"this is the place"
by organissimo
... coming out this week is the second release by organissimo, "this is the place" ... a self-produced cd from the lansing michigan based trio. organissimo is a popular bar band that has expanded to larger clubs and festivals in the midwest... we bring this dynamic trio to the world ....this week on radioioJAZZ...
... usually skeptical when i hear the words 'organ trio', i will give a listen because i find it interesting to check how organists build a whole cd within the trio format. please don't misunderstand me. i love jazz played on the hammond and perform with my own xk2. but to build an entire album that will maintain the interest of a broad listener population can be problematic. this challenge creates no problem for organissimo...
... organissimo consists mainly of three players... organ, drums, and guitar...
the organist is 28 year old jim alfredson. encouraged by his father who himself was a professional musician, jim began writing songs on a yamaha organ at the age of eight.
... joe gloss is the guitarist. also from lansing, the 35 year old began early with bluegrass and switched to jazz in 1990'a...
... the drummer for organissimo, randy marsh, is known as the '1st call drummer of choice' on the michigan jazz scene. alfredson and gloss sought out the 55 year old drummer to perform with them ... marsh brings fire and intensity to the foundation of the trio... as well as a great sense of humor and harmonica...
... the result is funk, blues, and jazz... organissimo's "this is the place" is serious fun. each track highlights the player's individual talents. be careful as you listen though... you can get wrapped so heavily within the groove that the individual solos seamlessly enter the mix before you realize it. each player crafts and expresses melodically within the context. groove is common ground... but when played by masterful musicians who integrate their own voice, the results are special. the musicianship of the players and the unique sound of this trio 'nudged' me to pick this album for this week's feature ...
... an organ trio with organ, drums, and guitar playing 'funk' will leave skeptics yelling "oh yeah? what about the bass?". when 'funk' works, the bass and drums have to talk with each other with punch. alfredson and marsh handle this problem beautifully. listen to the track "play nice"... the hook and beat will grab your ears then gloss's guitar will provide the upper melody... then alfredson kicks in his own lead. your attention span will never be challenged... this formula works for the 'trademark' sound of organissimo...
... "smoking section" is a heart pumpin tune that also showcases the solo ability of alfredson and gloss... don't miss randy marsh's harmonica on "brother ray" ...
... check out organissimo's web site at www.organissimo.org. learn more about this trio and purchase your own copy of "this is the place" ...
~ Dr. Mike - radioiojazz.com