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AOTW 9/28-10/4: GOT A GOOD THING GOIN'


Big Al

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Heap big thanks to SEK for allowing me to be a last-minute pinch-hitter while he takes the next week to pick HIS AOW!

So let this be the official announcement as well: SEK for AOW, 10/5 - 10/11.

Big John Patton - Got A Good Thing Goin' (click here to buy)

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I'll post a more proper beginning to this thread after dinner. My wife's homemade chicken pot pie is callin' my name!!!

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This, folks, is the equivalent of an organ-trio cutting contest. Green and Patton come flyin' outta the gate, bobbin' & weavin', cuttin' & duckin', oozin' & greazin' for a good solid 37 minutes until the champ is declared: Hugh Walker.

WHO?!?! No, not "who." "HUGH!" (any What's Up Doc fans out there?) Anyone who's followed the "greazy" thread knows that I consider Ben Dixon as the greatest drummer for Patton & Green; but on THIS disc, Walker lights a fire under these guys like NOTHING on any record Dixon appeared on. And this is not to slight Dixon's work, either: his was just a different flavor of greaze. Whereas Dixon was like a good oregano that you use to help sautee the onions & peppers, Walker is like substituting crushed red pepper for the oregano: a different flavor, but a damn HOTTER flavor at that!

Having said all that, as I said before, Green and Patton start out on fire and never lose any steam. That's another nice thing about this album: NO BALLADS!!! Now, I like ballads & all, but a ballad on this record would've just killed the mood, stopped it cold. There appears to be only two tempos on this album: fast and FASTER!!!

Well, that's enough for now. I can't wait to see what Soul Stream has to say about this! :excited:

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One of my favorite organ records. This one just rocks from start to finish. What is incredible is that all this noise is produced by three people (four if you count the conga). Grant and John are of one mind throughout the whole thing, and there are some passages where they are in total unison.

It hasn't been specifically alluded to yet, but I love the arrangement of Duke Pearson's 'Amanda' with which they close. I had the chance to hear Patton play this piece the one time I saw him (8/11/01), just a few months before he died. John really gets to the heart of this beautiful melody.

I LOVE this record.

Bertrand.

P.S.: Does Richard Landrum play on all tracks? I don't always hear it, even though the BN disco says he does.

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One of my favorite organ records. This one just rocks from

P.S.: Does Richard Landrum play on all tracks? I don't always hear it, even though the BN disco says he does.

Landrum sounds like he's in all the tracks, in fact, this is an aspect I enjoy about this cd. I'm playing this cd now (quite a wakeup call at 5:45a.m.) and I really like how Landrum & Walker are supporting each other. There's a lot of sessions with congas where the congas just don't fit (Lou Donaldson's come to mind here), but in "Good Thing" they are truly moving the music forward. Of course, just keeping up with Patton and Green in part of the story on that. Great session, just gets better with each listen.

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Glad to see Hugh Walker getting props here. What a fine drummer!

Although the whole album is a groove, I think my favorite cuts are the two R&B covers. They just have a "float" to them that I keep coming back to, almost as if by compulsion. I can go into a trance listening to both of them, especially "Ain't That Peculiar". Everybody takes their time and just lets it happen. Can't beat that.

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What is there to say about this album besides the fact that it simply KICKS!?

To me jazz organ and guitar doesn't get better. Big Al makes the fine point that the session was not hurt by any ballads. This is entirely true. I love this cd so much that I bought two just in case one copy fossilizes on me over the next 300 years! :P

I generally agree about the drummer. He sure helps the session.

Funny thing about jazz organ trios: some people just can't stand them. I put this on the stereo and blasted it out. My wife said she couldn't stand it. I said, "Huh?" :wacko::eye: What sounded as music of the spheres to me sounded like some psychotic church music to her. Well what do you expect; she's from Barcelona...no I mean Thailand. ;)

Still can't figure that one out. There is a lot of organ playing in Thai clubs and such, but they aren't Big JOhn Patton!! :excited: Must be an acquired taste.

To me, if you have any living tissue then this music will appeal. It has all the passion and emotion of life itself. Now, if you're just one of the walking dead...then maybe not. ;)

This makes my top ten list for favorite jazz organ sessions; no doubt about it. It is also curious to see how Patton was able to show an identity on the organ that appeared separate to Jimmy Smith's influence. Strikes me as rare for the time; so great was that overwhelming force known as Jimmy Smith.

Big John was/is truly one of the organ greats.

Edited by connoisseur series500
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Not one I've played as much as some of the others from the Rare Groove series.

The overall impression this album communicates to me is that these musicians were having a good time playing these tunes together...it sounds like fun.

The only other Patton-led album I have is ACCENT ON THE BLUES, also one I've somewhat neglected.

