Here's an authentic organ trio with all the size and scope of Mount Everest, and twice the cool. Sure, there are Hammond B-3 players with more extravagant floor routines and bluster, but if they gave out medals for swing, ... more »subtlety, suppleness, sound, and soul, then Larry Goldings would wear Olympic gold. Long-time collaborators Bill Stewart on drums and Peter Bernstein on guitar round out a trinity of improvisers that operate with the free-flowing give and take, structured architecture, shifting tempo, and varied dynamics of a good basketball team. Thus, on the ballad "The Thrill Is Gone," guitarist Bernstein builds his phrases from ripe, sapphire-hued teardrops, more intent on the quality of his tone and a smoky evocation of the mood than on showy flourishes of notes. Few drummers could vacuum-seal a medium blues groove quite as tightly as Stewart does on "Back in the Day," with Goldings ushering the theme on a woolen pile of exotic, glowing harmonies. On "Calls" the organist provides just the right degree of low-end riptide to make things slightly convulsive and desperate for guitarist Bernstein, as Stewart's dry, driving beat seems to envelop the proceedings in heat without consuming the groove in his own fire; and when the organist enters, it is with the studied, canny calm of a Hammond B-3 master who knows how to let the instrument do the heavy lifting, building tension just as oodles of power are held in reserve. The surreal tonal potential of the Hammond B-3 gives this date an intimate aura of possibility. He portrays the instrument with such Near Eastern warmth and shimmering layers of bell-like, moaning timbres, that Debussy, Bill Evans, and that forgotten hero of the modern organ, Larry Young (Khalid Yasin), come to mind. --Chip Stern« less
Here's an authentic organ trio with all the size and scope of Mount Everest, and twice the cool. Sure, there are Hammond B-3 players with more extravagant floor routines and bluster, but if they gave out medals for swing, subtlety, suppleness, sound, and soul, then Larry Goldings would wear Olympic gold. Long-time collaborators Bill Stewart on drums and Peter Bernstein on guitar round out a trinity of improvisers that operate with the free-flowing give and take, structured architecture, shifting tempo, and varied dynamics of a good basketball team. Thus, on the ballad "The Thrill Is Gone," guitarist Bernstein builds his phrases from ripe, sapphire-hued teardrops, more intent on the quality of his tone and a smoky evocation of the mood than on showy flourishes of notes. Few drummers could vacuum-seal a medium blues groove quite as tightly as Stewart does on "Back in the Day," with Goldings ushering the theme on a woolen pile of exotic, glowing harmonies. On "Calls" the organist provides just the right degree of low-end riptide to make things slightly convulsive and desperate for guitarist Bernstein, as Stewart's dry, driving beat seems to envelop the proceedings in heat without consuming the groove in his own fire; and when the organist enters, it is with the studied, canny calm of a Hammond B-3 master who knows how to let the instrument do the heavy lifting, building tension just as oodles of power are held in reserve. The surreal tonal potential of the Hammond B-3 gives this date an intimate aura of possibility. He portrays the instrument with such Near Eastern warmth and shimmering layers of bell-like, moaning timbres, that Debussy, Bill Evans, and that forgotten hero of the modern organ, Larry Young (Khalid Yasin), come to mind. --Chip Stern
CD Reviews
Just buy it!
Dr.D.Treharne | Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom | 06/14/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Larry Goldings has a split personality. This is about as far from the "Voodoo Dogs" album as you can get. It contains some of the most coherent organ trio sounds that have been recorded in a long time.What Goldings does so well on this album is to allow the other two players at least as much space as he gives himself. In particular, Peter Bernstein gets to spread out, and on several of the tracks create the basis of what Goldings later gets to improvise on.Drummer Bill Stewart is also an integral part of this creative process.For me the stand-out track is a reworking of Carla Bley's "Calls" where Bernstein's guitar sound,which leads the track, off is absolutely superb. Other favourites are Goldings own "Back in the day" and "Going to meet the man".Goldings does get to stoke the B3 when it's needed, but it's his restraint that is the chief focus of this set.Anybody who doubted that the organ led trio was going down a blind alley at the start of the 21st century should certainly invest in this ( and then get the "Voodoo Dogs " set to follow.)"
Mmmm...aww yeah...uh huh!
