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The State of Organ Jazz 2010 (Part 2): Stanton Moore and Organissimo
Stanton Moore
drumsb.1972
organissimo
organ, Hammond B3b.2000
Is this jazz? Well, not in a 
Jimmy Smith
organ, Hammond B3
1925 - 2005
James Brown
vocals
1933 - 2006
Stanton Moore
Groove Alchemy
Telarc Records
2010
Stanton Moore's previous recording, Emphasis on (Parenthesis!) (Telarc Jazz, 2008), was a 1970s rock and roll orgy that made every garage band proud to have strummed an out of tune guitar. It was loud and proud, all rough edges. Moore returns with a considerably more focused effort in Groove Alchemy, where he is intent on doing for funk drumming what Bach did for keyboards in his Das Wohltemperirte Clavier; that is, defining it explicitly.
Moore and company try to cover a great deal of ground on this recording, kicking off with a cross between James Brown's "I Feel Good" and Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" on "Squash Blossom," where Moore sets up a seismic back beat propelled by organist 
Robert Walter
organ, Hammond B3
Will Bernard
guitar
Sun Ra
piano
1914 - 1993
Jelly Roll Morton
piano
1890 - 1941
"Neeps and Tatties" recalls the post-James Brown 
Maceo Parker
saxophone, alto
b.1943
George Jones
percussion
Stanton Moore still has much to say in the organ trio arena. Groove Alchemy is an excellent master class in funk drumming, and in the art of the trio too.
Visit Stanton Moore on the web.
Organissimo
Alive & Kicking
Big O Records
2010
Where Groove Alchemy was sharply focused on the funky, Organissimo's Alive & Kicking widens the perimeter to include a well-considered live set list. Recorded live (as all jazz should be) in WKAR-TV's Studio A at Michigan State University on April 15, 2009 and the Founder's Brewing Co. on June 27, 2009, Alive & Kicking is a rave-up, barn-burner collection of show displaying the various facets of organ jazz.
Organissimo is a organ, guitar and drums trio made up of organist Jim Alfredson, guitarist Joe Gloss and drummer Randy Marsh. The traditional absence of a bass instrument in the organ trio format is a result of the organ's bass pedals, which Alfredson is expert at employing for the harmonic and rhythmic path of the music. This disc is made up of nine selections, each differing in their respective funk, soul, hard bop and gospel indexes. All of the pieces are designed to slather on the chitlin' circuit grease and turn the gas on high. The combo as a unit is responsible for the eight original compositions presented here. The lone "standard" is Frank Zappa's "Blessed Relief," from The Grand Wazoo (Reprise, 1972).
"Stop Yo' Feet" and "Clap Yo' Hands" are gas-driven boogaloos with differing velocities: fast and faster. The first simmers with funk infection while the last adds complex jazz inflection. "Senior Buffet" exudes a 
Carlos Santana
guitar
b.1947Jimmy Smith
organ, Hammond B3
1925 - 2005
Kenny Burrell
guitar, electric
b.1931
The Zappa piece translates quite perfectly when heard through the organ trio prism. It is a complex waltz with a slow, steady momentum and swing. Albertson and Gloss meld well together in forming the piece's integrity. But the disc really is a proper build up to the closer, "Pumkin Pie," which delivers 18 minutes of crazed gospel sanctification. Organissimo plays the entire history of organ jazz on this thrilling coda. Alive & Kicking captures the heart and soul of organ jazz.
Visit Organissimo on the web.
Tracks and Personnel
Groove Alchemy
Tracks: Squash Blossom; Pie-eyed Manc; Pot Licker; Root Cellar; Keep on Gwine; Neeps and Tallies; Up to Here; Knocker; Shiftless; Clense This House; Aletta; He Stopped Loving Her Today.
Personnel: Staton Moore: drums; Robert Walter: Hammond B3 organ and piano; Will Bernard: guitar.
Alive & Kicking
Tracks: Stomp Yo' Feet; Senor Buffet; Smokin's Section; If Not Now, When?; Jimmy Smith Goes to Washington; Clap Yo' Hands; Groovadelphia; Blessed Relief; Pumpkin Pie.
Personnel: Jim Alfredson: Hammond-Suzuki XK3/XK System, Leslie 3300 & Synthesizers; Joe Gloss: guitar; Randy Marsh: drums.
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