO, there was Smith, Groove, Patton, Young, then all the rest. But when it comes to funking it up, Groove had no match. He's influenced by sax players, like a lot of organ players.

From the liner notes:
When you consider it, all jazz is created by good vibrations:
bristled reeds, plucked strings, the ringing force of air trapped in brass, But if jazz organ players don‘t create good vibrations. . .well, they‘re just not jazz organ players. Because perhaps more than any other jazz hallmark, the organ sound must finally rattle your teeth to get over; dig you into its moving bass line, assault you with its droning, gritty top,and set you nodding, popping, even. . . vibrating, Which is exactly where this new offering from one of organ‘s greats, Richard "Groove" Holmes, comes in. lt`s a classic jazz brew, with all the right ingredients; the soulful tenor of Houston Person, one of organ’s biggest   champions (he features the B-3 in his own working group); the classic blues-funk guitar of Philly-based newcomer Bob DeVos; the crack rhythm team of ldris Muhammad and Buddy Caldwell, who probably hold the wor1d’s record for most appearances on organ LPs; the sensitive production of Bob Porter, who may hold a similar mark (in a tie with Ozzie Cadena) for most organ albums overseen; and the eternally invigorating presence of Rudy Van Gelder, who’s engineered every good organ record ever made. And the tunes are just right, too: save for one burnished ballad, all cookers, starting with the title track, As producer Porter explains, it's "a re-do of the version Groove cut with the late Gene Ammons in 1961, on the GROOVIN’ WITH JUG album." Here, Groove and Houston replicate its opening unison line (so characteristic of all the Ammons/Holmes collaborations), while Buddy Caldwell adds the special conga ballast Ray Barretto first     lent to the original, Then, everyone gets a chance to solo. Groove develops his time slowly, working all over the keyboards, winding up in a drone or two at the end; Houston then advances the pace with a stylistic nod to Jug and builds to a taste of honking ferocity, DeVos is next, and begins his run of liquid, space—inflected swing with a tip of the chops to Pat Martino. Finally, Groove's machine·gun bursts set off another brief organ passage, which moves into some fiery, tune-ending tradeoffs with Person; all along, ldris Muhammad keeps pushing the pulse‘s limit with bomb dropping intensity. In sum, the track's a burner and a fitting tribute to the original version.

    ....."Do Nothin"', the Ellington standard, was a suggestion for
    the date by Person, and he appropriately kicks it off with along
    solo, lirst breathily reminiscent of classic Ammons or
    Turrentine, and then more rousingly his own vehicle. ...

    .... On "My One and Only Love," Caldwell and Person lay out, and
    the remaining trio creates a succinct late-night ballad
    performance. DeVos is the featured soloist, hitting a nice
    balance between improvisation and elegant restatement of the
    melody; behind him, Groove comps lightly and rightly.

    ...."It was a typical Groove Holmes date." sums up Bob Porter.
    "We did it in an afternoon, and Groove even brought along a good
    new guitar player," And, we should add, GOOD VIBRATIONS aplenty.
    
                                            -Michael Rozek

Good Vibrations

Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me

My One and Only Love

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