McDuff, Jack – Live at Parnell’s [3xLP IMPORT] – New LP

Jazz organist ‘Brother’ Jack McDuff (born Eugene McDuffy in 1926 September 17, 1926 – January 23, 2001) was second only to the infamous Jimmy Smith in terms of fame and the impact he made with the King of keyboard instruments - the Hammond B-3 Organ.  Live At Parnells’ is made up of 15 tracks selected from a week-long engagement in June 1982, featuring Danny Wollinski on sax, guitarist Henry Johnson and Garrick King on the drums. Stylistically, Jack and his group cover a lot of ground, especially for an organ quartet – from beautifully old school funky, gritty blues with tracks like "Walkin’ The Dog" & "Blues 1 & 8," jazz standards "April In Paris," and "A Night In Tunisia."

 

A1. Make It Good
A2. Untitled D Minor
A3. Déjà vu

B1. Fly Away
B2. Another Real Goodun’

C1. Blues in the Night
C2. Satin Doll

D1. A Night in Tunisia
D2. Killer Joe

E1. Greensleeves
E2. Take The A Train
E3. Wives & Lovers

F1. Walkin’ the Dog
F2. Lover Man
F3. Blues 1 & 8

Biography by Ron Wynn: A marvelous bandleader and organist as well as capable arranger, "Brother" Jack McDuff has one of the funkiest, most soulful styles of all time on the Hammond B-3. His rock-solid basslines and blues-drenched solos are balanced by clever, almost pianistic melodies and interesting progressions and phrases. McDuff began as a bassist playing with Denny Zeitlin and Joe Farrell. He studied privately in Cincinnati and worked with Johnny Griffin in Chicago. He taught himself organ and piano in the mid-'50s, and began gaining attention working with Willis Jackson in the late '50s and early '60s, cutting high caliber soul-jazz dates for Prestige. McDuff made his recording debut as a leader for Prestige in 1960, playing in a studio pickup band with Jimmy Forrest. They made a pair of outstanding albums: Tough Duff and The Honeydripper. McDuff organized his own band the next year, featuring Harold Vick and drummer Joe Dukes. Things took off when McDuff hired a young guitarist named George Benson. They were among the most popular combos of the mid-'60s and made several excellent albums. McDuff experimented with electronic keyboards and fusion during the '70s, then in the '80s got back in the groove. While his health fluctuated throughout the '90s, McDuff released several discs on the Concord Jazz label before succumbing to heart failure on January 23, 2001, at the age of 74.