Anders Jonasson | 03/20/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I guess I first ran across Goldings as the bad brutha who came before John Medeski as a Scofield side man. His grooviness on Sco's Hand Jive is super-smoove. Here, Goldings plays the organ so sweetly that I think I got a cavity. He just keeps getting better and better and better. If you dig on layered, textural playing that comes from a place of great taste within an exceptionally chop-capable player, then this is the organ album for you. Soulive is great for tearing it down, and Medeski is a wizard of aural organ exploration. But Golding lays into some of the durned purdiest Hammond sound I ever heard."
If Bill Evans ever played a Hammond . . . .
Marty Nickison II | Austintown, OH | 03/28/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ok, let's get a little insight into the B-3 (and no, not he interval B-D#).
Hammond warriors are plentiful. We must not forget the king, James O. Smith (Jimmy Smith). Other names include Richard "Groove" Homes, Jack Mc.Duff, Mel Rhyme, and Jimmy McGriff. Modern musicians include great musicians such as Joey DeFrancesco, Sam Yahel, and the multi-faceted Larry Goldings.
Now, this is the first Larry Goldings album I've ever heard. When reading a stylistic review of it, the reviewer mentioned one selling point to me "sounds like Bill Evans". Bill Evans, to me, is the apex of the jazz piano and anyone coming close to his sound will always grab my ear. Let's just say Larry is Bill Evans on the organ.
This album gave me a left jab, right follow through, an uppercut, and a left jab sending me to the floor. It's absolutely sickening that anyone can have such an advanced understanding of harmony and modal interaction. Larry has definitely been listening to Sir. Bill and has been able to take that knowledge and work it in his B-3 style.
After getting this recording, I had to impress my jazz friends. They were awed, amazed, and somewhat confused on where he was going but when he got there it was a syncopated `OHHHHHO'. I had one church-life pianist listen and start accusing Larry of playing unfair and cheating the jazz keyboard public. You don't get comments like that from simple changes. Larry has become a master of melodic and harmonic movement.
Will you like this album? YES. I can't find one thing it doesn't do well. However, when you get it pay close attention to Time of The Season (yes, this man had the fortitude to jazz up some Beach Boys....and it one nice smoked salmon). They way each player takes the theme and bends it turns a `hoot and hollar beach song' into a `harmonic hull hoop'. Next, look at the songs Thrill Is Gone, Glass, and Mynah.
In short, LARRY STOP!! ORGAN ISN'T SUPPOSED TO GET THIS GOOD! STOP CHEATING ALREADY!"
Larry's the man
Marty Nickison II | 03/07/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This guy plays with intelligence, authority, swing and soul. And he does it on piano too and has been doing it since he was 20 years old. One of those guys that gets his act together early. He is like a current generation Kenny Barron. He is a perfect accompanist (check out his ballad work behind Bernstein on the Thrill is gone) and rhythm section player steeped in the traditions and that is slowly but surely finding his own voice. This CD stands up to repeated listens. Mixed Message is a very catchy tune--and deceptively hard to play. (More or less a blues with a bridge) Also his walking bass left is very subtle and strong and locked--whether it's on a fast waltz or rock/funk influenced tune. Many of the masters--including Young--though superb--had a bass that fell out of time on occasion (check out Unity for example--the record is so good you might not notice). Larry never misses a beat. Larry is trying to stretch a little more on this one but he is the kind of person that gives you what he knows and develops slowly. Stay with him he'll keep giving you more each new record."
Sublime soulful and with a modern twist
Anders Jonasson | Bankeryd Sweden | 11/02/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I always felt that Larry Goldings is moving in his own direction.
There is tracks on this CD that are so soulful and emotional that you have to listen to it over and over again just to be able to absorb soo much feeling..it is soul, emotion and sophistication mixed in one package. There is also some tracks that are perhaps a little bit "outside" according to my more traditional taste... but someone has to move the organjazz somewhere outside the traditional "blues grooves" and for that purpose I know noone that could do that better than Larry Goldings. There are several highlights.. awesome is perhaops a better word....like "Back in the day" or "Mixed Message" or "Time of the Season".
Benrstein and Stewart are as alwsays doing a very fine job."
Track Listings (9) - Disc #1