It was a pleasant surprise when Jamey D. Aebersold
called me last spring to tell me that he was an admirer of my playing and
asked if I would be interested in making a recording for his Double-Time
label. He particularly liked the cuts on my 1990 Concord Jazz CD, "For All
We Know," which used organ, and he proposed that I do a whole CD in that
format for him.
My natural
choice on organ was Mike LeDonne, who played both organ and piano on my
earlier CD. Mike and I have known each other and played together on and
off for over fifteen years, working for established older players like
Benny Goodman and Ruby Braff and for our successful friend and peer and
mutual friend Scott Hamilton. Mike’s own career as sideman and leader has
blossomed in the last few years. I feel privileged to have him on
this album.
I played
several concerts in Europe with British drummer Mark Taylor, and I was
delighted to find out that he had moved to New York. When Mike LeDonne
recommended Mark as a good drummer for this trio, I knew he was just what
I needed. His broad experience and solid, supportive playing rounds out
the group perfectly.
There are some
jazz fans who feel that the Hammond organ is too "lowbrow" for use in
small group jazz. I’ve never felt that way, as a jazz guitarist (and since
the 1940’s that usually means electric guitarist), I feel that there is a
natural tonal affinity between electric guitar and organ. The work of
guitarist Bill Jennings and organist Wild Bill Davis has been a big
influence on my playing. Guitarists like Grant Green, Billy Butler, and
Kenny Burrell have had great, soulful collaborations with various great
organists - Jack McDuff, Jimmy Smith, Bill Doggett, to name a few, and for
me, Wes Montgomery’s work with organist Mel Rhyne is some of his best.
At the same
time, given the opportunity to make my own organ-trio recording, I’ve
tried to use material not commonly associated with classic organ-guitar
pairings. I’ve drawn from diverse sources that have deeply influenced my
playing: the work of Billie Holliday, Roy Eldridge, Duke Ellington,
and others - and I think the result is something original. Here is a
little bit about the tunes on the CD: I got the idea of taking "When
I Grow Too Old To Dream" at a brighter, medium-up tempo from a version
that Roy Eldridge did in 1960. Both ballads, "Crazy, He Calls Me" and "I'm
A Fool To Want You" were inspired by Billie Holliday. "Snibor" is a little
known Billy Strayhorn composition that Duke’s band recorded in 1949; I
always loved the melody and the mood of the tune - just to play the song,
not to blow twelve choruses on it. Mike LeDonne suggested the Don
Patterson blues, "Goin' To Meetin'." I guess this tune is typical funky
organ-guitar material and was meant to be that way. I don’t think I could
have made this recording without playing at least one solid medium-tempo
blues. Make no mistake, I love playing stuff like this and hope it shows.
The other bluesy feeling cut on this album is an original: "You
Don't Know Me At All." The Count Basie head, "Taps Miller," gives us all a
chance to dig in on an up-tempo tune. Drummer Mark Taylor really propels
the rest of us on this one and gives us some nice fills on the shout
chorus. The two Latin-tempo tunes of the set are very different in mood.
"Don't You Know I Care" is a 1944 Ellington composition that Duke’s band
played originally as a slow ballad and later as a bossa-nova. Both
versions featured Johnny Hodges playing the melody beautifully. Once
again, for my own version, just playing and phrasing the melody was reason
enough to do the tune. With "Comes Love" the mood and purpose is much
different - the melody is more of a sketch and the simple chord changes
gave us room for some hard-driving soloing. The standard, "The Touch Of
Your Lips," was the closing tune of the session. I’m proud of my solo on
this one - I think the whole band gets a warm, cohesive feeling, just
right for the end of a really enjoyable session.
I want to
thank Jamey D. Aebersold for making this project possible. Thanks also to
engineer Fred Kevorkian at Sear Sound for giving me a sound I really
liked, and to Mike LeDonne and Mark Taylor for their great playing.
This album is
dedicated to Duke Robillardand to the memory of Emily Remler.
Chris Flory - Oct. '96
Organ groups have made
something of a comeback in the last couple of years, and Chris Flory
acknowledges the fact in an original fashion with this well-balanced
recording. Instead of the usual surfeit of shouting blues, there are
standards, stirring numbers from the Ellington and Basie repertoires,
ballads and a considerable variety of tempos, all delivered by a trio
notable for it's ease and rapport.
Stanley Dance
author of The World of Count Basie
