Soul Stream

I may be very passionate about these guys...oh well, there are worse things.

If I sat down and said..."Let's go through all these McGriff albums...," then we'd certainly find some we liked better than others (and that's not static, WE change over the years and appreciate some things more than others at different times in our lives). I'm not talking about that sort of thing. I'm talking about people who say "Groove Holmes is BETTER than McGriff. Patton is BETTER than McDuff. Ect." Look, there are a handful of recognized greats of jazz organ. That list doesn't really change, and never will. So for this guy to diminish McGriff in any way after his passing seems lame. Maybe only another organist can fully appreciate McGriff's greatness. Like I said earlier, put on "Live At The Apollo" and listen to his BASS solo on "There Will Never Be Another You." THAT is true greatness on the organ. Put on his KILLER version of "The Way You Look Tonight"...put on "The Worm"...put on "I Got A Woman" or "All About My Girl"...that stuff is the Mount Rushmore of Organ Jazz alonside Groove's "Misty"...Smith's "Blues For J". ,ect...

ANY McGriff is GREAT organ...period! Relatively speaking, those guys (the Legends) just were head and shoulders above the rest. There are really good organ players (Sonny Phillips comes to mind, and many others), and then there is McGriff, McDuff, Patton, JOS, JHS, Young, ect., you get the idea. The legends just blow doors and everyone else is wallpaper. McGriff was one of THE guys. To recognize anything less is stupid.

I liked Jimmy McGriff but I was never a huge fan. A tad too much funk and filler for me on many albums whereas Groove Holmes, Brother Jack McDuff and Charles Earland were in it to win it on nearly everything they played. ...Marc Myers lost me straight at the beginning with that quote. Also thought his Top 10 McGriff tune picks were'nt what I'd choose fo' sho'...but

I can't remember his name. I do remember he said he was from Chicago. I think he was just in town visiting....

Small world.... I had a gig last night and just played all Jimmy McGriff tunes for the first set. Not but a handful of people in the club. There was a group of 10 or so black folks sitting at a table, and at the end of the set... one of the dudes from the group came up and said "Thanks for doing that, I played guitar with McGriff for 2 years in the 80's."

Thanks Jim, awesome blindfold test. I was surprised at how often he guessed Leon Spencer Jr., that was very interesting from my perspective.

Spider Man is my favorite Vibes album EVER! Period! Call me a loser...a Milt, Bobby, Walt, ect. hater. The SOUND of Freddie's Deagan Vibes on that album is just the shit. I LOVE Everything Freddie Ever did. Check him out the on Johnny Hammond Smith Prestige stuff too...

Man... I love McGriff. If I could get that percussion tone he got on the Solid State stuff, I'd be in heaven EXACTLY JIM!!!!! Lonnie, Leon, Mel, Trudy, Gloria, Ceasar Frazier, Bobby Watley, .... but the original Giants have now offically all left the building...

Man...Jimmy McGriff dies, one of the handful of genuine greats of the Hammond, and we can't get more than a few people chiming in...sad...I thought this place was called Organissimo. WTF. Long live Jimmy's music...man, he was a bad dude. Put on "Let's Stay Together" and reflect on what a bad MF he was.

Wow, this is really devestating news. I just had an e-mail exchange with his wife last week. I asked her if I could write Jimmy and letter, she was very nice about it and said she would read it to Jimmy at the nursing home he was in. I was going to write the letter this evening and mail it in the morning.... Everyone should put on "Live At The Apollo" and listen to Jimmy's bass solo on "There Will Never Be Another You." He was just ASTONISHING in EVERY respect. Nobody swung that B3 like McGriff. I'm SAD.

I think if the whole jam band scene hadn't heard any other music other than this 2LP, it would be exactly where it is today I totally agree. I was listening to this a couple of days ago and thought the same exact thing.

Sorry Jim.

Wow...didn't know he went to North Texas State University. That's where I went....

Wally Richardson "Soul Guru"

Big score for me at a little local record store that didn't know what they had... Buddy Terry "Natural Soul, Natural Woman" on Prestige w/Larry Young on organ "Preview Copy"...a rare record almost IMPOSSIBLE to find...VG+....THREE BUCKS! Lou Donaldson "The Scorpion" LP 5 bucks. Wally Richardson "Soul Guru" 2 dollars Billy Butler "Guitar Soul" 7 bucks ....NICE....

I feel like I was in good company with Chuck and Kenny Washington....

Yes...John's middle name was Eugene. I didn't see the title you were talking about. But I found it interesting there was a copyright for "Mary Louis" in 1962. John told me that was the original title for the song "Funky Mama," it was the name of his first wife.

Thanks for the review Jim! Cabell is great...I'm in full alignment ...

Really sad news. God bless Jimmy.... Man it's sad to see the golden era of the organ come to an end...

Seems like I've known this for a while. Think it's been posted on McGriff's website. I think they even mention an address at the nursing home in case you wanted to send a letter.... One of the greatest that'll ever touch the B3.

You've just described the perfect qualifications for today's country superstars!!!! Yeah Lon, I like Syesha quite a lot too. The story about her father passing away in a car wreck the day before her audition was pretty heart-wrenching.

Oh well...my pick got the boot tonight. Not surprising. Didn't think she sounded very good on her farewell performance at the end of the show. I have no doubt she's got a contract hot off the press from SOMEBODY in the country arena with a hit song ready for her to record. Like Paula said at the CMT awards this year...feels like a AI reunion (with Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler cleaning up)....I think Cook's headed for the same destination perhaps. Yeah Lon, I dig Siesha (?sp) too...she's almost a little TOO good looking for her own good if you know what I mean ( you could say the same about Cook too I think). I don't really have much of a fav anymore. But I will say Brooke really gets on my nerves.... a little too ready-for-the-muppet-show-guestspot. She cries at the drop of a hat...maybe a soap opera is in her future if the "Tapestry" thing don't work out...

Hope they come down South!

My pick to be this year's winner has always been Kristy Lee Cook. Even though the judges always seem to bash her and she's usually in the bottom 3 each week. She's marketable, has a great country voice and fits the bill for the C&W crowd. She could be selling a million next year if they put her together with the right producer and record label. David "the Rocker guy" is good too, but I have a personal hesitancy about rock singers being produced and fabricated. David Archellto (?sp) is good in a sort of Disney-soundtrack-singer/teenage-Celine thing. I watch this show every season, cause it's the only prime-time show we can watch as a family. My 9 and 12 year olds dig it and so I try and dig it too. Great band on that show.