Organ trio

Last updated
Jazz organist Jimmy Smith at a show in Italy in 1994; the sax and drumkit of the other trio members can be seen in this picture. Jimmy Oscar Smith Hammond.JPG
Jazz organist Jimmy Smith at a show in Italy in 1994; the sax and drumkit of the other trio members can be seen in this picture.

An organ trio is a form of jazz ensemble consisting of three musicians; a Hammond organ player, a drummer, and either a jazz guitarist or a saxophone player. In some cases the saxophonist will join a trio which consists of an organist, guitarist, and drummer, making it a quartet. [1] Organ trios were a popular type of jazz ensemble for club and bar settings in the 1950s and 1960s, performing a blues-based style of jazz that incorporated elements of R&B. [2] The organ trio format was characterized by long improvised solos and an exploration of different musical "moods". [2]

Contents

In organ trios, the Hammond organist plays several roles, including playing the basslines (either on the bass pedalboard or on the lower manual of the organ), playing chords ("comping"), and playing lead melodic lines and solos. In organ trios with a guitarist, the guitarist usually 'fills in' the musical parts that the organist is not performing. For example, if the organist is soloing and playing a bassline, the guitarist may play chords.

Organ trios of the 1950s and 1960s often played soul jazz, a groove-infused style that incorporated blues, gospel and rhythm and blues. 1970s-era organ trios such as Tony Williams' band Lifetime played jazz-rock fusion. In the 1990s and 2000s, organ trios such as Medeski, Martin and Wood and Soulive became involved in the burgeoning jamband scene.

History

Pre-1950s

While jazz musicians such as Fats Waller and Count Basie explored the use of organ in jazz ensembles in the 1920s and 1930s, it was not until the late 1940s that Hammond players such as Wild Bill Davis pioneered the organ trio format. Musicians such as Davis and the Milt Herth Trio realized that the amplified Hammond B3 organ "put the power of a full-sized big band in the hands of one musician", with the rotating Leslie speaker-equipped amplified cabinet adding a room-filling, "king-sized sound." [3]

1950s–1960s

In the 1950s and 1960s, the organ trio became a common musical ensemble in bars and taverns in the US, especially in downtown areas of major cities. Organ trios used the powerful amplified sound of the Hammond organ, and its ability to fill multiple musical roles (basslines, chords, and lead lines), to fill a bar or club with a volume of sound that would have previously required a much larger ensemble. While bar owners liked this money-saving aspect of the organ trio, the format also had a number of musical advantages. The organ trio was a more intimate, smaller ensemble, which facilitated communication between musicians, and allowed more freedom for spontaneous changes of mood or tempo, and for "stretching out" on extended solos.

According to Tom Vicker, the "most famous of the early [organ trio] grinders was Philadelphia's Bill Doggett, who recorded instrumentals for King Records in the early Fifties". The next organists to come along were Hank Marr, Dave "Baby" Cortez, Jimmy McGriff, and then the "bossest organ swinger yet, Jimmy Smith". [3] After Smith's death in 2005, Variety magazine writer Phil Gallo eulogized Smith as a man who "[s]ingle-handedly reinvented the Hammond B3 organ for jazz and created the model for the organ trio". [4]

During the 1960s, jazz guitarists such as Howard Roberts, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, George Benson, and Wes Montgomery often performed in organ trios, and organ trio recordings often made the R&B and pop charts. Hammond organ players such as "Brother" Jack McDuff, Johnny "Hammond" Smith and Richard "Groove" Holmes often performed and recorded in organ trios. The "body of work by the leaders in the organ trio idiom in its heyday has been well documented, owing to the fact during that era, based on record sales, the organ groups -- most significantly those led by Jimmy Smith -- represented perhaps the most popular genre of jazz". [2] Guitarist Grant Green performed a blend of jazz, funk, and boogaloo, collaborating frequently with organists "Big" John Patton, Jack McDuff, and Neal Creque and with drummer Idris Muhammad.

