Holmes Richard

Night Glider is a solid early-'70s funk-jazz set from organist Richard "Groove" Holmes. Propelled by the catchy title track written by fellow keyboardist Horace Ott (who appears here), the album features mostly groove-oriented originals. However, two Carole King-penned tunes, "It's Going to Take Some Time" and "Go Away Little Girl," also add period flair with their mix of R&B soulfulness and singer/songwriter melodicism. Joining Holmes are such soul-jazz regulars as drummer Bernard Purdie, trombonist Garnett Brown, and saxophonist Seldon Powell. Rounding out the group are guitarist Lloyd Davis, bassist Paul Martinez, and conga/bongo player Kwasi Jayourba.

A killer from Groove Holmes - one of his rarest albums ever, a one-off session recorded for Blue Note, with a group that includes a young Weldon Irvine! Weldon was a hip up-and-comer at the time - and he not only plays electric piano on the set, but contributes some of the album's best tracks. The mix of electric piano and organ makes for a very unusual sound - one that gets a nice kick from the conga/drum rhythm section, mixed in with electric bass and guitar.

Revered in soul-jazz circles, Richard "Groove" Holmes was an unapologetically swinging Jimmy Smith admirer who could effortlessly move from the grittiest of blues to the most sentimental of ballads. A very accessible, straightforward, and warm player, Holmes was especially popular in the black community and had been well respected on the Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey circuit by the time he signed with Pacific Jazz in the early '60s. He started receiving national attention by recording with such greats as Ben Webster and Gene Ammons. Best known for his hit 1965 version of "Misty," Holmes engaged in some inspired organ battles with Jimmy McGriff in the early '70s before turning to electric keyboards and fusion-ish material a few years later. The organ was Holmes' priority in the mid- to late '80s, when he recorded for Muse (he also had stints throughout his career with Prestige Records and Groove Merchant).

Richard Arnold ‘Groove’ Holmes, born May 2 1931 in Camden, New Jersey, was a jazz organist who performed in the hard bop and soul jazz genres. Best known for his 1965 recording of "Misty", Holmes's first album, on Pacific Jazz with guest Ben Webster, was recorded in March 1961. He recorded albums for Pacific Jazz, Prestige, World Pacific Groove Merchant, and Muse. While Groove Holmes never attained the same kind of superstar status as fellow Hammond legend Jimmy Smith, Holmes was equally skilled in the keyboard pyrotechnics department. This collection brings together eight original LPs by this jazz maverick, all fully remastered and presented here on this new 4CD set. A pure delight for jazz fans of all stripes, this selection is both a perfect starting point for beginners, and a boon for all fans searching for this great man’s often hard to locate earliest recordings.

Like Sebastian Bach and François Couperin, Sylvius Leopold Weiss came from and continued a musical tradition. His father was Johann Jakob Weiss, his brother was Johann Sigismund Weiss, and his son was Johann Adolph Faustinius Weiss. Also, like Bach and Couperin, Sylvius Leopold was the most famous member of his musical clan, and during his long and distinguished career he taught a number of students who would become exceptional lutenists, Adam Falckenhagen and Johann Kropfgans among them. Following demands created by his exceptional reputation, Weiss traveled extensively before he settled at the court of Augustus the Strong in 1728; he remained there for the rest of his life. Weiss and Bach certainly met on more than one occasion as the latter visited his son Wilhelm Friedemann and also had an interest in music-making at the Saxon court. As a performer, Weiss was considered the finest of his time and many believed that his ability as a lutenist rivaled that of Bach as an organist and Scarlatti as a harpsichordist. His Berlin colleague, Ernst Gottlieb Baron, mentioned to a “Weissian Method,” probably a reference to his astounding and masterful technique, not to mention his style. Hundreds of Weiss’s works survive, chief among them six-movement sonatas or partitas that follow the accepted blueprint for the genre, i.e., Allemande, Courante, Bouree, Sarabande, Minuet, and Gigue.

Richard "Groove" Holmes - Super Soul (1967) {Prestige PRCD-24292-2 rel 2004}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 494 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 188 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 22 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1967, 2004 Prestige / Fantasy | PRCD-24292-2
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Organ

Super Soul was a little funkier than much soul-jazz that had passed before 1967, and its horn parts sometimes slanted more toward pop and soundtrack territory. That was particularly evident on one of the strongest cuts, the opening "Why Don't You Do Right?," where the rhythm (particularly with the aid of a conga drum) goes into grooves that are at least as much soul as jazz, and the horns have a TV adventure theme-like flavor. The album's a little on the innocuous side, even for a genre (Prestige 1960s soul-jazz) that can be pretty homogeneous. It's easygoing background party music, though Holmes summons an interesting light, prickly, almost vibes-like organ sound at times, as on the solo for the cover of Marvin Gaye's "Ain't That Peculiar."