Although the sound of the jazz organ trio—where the keyboardist lays down bass lines with foot pedals while a guitarist plays chords and a drummer adds propulsion—has never gone away, it has changed since being popularized in the 50s by the likes of Jimmy Smith, Baby Face Willette, and Jimmy McGriff. In the 1960s some artists introduced an irresistible funkiness to this adaptable instrumental format rooted in gospel and blues, even adapting it to accommodate post-James Brown grooves (I’ll never tire of hearing Grant Green’s take on the Don Covay classic “Sookie Sookie”).…
Although the sound of the jazz organ trio—where the keyboardist lays down bass lines with foot pedals while a guitarist plays chords and a drummer adds propulsion—has never gone away, it has changed since being popularized in the 50s by the likes of Jimmy Smith, Baby Face Willette, and Jimmy McGriff. In the 1960s some artists introduced an irresistible funkiness to this adaptable instrumental format rooted in gospel and blues, even adapting it to accommodate post-James Brown grooves (I’ll never tire of hearing Grant Green’s take on the Don Covay classic “Sookie Sookie”).…