In the late 1960s, as jazz musicians began to explore the new genre of jazz-rock fusion, organ trios led by organists such as Larry Young "ventured into more remote territory, expanding the harmonic palette of the organ trio form". [2] Young pioneered a new approach to playing the Hammond B3. In contrast to Jimmy Smith's blues-influenced soul-jazz style, in which songs were structured over chord progressions, Young favored a modal approach to playing, in which songs were based on musical modes rather than chord progressions.

1970s–1980s

Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto 1978 Emerson Lake and Palmer two.jpg
Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto 1978

In the 1970s, the 1960s-style organ trios based around a Hammond organ were eclipsed by the new trend of jazz-rock fusion, and small ensembles increasingly used electronic keyboards such as Moog synthesizer in place of the Hammond organ. Synthesizers allowed musicians to make new electronic sounds that were not possible on the electromechanical Hammond organs. Emerson, Lake & Palmer was one organ trio that successfully branched between the changing times between their debut performances in 1970 towards the end of the decade, with Keith Emerson on the Hammond B3 organ, Greg Lake on either the guitar or bass guitar, and Carl Palmer on drums; Emerson was one of the earliest in moving into synthetic sound. Veteran Hammond players such as Emerson and Charles Earland began using synthesizers to "update" their sound to the pop-disco styles of the late 1970s.

There were a small number of well-known organ trios during the 1970s. John Abercrombie had a futuristic-sounding organ trio with Jan Hammer on Hammond and Moog bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. Tony Williams' fusion band Lifetime , which lasted from 1969 to 1975, was an organ trio with John McLaughlin on guitar and Larry Young on organ. Lifetime was a pioneering band of the fusion movement, combining rock, R&B, and jazz.

1990s

Traditional groups

Jazz organist Joey Defrancesco, pictured here in 2002, has recorded albums that recapture the "old school" organ trio sound of the 1960s. Joey Defrancesco 2002.JPG
Jazz organist Joey Defrancesco, pictured here in 2002, has recorded albums that recapture the "old school" organ trio sound of the 1960s.

In the 1990s and 2000s, there was a revival of organ trios in the Jazz, Blues, Soul and R&B genres. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, before his death in 2005, Jimmy Smith had a comeback, recording albums and playing in clubs. Some groups, such as the organ trio led by the Jimmy Smith-mentored Hammond player Joey DeFrancesco, aimed to recapture the traditional sounds and blues-influenced jazz feel of the 1960s organ trios of Smith, McDuff and Don Patterson.

The Deep Blue Organ Trio, a Chicago guitar-organ trio, recorded two albums for Delmark Records and two with Origin Records, and toured with Steely Dan several times. In the tradition of Wes Montgomery and George Benson their sound was infused with more African, blues and post-Bop rhythms with focus on the play of both organist Chris Foreman and guitarist Bobby Broom.

The Danish organ trio, Ibrahim Electric, also explored different kinds of developments from jazz, such as afro-beat, and boogaloo with a strong blues traditional influence, but with the main focus on the Hammond B-3 played by Jeppe Tuxen.

In 2007 Steve Howe created the Steve Howe Trio, inspired mainly by Kenny Burrell's work.

Other variations

Organ trios such as Medeski, Martin & Wood (MMW), Niacin, Soulive and Mike Mangan's Big Organ Trio mix jazz with a range of different styles such as 1970s soul jazz, jazz fusion, and jam band-style improvisation. MMW used a variation of the organ trio format, since the band includes Hammond organ, upright bass and drums. The New York organ trio Darediablo blends funk, progressive rock, fusion, and hard rock into a heavy, riff-laden sound. More rarely, some blues bands use the organ trio format, such as the UK band led by guitarist Matt Schofield (the Matt Schofield Trio's organist is Jonny Henderson).

The Medeski, Martin and Wood organ trio demonstrates that an organ trio can come in different varieties; in place of a sax or electric guitarist, this band has an upright bass player as the third member. Medeski Martin & Wood.jpg
The Medeski, Martin and Wood organ trio demonstrates that an organ trio can come in different varieties; in place of a sax or electric guitarist, this band has an upright bass player as the third member.

