Your favourite "minor" organists

[Man with the Golden Arm]

Any of you heard of Antonello Vannucchi? I'm sure everybody has heard him though.

The more I listen to, what some might call semi-cheesy, Italian film music (morricone excluded, please) the more I see this guy on just about everything from the early sixties onward. I even find he is on a new record by Daniel Luppi (?) that pays hommage to stinky frommage.

[JSngry]

James Brown. Limited finger technique, but he could freak on the organ with what he had.

Oh man, well... interesting note choices, that's fer sure!

James, leave that poor organ alone! You oughta be ashamed of yourself!

Understood, believe me, but there's a few things here and there where all the action is in varying the stops and working the volume pedal, and that stuff is amazing. Very much coming from the Gospel Organ bag.

Check out the Baby Lloyd cut on the WB Loma anthology for a prime example.

[Chas]

Trudy Pitts also fits into this thread based on her first two Prestige sides , though her singing on some tracks is NOT for me !

Most of the tunes from the first two Prestiges are on a " Legends of Acid Jazz " CD from Fantasy with the psychedelic cover art of that series . This is a shame , because that first Prestige lp has a terrific covershot of Ms. Pitts :

Edit to replace broken image link

Edited November 16, 2007 by Chas

[fasstrack]

I heard a lot about Bobby Forrester from Adam Scone, who said Bobby was his favorite NYC organist to go watch. Also sat in with Bobby's longtime drummer Tootsie Bean and a tenor player at Showman's lounge right after Bobby's death. Guess Bobby had been playing that gig for a long time and they were still limping along with fill-in organists. You could tell the tenor player was bummed and missing Bobby, he said Bobby was THE a-list go to organist in NYC...knew every tune ever written, huge ears, swung hard, on and on.

I also heard this same sort of story concerning the great but mostly unknown Billy Gardner. Supposedly in the 60's he had ALL the organ gigs wrapped up in NYC.

Had to be Jerry Weldon. In fact I know that to be true, as they played Showman's together for years. That's where i first heard and met Bobby, in fact. They were like two peas in a pod. And given that, who wouldn't be bummed?

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

James Brown. Limited finger technique, but he could freak on the organ with what he had.

Oh man, well... interesting note choices, that's fer sure!

James, leave that poor organ alone! You oughta be ashamed of yourself!

Understood, believe me, but there's a few things here and there where all the action is in varying the stops and working the volume pedal, and that stuff is amazing. Very much coming from the Gospel Organ bag.

Check out the Baby Lloyd cut on the WB Loma anthology for a prime example.

JB's stuff on some of the "Today & yesterday" tracks is great. And some of the grooves are way in advance of what he was doing as a vocalist at the time - eg "Oh baby don't you weep" which prefigures "Doin' it to death". Oh, and his organ playing on "Funky drummer" is not to be missed - the full take.

The thing that always amuses me about this is that JB's ambition was to imitate Jimmy Smiff.

What's the Loma anthology, Jim?

MG

[mikeweil]

How about German organist Ingfried Hoffmann? Made some recordings with Klaus Doldinger back in the 1960s in a Jimmy Smith-ish style. Wonder what became of him?

I think he did mostly studio and TV work, writing and playing, in Hamburg. I even saw him play organ in the role of George Frederic Handel in a hilarious film after an Alejo Carperntier novel.

Edited February 13, 2006 by mikeweil

[Jim Alfredson]

The thing that always amuses me about this is that JB's ambition was to imitate Jimmy Smiff.

Jimmy Smiff was a much better organist than Jimmy Smurf.

[king ubu]

How about German organist Ingfried Hoffmann? Made some recordings with Klaus Doldinger back in the 1960s in a Jimmy Smith-ish style. Wonder what became of him?

I think he did mostly studio and TV work, writing and playing, in Hamburg. I even saw him play organ in the role of George Frederic Handel in a hilarious film after an Alejo Carperntier novel.

There was a film done out of that book??? "Barocknovelle" is it's german title - much fun to read!

I second Emmanuel Bex mentioned above!

[JSngry]

.

What's the Loma anthology, Jim?

This thing. Well worth a checkout.

Anybody heard Bu Pleasant? I got one Muse side by here, and her occasional singing ain't none too cool, but she sounds like a very decent organist to me. Plus, you gots yer Harold Vick and yer Ted Dunbar and yer Freddie Waits.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

.

What's the Loma anthology, Jim?

This thing. Well worth a checkout.

Anybody heard Bu Pleasant? I got one Muse side by here, and her occasional singing ain't none too cool, but she sounds like a very decent organist to me. Plus, you gots yer Harold Vick and yer Ted Dunbar and yer Freddie Waits.

