I am pleased to read the posts of people who are aware of jazz organ. Joey D is one of the finest living jazz organists in the world right now. I am surprised that some gospel organists are "hip" to him.
Don Patterson was a close personal friend of mine in the 70's before his tragic early death. Don was one of the best when it came to mood changes and control of the Hammond stops. He used to swing hard too. he never got the recognition he deserved. Unfortunately Don would get lost in the changes of the tune sometimes, but that is to be expected since he knew thousands of tunes and had to play anything, and everything at a moments notice without any rehearsal. Sometimes after Sonny Stitt or Gene Ammons had taken their 999th chorus Don would loose his concentration and miss some changes comping or when he was soloing after those blow hards finally let him have a chorus after they had gotten off for 40 minutes.
Jack McDuff was a personal friend as well. Jack could swing harder than most. I have seen Jack win competitions between organists in cutting sessions. McDuff was a good arranger and writer.
I knew Jimmy Smith too. Jimmie has always been accessable, and set the original standard for jazz organists in the golden years of jazz. He was a bit of a sell-out sometimes and his allowing himself to be exploited in the vulgarity of commercial music cost him his dignity as far as I and the rest of the purists are concerned. That mess of a solo he played on Michael Jackson's recording of "Bad", shows you the level he had sank to chasing the almighty dollar. I don't know his financial situation but I would not have sank that low. It reminds me off some of the last prize fights of Joe Louis. Joe was an old man and brought out of retirement to fight Marciano and other young men because he was broke. He disgraced himself in those fights. i wish he hadn't lowered himself, but he obviously need the money.
brother scott
