Cory Henry: What Influences His Style
Cory Henry is consistently the guy in the back of the band that makes you shake and move with his infectious grooves. His style inspires viral videos of him blazing on the organ in church, performing with Snarky Puppy, and grinding in his bedroom to name only a few. Long story short, you want to see him play no matter the setting, style, instrument, or group. Cory brings it.
John Medeski & The B3: Heavier Than You Thought
There are incredible things that can be done with digital technology, but the innovation of something else seems like a waste of time to me. What’s fascinating is how we can use all of this stuff as instruments to create something we hear in our heads that we can’t get any other way. Or something we feel, something coming from us. Why not, you know?
Hammond Organ and Hip-Hop: Organ Chops by Classic Producers
In the realm of hip-hop sampling, the sounds of vintage keyboards abound. Although the Fender Rhodes has been a common sonic choice by producers, samples of other vintage keyboards are widespread in the genre as well. West Coast hip-hop from the early 90s, for example, was characterized by the inclusion of portamento-ridden synths (mostly sampled from Parliament-Funkadelic, hence the spinoff term “G-Funk”). However, few beat-makers have chosen to sample the Hammond B3 Organ, one of the staple sounds heard in jazz, blues, gospel, R&B, and progressive rock since the 1950s.
“Bad”: Jimmy Smith meets Michael Jackson
Wednesday August 29, 2012 would have been Michael Jackson’s 54th birthday. As we celebrate his life and the incredibly timeless music that he created, we can’t help but reflect during our Organ Issue on one of the great organ performances of modern pop music with Jimmy Smith’s solo in Jackson’s “Bad.” Recorded on January 5, 1987 and released later in ’87, “Bad” was written, composed, and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones. The song was the second single from the album of the same name.
Jake Sherman: The Inner Workings of an Organist
Jake Sherman has grown to become a quiet force within both the jazz and pop realms. Between laying down organ on projects with the Armand Hirsch Trio, Gretchen Parlato, Kenneth “Gizmo” Rogers, and many others, as well as recording every instrument on his own solo record, Sherman has amassed a repertoire to match any and has harnessed his own style on the organ, something that is lost to many today. In our interview Jake takes us through his work as well as the inner workings of the organ on a technical scale.
Revivalist Mix: Joey DeFrancesco
Today we’re bringing you a mix from the heir apparent to the Hammond B-3 Organ, Joey DeFrancesco. DeFrancesco began sitting in on his father’s gigs by age 6 continually progressing on his B-3. By age 17 Miles Davis had asked Joey to join his band which resulted in DeFrancesco touring Europe with Miles and recording the classic Amandla album. Later he went on to record with other legends of the organ including Jack McDuff and Jimmy Smith as well as leading his own band. Check out below as we take a trip through his discography.
Jimmy Smith The Champ
Jimmy Smith did not invent the organ. This is a fact. Long before his arrival, the instrument had been the vehicle of countless memorable performances. Word to Fats Waller. But with anything, there are architects and then there are innovators. I prescribe unto Smith the latter.
Tony Monaco: Celebrating the Organ
Tony Monaco is on a mission to create a support system for future generations of organ players. Through his young stable of organists at Chicken Coup Records to his new-school teaching methods and work in creating the perfect organ sounds in synths today, Monaco is continually upping the ante. And who better to lead this endeavor than someone who began his career as a student of the legendary B-3 innovatorJimmy Smith and went on to become one of the foremost organ players of our time? Read on as we delve into the history and some insight into what makes the organ so unique.
Issue No. 10: Supreme Sonacy | The Organ Issue
No other instrument has the same effect on the soul. From Sunday morning church to the Friday night clubs and some of your favorite recordings, the organ has tied itself both emotionally and musically with varying genres and styles, and as such has become one of the most unmistakeable sonic elements within music.
Key Bass As An Instrument
photo by Chris Carr The first time I ever remember hearing the term “key bass” was during several episodes of Diddy’s, MTV show “Making His Band.” He was assembling the tour band for his group Dirty Money. There were brief moments of discussions and decisions about which bass/key bass player to choose, but those moments were [...]
Joe Morello, Drummer of “Take Five” Passes at age 82
Joe Morello, drummer for Brubeck’s famed “Take Five” album, and employed by him for a little over a decade, passed away in his home on March 12 at the age of 82. The cause of death has not been disclosed. Morello was born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was born with a vision impairment, [...]
Jimmy Smith Back At The Chicken Shack
Back at the Chicken Shack, Jimmy Smith’s deliciously soulful and bluesy album recorded and released in 1960—and also featuring Donald Bailey (drums), Kenny Burrell (guitar), Stanley Turrentine (Tenor Sax)—is to this day, one of Smith’s most revered bodies of work. This was a period when Smith was most inventive, most daring and enthusiastic, known for his striking and energetic techniques. Smith’s use of the organ successfully satisfied the role of multiple instruments, utilizing the lower register as a walking bass, and the right hand for playful and jovial melodic spurts. Smith’s playing was always tastefully colorful.
