Jump to content

10 Organ Records You Must Own To Post Here


Jim Alfredson

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 153
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Oh, THAT guy!

Yeah, I've heard very good things about him. I'll have to check him out. Django's just opened up in the last year or so, and I'm not too much in club-going mode any more. I've been in too many of them when they turn the lights on, if you know what I mean. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Who's the GR Drummer from Dallas?

His last name is Fischer. Black dude. I can't for the life of me recall his first name right now... damn. I am terrible with names. He sat in and sounded great. I've played with his dad, Count Fischer. He's a fantastic organ drummer.

Soul Stream, there's a cat in Grand Rapids that you need to hear. When things calm down a bit I'm going to try and get him to come over and record some shit at my house. His name is Dan Richardson. He is a fantastic organist. At Randy's mom's funeral, he played with Randy and Joe on my B3 (backing up a singer) and was playing some incredible stuff. He blew my mind. The young Fischer played with him, too... that's why I'm thinking of him now.

Shit. What is Fischer's first name?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, it's funny. You don't think there are THAT many really good organists out there until you start playing one. Then you trip over them every time you turn around. I'll never forget when I moved to Boston a few years back. I walked into a shitty local corner bar by my house just to get a beer. Inside were 2 B3 organists face to face with a drummer and guitarist. These two guys were playing "Pentup House" at an ungodly speed and one guy sounded like Jimmy Smith's illigetimate child on speed (plus he was in his 20's and looked like a movie star). And that was just around the corner from me!!!!

Yeah, you think it's a dying art until you look under the rug.

Edited by Soul Stream
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Hi, I'm a brand new member. I joined so that I could send this message! The band with two Hammonds is Fats Hammond. The organist you're describing was probably Ken Clark. Was he playing the bass too? The other guy is Marty ???. The drummer is Benny Benson. The guitarist chair apparently rotates somewhat. I've heard both bebop-based and more wild guys play on the gig. It's an interesting mix. Ken goes for a varied pallet of sounds, rarely using the Jimmy Smith 888000000 - 3rd percussion. The other guy rarely strays from that general sound. It's a real struggle to have two Hammonds comping without stepping on each other.

-cliff

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi, I'm a brand new member. I joined so that I could send this message! The band with two Hammonds is Fats Hammond. The organist you're describing was probably Ken Clark. Was he playing the bass too? The other guy is Marty ???.  The drummer is Benny Benson. The guitarist chair apparently rotates somewhat. I've heard both bebop-based and more wild guys play on the gig. It's an interesting mix. Ken goes for a varied pallet of sounds, rarely using the Jimmy Smith 888000000 - 3rd percussion. The other guy rarely strays from that general sound. It's a real struggle to have two Hammonds comping without stepping on each other.

-cliff

Yes Cliff, it's Ken Clark and Marty. Anyway, don't know if they still do that. Ken's absolutely one of the best guys I've seen and is totally unknown outside of Boston for the most part. He made a record on Severn a couple of years ago, but it's just a funk job that doesn't really show that he can burn. He can really play bebop and takes organ bass solos with his feet every once in a while just to make other organists in the audience cramp up. ;)

Edited by Soul Stream
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The bar is Dodge Street Grill in Salem, MA. They play generally every Tuesday night. I've been studying with Ken for around 3 months now. He has two CDs with a third to be released in the next few months. I think the biggest complement I could pay Ken is that I am confident that i could pick his playing out of a crowd immediately. He has a really individual approach. Killer left hand for funk. I personally like his funk stuff as much as the up-tempo Charlie Parker.

-cliff

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Geez, 10 pages of OrganTalk, and not yet a mention of Toronto's Doug Riley. If youse guys were really hip, you'd know about this all-round great musician. He was only 23 when he arranged AND played organ and piano Ray Charles' "Doing His Thing" (1968, on ABC). He was Ray's own choice!

There's a hot quartet release he did "Live at the Montreal Bistro" with Phil Dwyer that should still be available. The label was Seajam, now called Triplet. Try www.tripletrecords.com. He's done duet recordings with flugelhornist Guido Basso recently, and look under guitarist Jake Langley's name for a nice one called "Doug's Garage".

You will be rewarded for your efforts...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Hi, I'm a brand new member. I joined so that I could send this message! The band with two Hammonds is Fats Hammond. The organist you're describing was probably Ken Clark. Was he playing the bass too? The other guy is Marty ???. The drummer is Benny Benson. The guitarist chair apparently rotates somewhat. I've heard both bebop-based and more wild guys play on the gig. It's an interesting mix. Ken goes for a varied pallet of sounds, rarely using the Jimmy Smith 888000000 - 3rd percussion. The other guy rarely strays from that general sound. It's a real struggle to have two Hammonds comping without stepping on each other.

-cliff

Cliff,

Ran across an interview with Melvin Sparks that said Ken was playing in his band now. The interview was from April 2004...wondered if you knew anything about that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
  • 3 months later...

I know this is an old thread, but I saw the Ken Clark Organ Trio mentioned...I'm a big fan of them for sure. Fats Hammond is real cool too. The guitarist for Fats Hammond is Mike Mele, great player, who is part of Ken's Trio as well (and actually I'm studying with Mike). Fats Hammond is still playing every tuesday in Salem and the Ken Clark Organ Trio has been actively gigging around Boston and working on a new album I believe.

Edited by jazzgeetar
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know this is an old thread, but I saw the Ken Clark Organ Trio mentioned...I'm a big fan of them for sure. Fats Hammond is real cool too. The guitarist for Fats Hammond is Mike Mele, great player, who is part of Ken's Trio as well (and actually I'm studying with Mike). Fats Hammond is still playing every tuesday in Salem and the Ken Clark Organ Trio has been actively gigging around Boston and working on a new album I believe.

Hey Jazzgeetar, you're our newest member!!! Welcome aboard, stick around and join in the fun!!!

Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...