Soul Stream

Anyway you could scan that Jim or find a link to it?

How ya gonna get it down the stairs Bucky? Lonnie told me that the cartage guys have to turn it sideways to get it in there.

Melvin Sparks Interview some interesting stuff about "back in the day"....

I think get "shut out" meant a lot of things for famous jazz organists in 1982.... Dr. Lonnie Smith was I think playing piano in lounges in Hawaii about that time. McDuff continued to play chitlin' circuit clubs for not much prestige or bread. John Patton was religated to playing Newark, New Jersey at a place called Sparky J's. with Eddie Gladden and Jimmy Ponder. Jimmy Smith had shut his dinner club and was the only guy doing much of anything in the 80's. We forget, until the organ revival of the 90's when Lou Donaldson brought Dr. Lonnie Smith with him....there had NEVER even been an organ IN the Village Vanguard! So for Groove to be disenchanted in 1982 makes a lot of sense. Organs were getting "shut out" everywhere (and still do). Not a legitimate "jazz" instrument for high dollar clubs back then, and jazz clubs were becoming extinct all over the country. It's a shame. Man, those guys paid dues on the organ that no one ever will again.

Really? No kidding? And are some playing synchoronized left hand/pedal? Yes. Your left hand is your bass. Pedals accent. Ballads. Chord w/one hand, melody with the other, Left foot plays the pedals. Look...maybe this will say it better....tale of 3 organists... Lonnie Smith-ghosts his left hand a lot with the bass pedals and really plays the pedals A LOT. Jimmy Smith-taps 2 or 3 unrelated pedals to accent the left hand bass. Lays on the occassional pedal to "make a statement" Melvin Rhyne-saw him play all night and he had his foot kicked up under the stool. Never touched the pedals at all except on a ballad. My point is this...3 Master organists playing varying degrees of pedals...from none to a lot. And they ALL sounded great. What did they have in common? Great left hand bass. They all know how to play pedals, (hell, they're master organists)...but the pedals are overrated by the general audience and critics and always have been. Pedals are "sexy."

Yes! Crazy.... Jim, sounds like you could do bass pedal solos with the way you get around. I've seen people do them but more in a "gimmick" way. Not actually taking choruses of bass pedal solos on different uptempo tunes, ect. usually it's a bass pedal feature on a medium funk tune (I do this sometimes but just out of feel, not something I sit and work out. Couldn't make it interesting for 10 choruses). Still, I always hear people talk about...pedals, pedals, pedals...people have pedal fascination. But 90% is still left hand bass. Not easy at all to get that steady pulse in your left hand and flail away with your right. People seem to not understand that and don't give that ability the respect it deserves. Pedals can be learned. Left hand bass is either you're born with it or not imho.

Man, the skating rink reference always bugs the hell out of me. Put on Jimmy mith's "Root Down" instead and tell them to bite your ass.

How come all the "lurkers" on the lurker thread have more than 1000-8000 posts each.... B-)

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.

My last "real job" was working on Beavis and Butthead believe it or not. As you can tell, it's been a while...

Ouch.

I'm jealous...and organist with pianist envy (more gigs)

I used to DJ when I was a kid and also got started helping another DJ. I always knew I could make more as a DJ than a musician, no contest. Nothing's changed, but I'd still rather play and make 1/4 less. If you want to make MONEY, music ain't were it's at for the majority of us. We knew that going in. But COME ON,...I ain't askin' for much...just a little bit o' justice for the working man.

Jack McDuff..."Tough Duff"...great album with Lem Winchester on vibes. No guitar so it's a very clear sound of the two.

The Boss maybe Smith's BEST recording ever. Know it's not been on any lists, but it's the recording that brings his viruousity together to the point where's it's ridiculous. GET IT!

Honestly, I've probably got a lot better Hill sitting on my shelf rarely, if ever, played. However, I do DIG that first tune on there and Hill on organ sound like it might be interesting.

I'm always grateful when people come out to a gig. I always think "Hey, they could be sitting at have watching t.v. like everyone else."

Doug Watkins. Lee Morgan. Art Blakey. Sonny Clark. AND Tina Brooks. That's my dream team. My Hardbop heros. I wish I could learn every note played by everybody on this recording. THAT would be time well spent. And I love the song selection here. The blues shuffle Nutville, nice cookers in The Way You Look Tonight and Star Eyes. Two of my favorite tunes that have masterful readings here. Minor move has some nice harmonic movement that reminds me what I love so much about this era's hardbop songwriting. A nice easy swing here by Art. Everything happens to me...Tina's bringing you his LIFE on this song.... Check out Lee on this and what Doug and Art are doing behind him, super-hip and slick. Then Sonny...he's singing on this one...very little flourish. Which is one of the reasons I love Sonny so much on ballads. Classic

Personally, I see a lot of youger people are into that's "stripped down and folksy," at least as perceived by them. Stuff with just guitar and drums....guitar only and vocals. A lot of this stuff is "faux folk" and blues....but it sends me the signal they yearn for something they're not getting from the mass media version of entertainment.

Hey Lon, that's my buddy Derek (guess you knew that )! Just had lunch w/ him yesterday, have to tell him he's famous now on the web.

Nice sentiment, but about 20 years too late, unfortunately. Face it - we're analog dinosaurs in a digital era. We and what we offer are no longer interesting, much less relevant, to the lifestyles and mindsets of the vast majority of the world of today and the forseeable future. The days of people being entertained by real people doing things that they might admire and/or aspire to are over. Machines and ready-made servings of the past do that now, when it's even wanted. More often than not, though, what's wanted is something, anything, that they can either laugh at and feel superior to or at some level identify with as something they themselves could do w/o too much effort. The trend has been in place for quite a while, but I fear that the point of no return has long been passed. Extintion being the evolutionary process that it is, this ain't gonna happen all at once, nor all over, but the trend is obvious. We're dead, finished, obsolete, a relic of a culture and a mindset of a day gone by. Stay in the game, by all means, it's who we are and what we do, and Goddammit, we're GOOD at it, but realize how we fit into the overall picture. Hate to be such a drag, but that's the way I see it. I think the same way Jim to a degree. But, then again, when people do get a chance to see somebody doing something real and unique....they REALLY dig it. We are the ying to the robotic digital world's yang. We might be better off than we imagine several years down the road. I feel a backlash might happen. Maybe just wishful thinking, but "keep hope alive!"

Sometimes I'm thinking about jazz, but my fingers keep layin' on the fudge.

FINE I'M SHUTTING IT DOWN!!! OBVIOUSLY SOME PEOPLE CAN'T HAVE FUN!!!1 IT TURNS OUT YOU ARE THE ONE WHO BRINGS THE BOARD TO CHAOS. You know. I'm going to say it. I always thought Jazz Kat is really Aric.

I also said "organ playing"...

There are many more reason to hate Vanilla Fudge, but that's a good one. To add insult to injury. After a gig a few weeks back, a dude (yes, he really was dude-ish) came up and said my organ playing reminded him of Vanilla Fudge. Damn...one guy says I suck and the other guy digs my Vanilla Fudge licks....arrrgh.