An unusual example of an organ trio-influenced performer is Charlie Hunter, who used a customized 8-string guitar to emulate the role and sound of a Hammond Organ. He performed bass lines on his guitar's three electric bass-range strings, while playing chords and melody lines on the higher strings. In the mid-2000s, saxophonist/bass-clarinettist/flutist James Carter has performed and recorded modern and more traditional jazz, with his James Carter Organ Trio, with Gerard Gibbs on Hammond B-3 and Leonard King on drums. These recordings include Live at Baker's Keyboard Lounge in 2001 (released 2004), and Out of Nowhere , in 2004, and drummer Leonard King's Extending the Language in 2005.

2000s and 2010s

Jazz groups

After the Deep Blue Organ Trio disbanded in 2013, [5] Chicago guitarist Bobby Broom, who had been a pivotal player in the group, launched his own organ trio The Bobby Broom Organi-Sation featuring new young Chicago musicians, Ben Paterson on the Hammond B-3 and alternating drummers Makaya McCraven and Kobie Watkins. The group toured with Steely Dan on their Jamalot Ever After North American tour, and began working in the Chicago area and work on their first album. [6]

Other variations

The English progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator effectively operated as an "organ trio" beginning in 2006, when saxophonist/flautist David Jackson left, leaving the core of the early-1970s lineup (Peter Hammill (vocals/guitar/piano), Hugh Banton (organ/keyboards) and Guy Evans (drums/percussion) to continue to the present day (as of 2012). Banton, a classically trained organist, has provided the bass from the organ (occasionally playing bass guitar in the studio) since Nic Potter left the band in 1970. Therefore, the Van der Graaf Generator lineup of 1970-71 (Hammill, Banton, Evans and Jackson) which recorded Pawn Hearts (1971), could also be viewed as an "organ-trio-plus-saxophone".

Musical style, tradition and variants

As a musical style or tradition

While the term "organ trio" is typically a reference to a type of small ensemble, the term "organ trio" is also used to refer to the musical styles, genres, and tradition of the 1950s/1960s era of organ trio playing. Although the components of the "organ trio tradition" are a subject of debate, the 1950s/1960s organ trio style tends to have more blues influences than other small-group jazz from this era, and it often blurs the lines between blues, R&B, and jazz. As well, organ trios tend to be focused on, or built around the sound of the organ.

The organ trio style has also been associated with soul jazz , a development of hard bop which incorporated strong influences from blues, gospel and rhythm and blues. However, unlike hard bop, soul jazz generally emphasized repetitive grooves and melodic hooks, and its improvisations were often less complex than in other jazz styles.

Music critics discussing 1990s and 2000s-era organ trios often refer to how a modern-day group is positioned vis-à-vis the "organ trio tradition" of the 1950s and 1960s. For example, John Koenig's review of guitarist Rick Zunigar's organ trio recordings notes that Zunigar's "...conception of the organ trio gives us a present-day look at the genre, filtered through all of the tradition of the past, but also infused with other influences and trends that have their roots in the major jazz movements of the last 30 years." [2]

Variant forms

More rarely, an organ trio might consist of a Hammond organist and two jazz guitarists, or a Hammond organist, a double bassist, and a drummer. For example, organist Shirley Scott had an organ trio that included a bass player and a drummer. In some cases, a fourth musician will be added to a traditional organ trio, such as a saxophone player or vocalist. In this case, the group may be billed as "saxophone player and organ trio" or "singer and organ trio." For example, reviewer Dan McClenaghan, from All About Jazz, said that "...a fine organ trio [was] backing a talented saxophonist" in one of tenor saxophonist David Sills' recordings. [7] Describing these four-musician ensembles as a "trio plus one", instead of as a quartet, may appear to be a misnomer.

However, this approach can be justified because there are different musical styles and traditions associated with different types of jazz ensembles. As such, if a concert is billed as a jazz quartet (e.g. a saxophone and a rhythm section), the audience has expectations about the repertoire and musical styles than if a concert is billed as an organ trio with a saxophone. There are specific musical styles, genres, and traditions that are associated with the 1950s/1960s era of organ trio playing (see section above).

