It's Hammond B3 Organ Day

Personally....I just love the sound of a warm Hammond B3

Just to add something positive to this thread, I would like to share another Hammond tip (and funkify your day): THE Hammond Master is, the one and only, incomparable, Chester Thompson.

Check out Tower of Power or Santana...amazing stuff.

(Note this is not be confused with the amazing drummer of the same name who also sometimes plays with Santana but of long time Genesis fame)

Thanks for the link. That is funkifyin' fer shure! I prob'bly have ever Tower of Power record ever made... been following them for over 30 years..
Cheers,
Angela

Wait Wait! What about Joey DeFrancesco? That's a Hammomd master if there ever was one!

Oh my God! I was just thinking that the music theater I support should have a B3 on hand because no one lugs it around anymore,; especially with a Leslie! I'm so sick of the sinner-sized digitized version most traveling bands use.

I was thinking about it while listening to Jimmy Smith, The Decemberists, and Counting Crows today. It hit me! What I love is that B3/Leslie thang.

How about Groove Holms also in addition to Jimmy Smith! They had a Hammond B-3 organ venue as part of the week long Jazz festival at the Berks Jazz Festival (Reading, Pa.)several years ago with Joey and his Pappa John DiFrancesco and a female whose name slips me at the moment with three B-3s' set up all on the stage at one time. What a show if you like the B-3.

Angela,

Thanks for the tip about the Ken Clark Organ Trio. I ordered both CDs after listening to the previews on their website. Wow, these guys sound great!

Enjoy,

TIC

Angela,

Glad to hear you appreciate TOP!

I expect you have it but Soul Vaccination Live Album really captures their amazing live sound! You need to crank it though (thinly mixed especially so it sounds correct at live levels)

Enjoy...

Angela, thanks for the tip. BTW Angela and Shadorne, I just went last week to Toronto (I live in the metro Detroit area) to see TOP - it was my third time this year and my 65th time since 1973. They JUST KEEP GETTING BETTER WITH AGE. I am an INSANE fan and have not only every CD and LP (including Funkland which took me 30 years to find) but multiples of every LP (e.g., regular version, Japanese, German and other foreign versions as well as Direct Disk and Sheffield Labs versions)and also a sealed copy of every LP they've made except Funkland. I need help - but I have NEVER tired of hearing them live and enjoy them JUST as much if not more every time I see them!!

That YouTube of Knock Yourself out with Chester sitting in is simply amazing and if you can still and not dance or tap your feet to that - yer dead inside. If you like TOP here are some others to check out (all inspired by TOP):

Doctor Funk

Santa Fe and the Fat City Horns (AMAZING brass section)

Prime Time Funk

Mingo Fishtrap

Phat Function

Heavy Metal Horns (and last but not least)

Sage (especially their newest "Funksway")

Doc Kupka's Strokeland Superband --- (mostly current and former TOP members with Lenny Pickett doing all the sax solos - check out the newst one "Bumped Up To First Class" and the first one "Kick It Up a Step"

Bbro - that sounds like it was a great time! I wish I was better informed. Reading, PA is only 80 minutes away.

Interestingly enough, I have been on an absolute binge of Jimmy Smith recently. I got a new iPod (Touch - coolest thing on wheels (when I'm riding the subway in to work in the morning)) and it is chock full o' Jimmy (10 albums). For Hammond B3 live show lovers, "Root Down" is a great album. I personally prefer some of the older ones like 'Back at the Chicken Shack', 'The Sermon', 'Cool Blues', and 'The Incredible Jimmy Smith at the Organ'

My favorite B3 is Charles Earland, especially his "More Today than Yesterday" on the Black Talk! album.

In the early-mid 80's, I lived in Fresno for a couple of years. There was a cool part of town, yeah I know that is hard to believe, but there was.. on the west side where all the olive trees were... anyway, there was the club called The Wild Blue Yonder that had live music every night and everything from new wave (well, it was coming up then) to punk to jazz to funk... well you get the idea.... The owner was friends with Tower of Power and some of the guys would stop in from time to time and just jam... no notice... but if you were there that night.. who boy! I also saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers before they were "known" already playing music in their socks... I used to sit up top and work the lights some nights....Those were some good times...

I love the sound of a B3. Just something so right about that sound.

Steve Winwood
Gregg Allman
Jimmy Smith

Don't forget Baby Face Willette

Fmpnd,

Thanks for the tips. I will spend my weekend ordering more CD's. Great suggestions - all of them. I see TOP are in Seattle in December I am sorely tempted to catch a plane and make a weekend of it and see a show....how good is the current band? Are they still THAT good? How was the sound quality?

