Search - Shirley Scott :: Queen of the Organ

A great organ player with a distinctive tone and style.

Marco Vienna | Rimini, Italy | 04/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When average listeners think to jazz organ, the first name that comes in mind is obviously Jimmy Smith. His bluesy fast style and his trademark 16-8-5/3 drawbar + percussion tone have heavily influenced at least a couple of organist generations, lending to what is often referred to standard "Hammond" style, called also jazz-blues, or bogaloo, meaning lot of blues, shuffles, easy riffs, lot of blues and pentatonic scales, any organ fan knows what I mean. I have to admit that lately that style has begun to bore me, it's too much repetitive, often organ players sound all the same, happy party dancing bluesy stuff. But here we have a completely different player, more in the roots of earlier organist as Bill Doggett and Milt Buckner, with great taste, swing, and a beautiful straight non vibrato tone (very likely she plays a spinet Hammond model, as M3 or M/L 100, not B3. I love it!) together with a great band, in a hot live setting: tons of swing, lot of soul/blues/gospel echoes, great solos, nice fresh repertoire (check "can't buy me love" by Beatles). If you are tired of those previously mentioned "Hammondish clich?s" and you are looking for something different in jazz organ, you'll like a lot this CD."

GREAT LIVE SESSION!

John M. | 11/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Evidently this is the original LP music plus 30 min of CD bonus tracks. Stanley Turrentine is of course the main attraction and there is NO distracting guitar player. There are no ballad features but he plays JUST SQUEEZE ME way way down and there's that slooow blues with the long mean title. He plays the John Lennon tune like a old timey medium blues with a tag. Put Fats Waller's name on it and you'd never know the difference. He even makes Neil Hefti's - Cute sound good, taking all the puckishness out of it and playing it as nonchalantly as practical.---- This is out of print at the moment (11/07) and may unfortunatly stay that way. These used early 90's copys may be it. Mine is fine. Recorded 9/64"