I've got that, too. It's great. She was a fantastic organist by the sound of this LP, but it's the only recording she ever made. She had the kind of hard life that most of us would crumple under; several times.

Pete Fallico has posted her story here:

http://www.doodlinlounge.com/Stories/Pleasant.html

MG

[sidewinder]

I think he did mostly studio and TV work, writing and playing, in Hamburg. I even saw him play organ in the role of George Frederic Handel in a hilarious film after an Alejo Carperntier novel.

Interesting - thanks ! I noticed that Dusty have been listing this Ingfried Hoffmann CD (currently out of stock). Very Germanic cover.. -_-

Quote Mr Dusty:

"Heavy Hammond funk -- but from the 60s German scene! Memphis Black was the pseudonym of Ingfried Hoffmann -- quite possibly the best organ player on the continent in the 60s -- an artist known well through his soundtrack and sound library sessions, as well as his killer contributions to the Klaus Doldinger combo! As you might guess from the title, this set's got a definite Memphis soul groove -- one that references the Stax sound of Booker T & The MGs, but which also takes off in a way that's got more of the mod and groovy touches of German and British albums from the time. The combo is spare, small, and tight -- really snapping with some great beats behind some of the best tracks on the set -- an aspect that's made the album a favorite with break collectors for years. Includes the mighty funk track "Why Don't You Play The Organ Man" -- plus the cuts "Sister Aretha", "Whole Lotta Woman", "Soul Man", "Hey Joe", "Chain Of Fools", "Soul Finger", and "Gimme Little Sign". "

I wish they wouldn't do such low-key reviews..

Edited February 13, 2006 by sidewinder

[mikeweil]

How about German organist Ingfried Hoffmann? Made some recordings with Klaus Doldinger back in the 1960s in a Jimmy Smith-ish style. Wonder what became of him?

I think he did mostly studio and TV work, writing and playing, in Hamburg. I even saw him play organ in the role of George Frederic Handel in a hilarious film after an Alejo Carperntier novel.

There was a film done out of that book??? "Barocknovelle" is it's german title - much fun to read!

The German title was "Barockkonzert" - like the original, "Concierto Barroco". I'd give something to see that again - it's gathering dust in the WDR vaults. "Montezuma" was the movie title, after the (then lost, but meanwhile rediscovered) Vivaldi opera that inspired Carpentier.

[paul secor]

.

What's the Loma anthology, Jim?

This thing. Well worth a checkout.

Ashamed to admit I've had this on the shelf for longer at least 6 or 7 years, and it's never been played - still sealed. A friend picked it up for me as a cutout, and it's one of those things I've never gotten around to listening to. It will get listened to shortly. Thanks for the kick in the butt - I need that more than occasionally.

[paul secor]

I'll throw Augie Meyers' name in - hope no one objects to a non-jazz organist getting a mention. If Doug Sahm was the soul of the Sir Douglas Quintet, Augie was the heart.

[paul secor]

James Brown. Limited finger technique, but he could freak on the organ with what he had.

Oh man, well... interesting note choices, that's fer sure!

James, leave that poor organ alone! You oughta be ashamed of yourself!

Understood, believe me, but there's a few things here and there where all the action is in varying the stops and working the volume pedal, and that stuff is amazing. Very much coming from the Gospel Organ bag.

Check out the Baby Lloyd cut on the WB Loma anthology for a prime example.

That Baby Lloyd side is a good one, with some wild JB organ. Interesting how JB ripped off the bass/guitar line from Hank Ballard's "Teardrops on My Pillow" and used it throughout this record.

Incidentally, Hank Ballard hated "Teardrops on My Pillow". The other side of that 45 was "The Twist", written by Hank Ballard. "Teardrops" was composed by Henry Glover, and King Records pushed that as the A-side, while "The Twist" was ignored. (Except by Chubby Checker's record company, who covered it and got the glory and $$$$.) I hope that Hank made out on the royalties, but given the history of ripoffs in the record biz, I doubt it.

[lkaven]

I recorded one set of Bobby Forrester at Smalls with Bubba Brooks and William Ash and hope to have that out before too long. I really thought Bobby was great and we were planning a record before his death. Many thanks to the selfless Lou Erlanger for putting out Organic Chemistry as a labor of love.

Luke

[king ubu]

How about German organist Ingfried Hoffmann? Made some recordings with Klaus Doldinger back in the 1960s in a Jimmy Smith-ish style. Wonder what became of him?

I think he did mostly studio and TV work, writing and playing, in Hamburg. I even saw him play organ in the role of George Frederic Handel in a hilarious film after an Alejo Carperntier novel.

There was a film done out of that book??? "Barocknovelle" is it's german title - much fun to read!