In return I highly recommend Steve Ferrone's Farm Fur More Head (Available from CDBABY)...excellent live recording of some AWB covers ...stuff that you can't find well recorded on the original AWB albums (Person to Person Live had such awful sound quality).

Charles Earland "The Mighty Burner" and his LP's "Living Black" and "Black Talk".Less known than Jimmy Smith,Jimmy McGriff,et al. he had great pumping sound while "Kickin' the 3".Dig him with his diciple/student Eric Alexander on the latter's "Alexander The Great".Just the shit man!!!!!!!
Chazzbo

Shadorne,

I just listened to "More Head" last night. I really like this CD. I especially like "Steve's Strutt", "Freedom Jazz Dance" and "Pick up the Pieces". If these cuts don't make you groove, you're dead!

Enjoy,

TIC

I love Steve's Strutt...such a shame they had an issue somewhere about 3:00 minutes in where you hear distortion (listen carefully) ...seems to be the Hammond on one of the key boards which has the bass notes cranked too much (or microphone too close and clipping or noise) or at least it goes away after the organ solo or around 4:30...maybe their sound crew caught it by then.

...such is life when you have speakers that pick up everything! I think Steve uses Westlakes - so no doubt they knew about it....but that is "live" music....you got to take each track as it comes....and feel the ENERGY!!!

Shadorne, I can HONESTLY say they are actually better than EVER. Why? Because David Garibaldi and Rocco are still together so the rhythm section is the best it can be. I have never liked ANY Hammond B-3 player in TOP since Chester left - that is UNTIL the current keyboard player, Roger Smith came on board. In fact, how stupid of me NOT to suggest Roger's B-3 CD called "Jazz Rosco's Place" Here's a link http://www.jazzrosco.com/index2.htm

Next, the brass section is as powerful and tight as it has EVER been and the lead tenor player, Tom Polizer is a monster as are Adolfo Acosta and Mike Bogart - the trumpet players. Doc is . . . well . . Doc, and he is the baddest funkiest cat on the planet for what he does and what makes TOP's sound.

Larry Bragg, the lead singer, has now come into his own so much so that he may be the BEST they've ever had. Combine that with 40 years of honing the band's skills and showmanship under Emilio's leadership and they really are amazing to see live. The sound quality is exceptional and you really owe it to yourself to check them out and confirm what I am saying - you won't be sorry.

Thanks for the tip - I have always been a Steve Ferrone fan.

Add Larry Young,Freddie Roach,Jack McDuff and Dr. Lonnie Smith to those group of jazz organ swingers.

Here is another addition to the B3 list - Jeff Young. He plays on this simply awesome CD (available from CDBaby) Zen Blues Quartet! Zen Blues have another album coming. I can't wait.

I just want to thank everyone with such great suggestions and Angela for starting this thread. I have spent $300 on music in the last day!!

Keep it coming....

Sorry my bad - wrong link on post above Zen Blues Quartet

Well the first disc arrived. PHAT PHUNKTION.

WOW - this is awesome stuff! Not quite at TOP level but then who is.....very polished and slick if only a little too polite.....lots of influences mesh together to make this a really a fun listen. They have a great bass player whoever he is!!!!

I can't wait for the next PHAT Phunktion album to arrive (to see how this great band have progressed!!)

Shadorne, you are right on the money. Prme Time Funk and Mingo Fishtrap are better yet (more polished), the new Sage a bit more TOP-like and Santa Fe and the Fat City Horns are simply unbelievable (both CDs are live and they have unbelievable chops). Then, Strokeland Superband is almost exactly like listening to TOP.

Enjoy!!

Wow!! I am a huge Hammond lover, and you all have mentioned spectacular musicians that have triggered a lot of fond memories.

I must say, my personal favorite...thus far, is Jimmy Smith. The Organ Grinder Swing is simply amazing!!!!!

Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Jack McDuff...Dear God where does the list end. Not to mention the 5th Beetle; the late Billy Preston.

Thanks for the nostalgic moment, everyone!

