It's Hammond B3 Organ Day

Fmpnd,

Thanks for the tips. I will spend my weekend ordering more CD's. Great suggestions - all of them. I see TOP are in Seattle in December I am sorely tempted to catch a plane and make a weekend of it and see a show....how good is the current band? Are they still THAT good? How was the sound quality?

In return I highly recommend Steve Ferrone's Farm Fur More Head (Available from CDBABY)...excellent live recording of some AWB covers ...stuff that you can't find well recorded on the original AWB albums (Person to Person Live had such awful sound quality).

Charles Earland "The Mighty Burner" and his LP's "Living Black" and "Black Talk".Less known than Jimmy Smith,Jimmy McGriff,et al. he had great pumping sound while "Kickin' the 3".Dig him with his diciple/student Eric Alexander on the latter's "Alexander The Great".Just the shit man!!!!!!!
Chazzbo

Shadorne,

I just listened to "More Head" last night. I really like this CD. I especially like "Steve's Strutt", "Freedom Jazz Dance" and "Pick up the Pieces". If these cuts don't make you groove, you're dead!

Enjoy,

TIC

I love Steve's Strutt...such a shame they had an issue somewhere about 3:00 minutes in where you hear distortion (listen carefully) ...seems to be the Hammond on one of the key boards which has the bass notes cranked too much (or microphone too close and clipping or noise) or at least it goes away after the organ solo or around 4:30...maybe their sound crew caught it by then.

...such is life when you have speakers that pick up everything! I think Steve uses Westlakes - so no doubt they knew about it....but that is "live" music....you got to take each track as it comes....and feel the ENERGY!!!

Shadorne, I can HONESTLY say they are actually better than EVER. Why? Because David Garibaldi and Rocco are still together so the rhythm section is the best it can be. I have never liked ANY Hammond B-3 player in TOP since Chester left - that is UNTIL the current keyboard player, Roger Smith came on board. In fact, how stupid of me NOT to suggest Roger's B-3 CD called "Jazz Rosco's Place" Here's a link http://www.jazzrosco.com/index2.htm

Next, the brass section is as powerful and tight as it has EVER been and the lead tenor player, Tom Polizer is a monster as are Adolfo Acosta and Mike Bogart - the trumpet players. Doc is . . . well . . Doc, and he is the baddest funkiest cat on the planet for what he does and what makes TOP's sound.

Larry Bragg, the lead singer, has now come into his own so much so that he may be the BEST they've ever had. Combine that with 40 years of honing the band's skills and showmanship under Emilio's leadership and they really are amazing to see live. The sound quality is exceptional and you really owe it to yourself to check them out and confirm what I am saying - you won't be sorry.

Thanks for the tip - I have always been a Steve Ferrone fan.