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Telmo Fernandez Organ Trio: The Soul Jazz Beat Vol. 1

By Bruce Lindsay
June 12, 2015
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Telmo Fernandez Organ Trio: The Soul Jazz Beat Vol. 1

The Telmo Fern��ndez Organ Trio is a bit of a throwback—to the classic hard bop organ trios of yore. The title of the trio's first album, The Soul Jazz Beat Vol. 1, tells it like it is—a soulful, jazzy, collection that's high on melody and groove, a head-shaking and hip-swinging sort of album, low on pretention but filled with sheer joy.

Guitarist Fern��ndez leads the trio alongside drummer Jose Luis G��mez and ex-pat British organist

Phil Wilkinson

organ, Hammond B3
b.1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Phil Wilkinson. Fern��ndez has already appeared on one of 2015's most enjoyable albums, the guitar duo Take A Second (Free Code Jazz Records) with

Marcos Pin

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Marcos Pin. That album focused on standards, while on The Soul Jazz Beat Vol. 1 Fern��ndez' trio mixes standards such as

Lou Donaldson

saxophone
1926 - 2024

" data-original-title="" title="">Lou Donaldson's "Snake Bone,"

Horace Silver

piano
1928 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Horace Silver's "Cool Eyes" and Tommy Tucker's "High Heeled Sneakers" with a few original tunes.

The tunes are often structurally straightforward—12-bar blues, funky two chord vamps—but the trio invests each one with energy and enthusiasm, digging deep to produce some slinky grooves, irresistible rhythms and beautifully-crafted solos. The Fern��ndez-Wilkinson composition "Tooty Booty" is a case in point, G��mez' funky groove is immediately catchy and serves as a fine foundation for the organ and guitar to trade riffs. Wilkinson leads "Snake Bone," G��mez and Fern��ndez laying down the swinging rhythm. Fern��ndez' "Lennis" gets a gentle Bossa-Nova groove before G��mez kicks in with a more upbeat and up-tempo rhythm and Wilkinson's "Blues For Someone" is a blues shuffle with a loose, open feel.

One tune breaks the mould—David Raksin's "Laura." Over G��mez' brushes and Wilkinson's organ chords, Fern��ndez plays the ballad with considered, gentle, grace: a lovely end to the album.

The "Vol. 1" part of The Soul Jazz Beat Vol. 1 suggests that further volumes are on the way. Let's hope so: the Telmo Fern��ndez Organ Trio gives these old school sounds a freshness that brings them right up to date—a real pleasure to hear.

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Track Listing

The Kid; Tooty Booty; Snake Bone; High Heeled Sneakers; Brown Sugar; Cool Eyes; Lennis; Blues For Someone; A Smooth One; Laura.

Personnel

Telmo Fernandez

guitar

Phil Wilkinson

organ, Hammond B3

Jose Luis Gomez

drums

Album information

Title: The Soul Jazz Beat Vol. 1 | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Free Code Jazz Records

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