Wow, I can't believe you folks are missing:
Ron Levy's Wild Kingdom!
"Ron Levy, B-3 organist, writer, arranger, raconteur and producer has enjoyed playing, working, and touring with some of the greatest names in Blues and Jazz since the early 1970's."
Cd: Best Grooves & Jams
Ron with: Ronnie Earl, Wayne Bennett, Jimmie Vaughn, Lowell Fulson, Albert Collins, Gray Sargent, Melvin Sparks, Freddie Hubbard, Sax Gordon, Smokin' Joe Kubek, B'Nois King, and BB King.
It's nice to share.

sweet... well, looks like it's money spending time (AGAIN) thanks for all the great leads
Cheers,
Angela

I will agree that the B-3 on Ronnie Earl's Blues and Ballads CD is outstanding. I was looking for the case before posting to get the name. That is one sweet CD with a great bluesy/soul groove. Just discovered it recently.

Lest we forget Jon Douglas Lord of Deep Purple (I know the R&R Hall of Fame has).

I received both of the Ken Clarck Organ Trio CDs today. I like it!

BTW, anybody check out the professional review of the Ronnie Earl-Blues and Ballads CD on Amazon? The reviewer killed it. After listing to a couple of the previews, I can understand where he was going with the review, but I'm also thinking it may be a pretty interesting CD. So, if you have heard it, do you think it is a masterpiece or a disjointed mess?

Enjoy,

TIC

Fmpnd, Angela and Shadorne - are you aware that Chester Thomson has two solo albums floating around out there? IIRC, I have them both - or two copys of one. Needless to say, he jams.

Mike

Dr. Lonnie Smith. Genius.

also big John Patton and Shirley Scott.

-Embryo, Warm Canto from the Rocksession disc, gorgeous relaxed playing combining vibes and B3.
-Wayne Peet, Visions from Fully Engulfed, amazing recording quality and a great version of a cool Larry Young tune.
-Larry Young on John McLaughlin's Devotion disc, scary narcotic feel, really memorable stuff. Haven't found anything quite like it... maybe Miles, Jack Johnson or early Emergency but that only hits a small piece of it.
-Atomic Rooster, Death walks Behind You... maybe not the best recording, but it rocks and those riffs will stick in the head.

Swampwalker was refering to Bruce Katz on the Ronnie Earl "Blues and Ballads" CD. Most excellent !

I just recieved Root Down / Jimmy Smith . It's like Smith merged with Shaft but with obvious influences from a band that was very big at the time it was recorded WAR. It's live and it is real good.

Might not be the greatest B-3 player, but Gregg Allman's B-3 playing certainly put the "gravy" on the music of the Allman Brothers Band.

Two new additions for funky funky b3.

1. Wayne Goins, "A GoGo" is a great track.
2. Frederico Conti, "Yea Baby" is another track to check.

Jeff
ps. Go B3!

Listen to THIS - B3 solo starts around 7:20 but that great wurlitzer sound is throughout.

Jake Langley, "Diggin' In" has Joey Defrancesco on Hammond B3. Worth a listen.

That B-3 is one seductive lady...

For some very enjoyable Hammond organ pick up Steve Winwood's new release, "Nine Lives".

Well I'm hoping to see CHESTER THOMPSON playing with Santana next week. Gotta love that B3 !!!!

Dennis Chambers on drums - should be a great gig with such greats.

Here is another great groove with some nice organ - The Meters - Look-Ka Py Py ...enjoy.

BTW - I can confirm, live Santana band was a lot better than on CD's - simply put in a live performance they didn't compress the hell out of the drums and backing musicians and jack up the guitar like they do on the CD's.

Dennis Chambers on drums was astonishing. Played 3 hours absolutely perfectly "in the pocket". Never seen a drummer do that - usually on the fills (especially long complex ones) most drummers have a different feel (instead of making the fill part of the music). Dennis nails the groove all the way through and all the time...astonishing.

Chester Thompson was his old self - contorting like a madman over his Hammond and producing more feeling from a keyboard than I have heard in years...

Santana, what can I say, amazing! ...but lengthy guitar solos get tiring after a while even from a maestro.

Cool.

By coincidence, I happened to pick up a second hand copy of "Mutual Respect" for a few bucks not long ago at the local music store for no reason other than it featured the Hammond Organ in a small jazz ensemble recording.

It has been one of my favorite random pickups in the last year or so. Wonderful sound and performance as I recall.

Glad to hear I have some company appreciating this rather obscure recording. I'll have to give it a fresh spin to comment in more detail.

Richard Sinclair does nice and prominent "fuzz" organ work on early albums by talented Canterbury prog rock group "Caravan".

"Land Of Grey and Pink" in particular is a very impressive listen for the lead-organ-starved audiophile.

Try Medeski Martin Wood - Combustication Some great laid back flowing organ stuff coupled with some really funky drumming!