Other meanings

Baroque-era works for solo organ

J.S. Bach and other Baroque composers from the 17th century and early 18th century wrote many organ works called trio sonatas, often based on chorale prelude melodies. These organ trio sonata compositions are sometimes referred to as "organ trios." Bach's organ trio sonatas are written for a single instrument—the baroque pipe organ. They are nonetheless called trio sonatas because they are written in three independent melodic lines, or "voices". To help the audience hear the three different melodic lines, Bach indicated that the trio sonatas should be performed on two separate manuals (organ keyboards), with the bass pedalboard supplying the third, lower part. To further help the audience to hear the different upper melodic lines, organists typically use different registrations for each manual by selecting different organ stops. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Funk</span> 1960s music genre

Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the mid-20th century. It deemphasizes melody and chord progressions and focuses on a strong rhythmic groove of a bassline played by an electric bassist and a drum part played by a percussionist, often at slower tempos than other popular music. Funk typically consists of a complex percussive groove with rhythm instruments playing interlocking grooves that create a "hypnotic" and "danceable" feel. It uses the same richly colored extended chords found in bebop jazz, such as minor chords with added sevenths and elevenths, and dominant seventh chords with altered ninths and thirteenths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bebop</span> Subgenre of jazz music developed in the U.S. in mid-1940s

Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early to mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumental virtuosity, and improvisation based on a combination of harmonic structure, the use of scales and occasional references to the melody.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bassist</span> Musician who plays a bass instrument

A bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, synthbass, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or trombone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments. Since the 1960s, the electric bass has been the standard bass instrument for funk, R&B, soul music, rock and roll, reggae, jazz fusion, heavy metal, country and pop music. The double bass is the standard bass instrument for classical music, bluegrass, rockabilly, and most genres of jazz. Low brass instruments such as the tuba or sousaphone are the standard bass instrument in Dixieland and New Orleans-style jazz bands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power trio</span> Rock band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass, and drums

A power trio is a rock and roll band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit, leaving out a dedicated vocalist or an additional rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quartets and quintets. Larger rock bands often use one or more additional rhythm sections to fill out the sound with chords and harmony parts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant Green</span> American jazz guitarist and composer (1935–1979)

Grant Green was an American jazz guitarist and composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soul jazz</span> Music genre

Soul jazz or funky jazz is a subgenre of jazz that incorporates strong influences from hard bop, blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues. Soul jazz is often characterized by organ trios featuring the Hammond organ and small combos including saxophone, brass instruments, electric guitar, bass, drums, piano, vocals and electric organ. Its origins were in the 1950s and early 1960s, with its heyday with popular audiences preceding the rise of jazz fusion in the late 1960s and 1970s. Prominent names in fusion ranged from bop pianists including Bobby Timmons and Junior Mance to a wide range of organists, saxophonists, pianists, drummers and electric guitarists including Jack McDuff, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, and Grant Green.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bassline</span> Low-pitched instrumental part

Bassline is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, dub and electronic, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, cello, tuba or keyboard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Smith (musician)</span> American jazz organist (1928–2005)

James Oscar Smith was an American jazz musician who helped popularize the Hammond B-3 organ, creating a link between jazz and 1960s soul music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Accompaniment</span> Part of a musical composition

Accompaniment is the musical part which provides the rhythmic and/or harmonic support for the melody or main themes of a song or instrumental piece. There are many different styles and types of accompaniment in different genres and styles of music. In homophonic music, the main accompaniment approach used in popular music, a clear vocal melody is supported by subordinate chords. In popular music and traditional music, the accompaniment parts typically provide the "beat" for the music and outline the chord progression of the song or instrumental piece.

Lead guitar is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featured guitar, which usually plays single-note-based lines or double-stops. In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz, punk, fusion, some pop, and other music styles, lead guitar lines are often supported by a second guitarist who plays rhythm guitar, which consists of accompaniment chords and riffs.

