It's Hammond B3 Organ Day

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....

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.

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

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.

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 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

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

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).

Don't forget Baby Face Willette

Steve Winwood
Gregg Allman
Jimmy Smith

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

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...

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

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'

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

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"

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 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

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.

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.

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

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

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)

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