Soul Stream

Yes, I couldn't agree more. That Certain Feeling isn't only one of Patton's best...it's one of BLUE NOTE'S best!!!! Just a side note, Patton and Ponder had not played together until that day in the studio. No rehearsal, some of the tunes (all?) Patton came up with on the spot. That album is totally amazing.

Congrats Peter!

What a recording. I might sell my first born for a live recording of Patton in that era. If that's what they could do in a studio what the hell were they doing live?!!!!!

you know ya'll are right. I should have thought a little more about it. I'm familiar (all too) with all those albums. That said the Reuben and Patterson are still some of the best organ jazz records ever and I think Coleman makes a huge contribution to both. Can't say the same for Lean On Me as that is more of a commercial session obviously.

Yeah, but can she play pedals?

Perhaps it's time for a drive in the country.... Seriously though, from a guy who lives next to a yellow lab that whines all day while the owner is gone. It's a drag. Dogs are seiously social animals, and if you're gone all day five days a week that's a lot of alone time for a dog.

Yeah, Lon I don't know what happened...Waterloo is usually FULL retail price on everything it seems. And I agree, I HATE the way Waterloo is set up with no sections. There' no browsing there unless you want to look through every genre of music. They're kind of on their high horse over there anyway. Everyone that works there hates customers, they all seem to be missing band practice during their shift.

That sounds about right. Although he loved playing his old stuff so that probably wasn't what was bumming him out. Usually bad drummers and bad organs did that to Big John. Of course, hard to say without being there. I remember the band as being slightly sub-standard but not THAT sub-standard; they certainly knew all the tunes and were American, not British. I reckon the promoter would have had to pay for John's own organ to come over with him. If you're prepared to fly the man over the Atlantic for one night - there must have been two or three thousand there and not cheap to get in, 15 pounds I think, so this was a real money-maker - you can afford to bring a B3 &etc. MG I'll have to ask John's widow Thelma about it. I remember him saying he went to England once or twice in the 90's but he didn't say much more than that. I remember he seemed proud that he got some recognition there at the time.

That sounds about right. Although he loved playing his old stuff so that probably wasn't what was bumming him out. Usually bad drummers and bad organs did that to Big John. Of course, hard to say without being there.

You see where Lonnie and Joey DeFrancesco are doing a 2 Hammond concert to air on PBS this spring???!!!!!!

Hey, I never said that! I said that Michael Cuscuna didn't have much of a feel for Soul Jazz. I would NEVER say that about BJP! MG Sorry, I thought you went insane for a second. Now, to send some thugs to Cuscuna's place. Also, Jim to what you were talking about.... Many listeners, musicians, critics, ect.... don't quite understand how completely individual and complex some of Patton's music is. Only an organist could appreciate the left and right hand independence of the whole "That Certain Feeling" LP. THAT is some ridiculously tough shit. And UNDERSTANDING....I mean, that's a freakin' DUO plus horn more or less! When Patton plays it's just him and drums and he's playing all over that thing. Memphis To NY Spirit is so far removed from what other organ grinders were up to it's a joke...I mean covering Wayne Shorter tunes and stuff like Steno and The Mandingo?!!! Come on!!!! That thing's a masterpiece. Every album he did was a completely different journey. As much as a LOVE McDuff and JOS....their records were all more or less the same. Patton was a Chameleon...I mean, listen to Along Came John and then put on Memphis To New York Spirit.

I gotta find a copy of that. Check this Jim.... Ebay Listing Also, if you can find it....Check out the 2 Jimmy Ponder Muse LPs Patton plays on from the late 80's. GREAT stuff. If you don't think Patton can play listen to their Latin version of "You Stepped Out Of A Dream" from Jimmy Poner's JUMP on Muse.

Memphis To New York Spirit is EVERY bit as good (maybe better?) than Accent On The Blues imho. Also, Patton had no feel for Soul Jazz? Hell, he was one of the founders. Every recording John Patton did on Blue Note was a masterpiece. Each was individual. No organist had more growth and diversity on record over a 8 year period than Patton did during his Blue Note tenure. Personally, I think Memphis To New York Spirit is perhaps the best record he ever did in many ways. However, I refuse to compare his output to itself since each recording is part of a career that is one of the greatest in organ history. Patton still doesn't get the respect he deserves. His recordings haven't been dissected as have Young's or JOS by most people. I have, in my own small way, dissected and analyzed his recordings and always find them stylistically some of the most difficult jazz organ recordings ever made.

Lon, oddly enough these things are at Waterloo for $8.99. I only picked up the Hawkins since it was the only one I didn't have, so I can't A/B. Sounded great to my ears though.

I'm not sure. He's on the rest of the album although not all cuts have a horn. He plays flute and soprano on some stuff too. Sounds great!

Bought this yesterday. I'm kind of hit or miss with Joey as far as his recorded output. Some like "Plays Sinatra His Way" I find I listen to a lot. Others, not much. Organic Vibes is great. Hutcherson and Coleman really make this a special item in Joey's catalog. Joey is Joey...burning on all four cylanders all the time, a true master, unbelievable. But, the old timers kind of open this up in a way you'd expect. Highly recommended. (P.S...Coleman is on just 2 tracks and I wish he was on all of them. He only played with another organist on Patton's "Memphis To NY Spirit" and he sounds great with organ) P.S...the only thing I find a little destracting on the recording (and probably only Jim would even notice) is that they've eq'd the key click up so much it's distracting. Almost more key click than note. But just a small quibble. Great album)

I'm skipping around a bit in the book. Like the Grant Green book, it's nice to have anything that relates to these guys (and it's nice that it comes from Horace himself). However, I wish it were more detailed. His most famous units just get cursory acknowledgment, yet we get an earful about spiritual mediums and the like. It's a nice book, because it's Horace. But details of the music and players are just not there.

As much of a pedal enthusiast as I am....as Jack McDuff said "The pedals don't swing enough to be played by themselves. To swing you have to play left hand bass." In that, I totally agree. Although to hear someone like Rhoda Scott or Lou Bennett, they're killing the pedals. But, to me, the pedal sound itself is just too heavy. The stops on the manual allow a more realistic bass sound for the left hand. I'm a fan of pedal bass in the sense that I'm just a fan of the organ. But, in fact, pedal bass is very limited in modern jazz organ outside of ballads and fortifying the left hand. Because anyway you cut it, foot basslines by their very nature have to be very chromatic as opposed to the left hand which gives you much better facility.

Lee Morgan on the "Moanin'" LP is still the beginning and end for me.

What a disappointment this whole dream/coma scenario is. It's like "Who Shot J.R."...is the next episode gonna open with Bobby Ewing in the shower?

When are people gonna wake up to Fathead. Man, this guy's the last of a vanishing breed. We live in a world so consumed with Coltrane-ism that players like Newman get/got/will get lost in the shuffle (literally). Fathead may be the last guy on the face of the earth who can play like this. His tribute to Ray Charles shouldn't be dismissed either Jim if you're going down this path.

Same here. I just hauled mine up 20 stairs for an upstairs gig.

Commiting yourself to jazz organ is a physical commitment no pianist can concieve. Hauling around a B3 in this day and age seems downright silly to most musicians, especially when everyone else is carrying 10 lbs. of equipment. And you're right. The organ is a very limited niche instrument. Not appreciated by most restaurants and many "jazz" venues. You ARE better off playing piano from a financial and physical standpoint...but not a spiritual one.

Lonnie's a genius AND the coolest. When are the powers that be at Downbeat gonna realize that and put him on the top of the Organist poll?!!! Also, we need a Downbeat cover of Lonnie with an indepth article....(Maybe I should call Waxpoetics)