In jazz, comping is the chords, rhythms, and countermelodies that keyboard players, guitar players, or drummers use to support a musician's improvised solo or melody lines. It is also the action of accompanying, and the left-hand part of a solo pianist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhythm section</span> Group of musicians within a music ensemble or band

A rhythm section is a group of musicians within a music ensemble or band that provides the underlying rhythm, harmony and pulse of the accompaniment, providing a rhythmic and harmonic reference and "beat" for the rest of the band. The rhythm section is often contrasted with the roles of other musicians in the band, such as the lead guitarist or lead vocals whose primary job is to carry the melody.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jazz bass</span> Use of the double bass or electric bass guitar as a jazz instrument

Jazz bass is the use of the double bass or electric bass guitar to improvise accompaniment ("comping") basslines and solos in a jazz or jazz fusion style. Players began using the double bass in jazz in the 1890s to supply the low-pitched walking basslines that outlined the chord progressions of the songs. From the 1920s and 1930s Swing and big band era, through 1940s Bebop and 1950s Hard Bop, to the 1960s-era "free jazz" movement, the resonant, woody sound of the double bass anchored everything from small jazz combos to large jazz big bands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multi-instrumentalist</span> Musician who plays multiple musical instruments

A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments, often but not exclusively at a professional level of proficiency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellery Eskelin</span> American tenor saxophonist

Ellery Eskelin is an American tenor saxophonist raised in Baltimore, Maryland and residing in New York City. His parents, Rodd Keith and Bobbie Lee, were both professional musicians. Rodd Keith died in 1974 in Los Angeles, California, and became a cult figure after his death in the little-known field of "song-poem" music. Organist Bobbie Lee performed in local nightclubs in Baltimore in the early 1960s and provided Eskelin an introduction to standards from the Great American Songbook as well as inspiring an early interest in jazz music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trio (music)</span> Group of three musicians

In music, a trio is any of the following:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jazz trio</span> A jazz trio, often comprises a pianist, a double bass player and a drummer

A jazz trio is a group of three jazz musicians, often a piano trio comprising a pianist, a double bass player and a drummer. Jazz trios are commonly named after their leader, such as the Bill Evans Trio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glossary of jazz and popular music</span> List of definitions of terms and jargon used in jazz and popular music

This is a glossary of jazz and popular music terms that are likely to be encountered in printed popular music songbooks, fake books and vocal scores, big band scores, jazz, and rock concert reviews, and album liner notes. This glossary includes terms for musical instruments, playing or singing techniques, amplifiers, effects units, sound reinforcement equipment, and recording gear and techniques which are widely used in jazz and popular music. Most of the terms are in English, but in some cases, terms from other languages are encountered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of jazz</span> Musical style and genre

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to jazz:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Band (rock and pop)</span> Musical ensemble which performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre

A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer. Another common formation is a vocalist who does not play an instrument, electric guitarist, bass guitarist, and a drummer. Instrumentally, these bands can be considered as trios. Sometimes, in addition to electric guitars, electric bass, and drums, also a keyboardist plays.

References

  1. ↑ John F. Szwed (2000). Jazz 101:A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Jazz. Hyperion. pp. 198–199. ISBN   0-7868-8496-7.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Rick Zunigar - Guitarist". Web.archive.org. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  3. 1 2 Tom Vickers. "Organ Grinder Swing". Web.archive.org. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  4. ↑ Jimi Wilson. "The Passing of a Keyboard Legend". Web.archive.org. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  5. ↑ "MY SHINING HOUR BOBBY BROOM'S 11TH ALBUM, TO RELEASE IN AUGUST". Web.archive.org. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  6. ↑ [ dead link ]
  7. ↑ Dan McClenaghan. "MUSIC REVIEW : David Sills, Eastern View". Web.archive.org. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  8. ↑ Ruth Elaine Dykstra. "Possible Orchestral Tendencies in Registering Johann Sebastian Bach's Organ Music: An Historical Perspective" (PDF). Dspace.lib.utexas.edu. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.