I'm enjoying "Amanda" so much right now it is apparent I need to listen to GOT A GOOD THING GOIN' more. :tup I'm following it up with Lou Donaldson GOOD GRACIOUS to further my studies of Big Bad John. B)

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What I really like about Big John Patton, is that, even on the cooking numbers, he plays with a lot of space and patience. He never seems in a hurry, always sets up what he's playing very nicely. Soul Woman is a good example of what I mean. Patton is supporting Grant Green in a wonderful manner, letting Green shine, but playing with space and creativity at the same time. This is a great choice for AOW, thanks Big Al!

Edit: Boy! I have to learn how to spell someday! :blink:

Edited by Matthew
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Patton is supporting Grant Green in a wonderful manner, letting Green shine, but playing with space and creativity at the same time. This is a great choice for AOW, thanks Big Al!

That’s another thing I forgot to mention: the guitar playing of Grant Green. I know I’m in the minority when I say this, but if there’s one thing I really can’t stand about Green’s playing, it’s those times when he plays the same note for about, oh, 900 measures!!! Okay, I know that’s exaggerating it a bit (I think the number is actually closer to 700), but that just drives me nuts, ESEPCIALLY on ballads! (I’m thinking of moments from Ike Quebec’s Blue and Sentimental). Anyway, that’s a personal preference, and I know there’s a lot of people who dig that sound. But on GAGTG, that’s nowhere to be found. Just good solid lines, brimming with ideas. His comping is some of the best he’s ever done, keeping Big John on his toes (who reciprocates, natch)!

Glad you guys are digging this one. Two pages long, and it’s only Tuesday!!! Thanks for sharing my enthusiasm!

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Only one page according to my settings ...

Anywho, not much I can add to the discussion, its a terrific date for all the reasons mentioned, but it does remind me of what at the time qualified as a truly "Great Find"-Maybe three years ago, I spotted a Liberty pressing of this on ebay. The auction was headed up there, around $30 with another day to go, when I headed up to West Palm Beach for a record show. And what do I find? A very nice VG+ Liberty pressing, $12. :excited:

Man was I happy! B)

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I've had the rare groove CD version of this album for about six months now. For me, a first listen to any boogaloo album never even scratches the surface. Hey, LET 'EM ROLL even sounded like candy the first time around... :o This style never wows me until I've listened to the album a dozen times. The exception here is GRANT GREEN TALKIN' ABOUT. What a motherfucker of an album that one is.

GOT A GOOD THING GOIN' was more exciting the first time around than most, but it really took some time to sink in. Big Al makes a great point regarding Grant Green's guitar playing. His music sounds so fluid and never in contrast with Big John Patton's organ lines. Hugh Walker, absolutely. I would have loved to have heard Big John and Hugh Walker in a duet. In this session, they hook up like I can't believe.

This is a party waiting to be played. My only criticism is that the conga playing kind of dates the music. Richard Landrum can be a little hyper at times. Every once in a while I can't help but think of the Flintstones having a beach party or something crazy like that. I know, its silly, but I'm being honest. Landrum is no Chihuahua Martinez. See INVENTIONS AND DIMENSIONS.

By no means does this ruin the listen for me. Not at all. I might even enjoy it more because I find it somewhat amusing. My little secret I guess. Very good organ date. I don't own any of the Select recordings, so I am looking forward to checking it out soon!

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This record rules! Before I knew about Dusty Groove et al, I actually paid $68 for a TOJC of this title... and felt it was worth every penny! It never lets up and closes on a hot note with "Amanda".

I am very glad this is no longer so hard to find; actually my $68 copy is with my fiancee :wub: and I kept the Rare Groove of it after being unable to tell any qualitative sonic difference.

Great pick! :g

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:tup

LOVE this album! The Rare Groove is the first time I've heard this album, and I've loved it since the first listen. This is one of the few albums I've heard that truly lived up to the high rating it received in the AMG.

First and last tracks are my favorite. The last track is one of those tunes that takes me to "another place." The whole album strikes me as one where everyone sounds like they're having a great time, and that's one of the qualities that brought me to jazz in the first place. Highly recommended!

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The first time I ever heard this album was a cassette copy that a friend made for me years ago. Upon first listen, I thought the drummer was Elvin Jones, the way he was tearing up the skins!

I actually enjoy the conga playing of Landrum, especially on “The Yodel.” It just adds more fuel to an already roaring fire! Sure he’s no Chihuahua, but then who is? B) To each his own, though; I can dig it that some folks may not get into it or enjoy it as much. That’s cool.

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I've spun this twice in the last 2 days and what I can say this sucker is fantastic. Yes, they never stop creating excitement and one groove after another. It's fitting I had ribs last night for dinner ;). Hugh Walker is outstanding. But what a job with the Sam Cooke tune. My only regret was that it was 37 minutes long. Gran't lines are obviously different than what we're used to but it works.

How do you spell Yodel? Patton-eh-hoo :g:g

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