The German title was "Barockkonzert" - like the original, "Concierto Barroco". I'd give something to see that again - it's gathering dust in the WDR vaults. "Montezuma" was the movie title, after the (then lost, but meanwhile rediscovered) Vivaldi opera that inspired Carpentier.

Oh, yes, -konzert! That sounds like something worth checking out! Let's hope they dust it off one day!

[mikeb]

I picked up the Hoffman CD from the Groove ... I guess the review from the DGA website is pretty close to what's on the disc. Definitely made me think of Booker T. and the bunch.

Anyway, from my brief scan of the recent liner notes (not sure when they were written), Hoffman gave up the organ but is still active in Colgone.

[paul secor]

Anyone here familiar with Arturo "Sauce" Gonzalez? He played on a couple of Doug Sahm records - played a short but tasty solo on "When I Fall in Love" off The Last Real Texas Blues Band. I'd like to hear more - if there is more.

[Jim Alfredson]

I recorded one set of Bobby Forrester at Smalls with Bubba Brooks and William Ash and hope to have that out before too long. I really thought Bobby was great and we were planning a record before his death. Many thanks to the selfless Lou Erlanger for putting out Organic Chemistry as a labor of love.

Luke

What's going on with this?

[Soul Stream]

Anyone here familiar with Arturo "Sauce" Gonzalez? He played on a couple of Doug Sahm records - played a short but tasty solo on "When I Fall in Love" off The Last Real Texas Blues Band. I'd like to hear more - if there is more.

I know "Sauce" a little bit. He used to come out to my gig occassionally when I played in San Antonio. Super nice guy and real supportive. I always asked him to sit in, but he said he hadn't played the bassline stuff in so long he didn't feel up to it. "Sauce" is a real San Antonio legend and garners a lot of respect in these parts. He plays "Funky Mama" and some other stuff like that on "The West Side Horns" CD which was put out on the Dialtone label. "Sauce" also played a pretty famous solo on the orginal "Talk To Me" I believe, although I could be wrong.

[paul secor]

Anyone here familiar with Arturo "Sauce" Gonzalez? He played on a couple of Doug Sahm records - played a short but tasty solo on "When I Fall in Love" off The Last Real Texas Blues Band. I'd like to hear more - if there is more.

I know "Sauce" a little bit. He used to come out to my gig occassionally when I played in San Antonio. Super nice guy and real supportive. I always asked him to sit in, but he said he hadn't played the bassline stuff in so long he didn't feel up to it. "Sauce" is a real San Antonio legend and garners a lot of respect in these parts. He plays "Funky Mama" and some other stuff like that on "The West Side Horns" CD which was put out on the Dialtone label. "Sauce" also played a pretty famous solo on the orginal "Talk To Me" I believe, although I could be wrong.

Thanks for the feedback, Soul Stream. I'm pretty sure that Sauce Gonzales didn't play on Little Willie John's original "Talk To Me", but Sunny Ozuna, a Texas performer, did another hit version in the early 60's, and he could well have played organ on that one.

I'll have to seek out that West Side Horns CD.

Edited August 19, 2006 by paul secor

[Soul Stream]

Anyone here familiar with Arturo "Sauce" Gonzalez? He played on a couple of Doug Sahm records - played a short but tasty solo on "When I Fall in Love" off The Last Real Texas Blues Band. I'd like to hear more - if there is more.

I know "Sauce" a little bit. He used to come out to my gig occassionally when I played in San Antonio. Super nice guy and real supportive. I always asked him to sit in, but he said he hadn't played the bassline stuff in so long he didn't feel up to it. "Sauce" is a real San Antonio legend and garners a lot of respect in these parts. He plays "Funky Mama" and some other stuff like that on "The West Side Horns" CD which was put out on the Dialtone label. "Sauce" also played a pretty famous solo on the orginal "Talk To Me" I believe, although I could be wrong.

Thanks for the feedback, Soul Stream. I'm pretty sure that Sauce Gonzales didn't play on Little Willie John's original "Talk To Me", but Sunny Ozuna, a Texas performer, did another hit version in the early 60's, and he could well have played organ on that one.

I'll have to seek out that West Side Horns CD.

Oh yeah, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to say the Little Willie John cut. It is the Sunny Ozuna one...

[JohnS]

Knowing I'm a bit of an organ fan a friend gave me a cd by French(? ) organ player Patrick Villanueva. I feared the worst but played it to be polite, in fact it was far more interesting than I expected. Not the soul licks I expected.

[lkaven]

I recorded one set of Bobby Forrester at Smalls with Bubba Brooks and William Ash and hope to have that out before too long.[...]

Luke

What's going on with this?

I want to put it out, but the task of handling the rights is a bit daunting. Perhaps Lou Erlanger can help to simplify it. I'll talk to him and see where we can take it from there. Eventually...one way or another. Bobby was a personal favorite of mine.