I would like to hear them separate instead of them playing on top of each other like this.....just saying...
what do you think?

Awesome! Tonight's a B-3 night for me in an hour and 15 minutes. Duo with my grandson on drums.


Notice about 4:50, Paul's long-time boss and friend David Letterman. when this was first shown, there was a big effort to re-edit to take Letterman out...something to do with the person he was with...He, HE!


Russ

Every now and then I miss my old B 3. This is definitely one of those moments. Separate would have been good but this was a great jam!

Joe

Fantastic Jam!

Gary

Great jam. Would of been better if Paul would just shut up. Good musician but I never could stand his over the top screaming when he MC'd something and especially when he tried to sing on Letterman.

All of them great players. Why is it you can't hear music like that anymore ?? Went to two organ jams in Symphony Hall in Newark NJ and they were well attended. Saw some of the B3 stars play but no more.
I don't think even Tony Monaco, one of my favorites, is doing his regular restaurnt gig anymore. He's doing a lot of festivals but no regular gig. He does have one of the best websites I've ver seen and has expanded his music business besides playing gigs. http://www.b3monaco.com

Arrangers?????



chas

They certainly have nimble fingers. Sounds as if it's about who can play the most notes per measure and not lose track of the chord.

Be nice Chas.

Gary

Chas
It's not arrangers , I can't think of anywhere I could hear a musician using one. Just lamenting on the state of the music business today. Capt. Russ is a lucky guy to have a B3 gig on a regular basis.
so far this season I've seen ONE totally live band worth mentioning. It's a different musical world.

That it is. But in truth, a number of factors contributed to the demise of GOOD live bands in clubs, especially the jazz organ based trios/quartets.

1. Only 'Superstars' who can afford roadies are willing to carry a B3 and several Leslies around from venue to venue.

2. Few clubs, especially jazz clubs, are able or willing to pay for these groups on a regular basis.

3. The classic "Jazz organ trio/quartet" of the 60's, 70's, and early 80's, was NEVER that popular except in predominantly Black, jazz-oriented, clubs and even then, only in certain cities like San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Atlantic City. New York seemed to lean more towards traditional (progressive) jazz groups (think Miles, Parker, etc.). In Atlantic City alone during the mid 60's, on any given weekend during the summer, you could hear Wild Bill Davis, 'Brother' Jack McDuff, Don Patterson, Jimmy McGriff, Johnny 'Hammond' Smith, and many other stand-out players (including several White players whose names escape me at the moment) of that era. Asking to 'sit in' was common and was usually just a way of trying to 'gorilla the gig' from the existing group, but produced some 'insane' performances. But I digress......

4. The waning popularity of these groups had the usual effect of producing fewer and fewer quality jazz organists. Most of the current lineup of great players, ie. Tony Monaco, Joey Defrancesco, etc. consider themselves to be 'Torch Bearers', trying to keep that art form alive, and are quick to pay tribute to the 'old masters', especially Jimmy Smith. Whether their efforts will produce a new generation of jazz organist remains to be seen. Let's hope so.

5. Fewer and fewer well-maintained, quality I B3's remain and fewer still technicians to maintain them. Although there are many capable 'Clonewheels' available, none seem to have the 'panache' of the real thing; plus, a new Hammond B3 Mk 11 costs about $25k. But even with the more affordable models, few of todays keyboardist are willing to spring for a dedicated clone, especially if they need additional non-organ sounds.

So, enjoy the performances like the one posted. You probably won't be able to see them much longer. Sad.

chas

Enjoy the past,.......but always Embrace the future.

Chas, I have a little M...not M-3, but M. That's the organ Booker T recorded all his tunes on. This one was purchased in 1950 new.

It's worth nothing. I got it when a little lady who has been coming to hear me for 30 years seemed off her game. Turns out, she was going to be moved to an assisted living home.

She still had her dad's old M. She wanted me to buy it to give it a good home. It was in good shape (not working, but fixable) but not worth anything.

To please her, I gave her $200.00 and went with my son to get it. We couldn't get it down the stairs so we hired a piano moving company...another $250.00.

My technician came over to add oil, and found out that the generator motor was shot...another $495.00.

I'm now about $945.00 into an instrument worth tons in memories...sounds good, but worth, you guessed it....NOTHING!


You're welcome to it! FREE! Just bring a truck, and I help load it!

Look up the little M.... a few drawbars...that's it!

Be well!


Russ (Booker T wannabe) Lay

Don, I know that you're too good a musician to really believe that that's what their playing is all about. These guys are giants within that genre' and (I believe) play what they think THIS song calls for in THIS situation. JMO, though. Different strokes....

chas

and Im sure there are better sleeping "Giants" players out there that no one even knows about on B3 etc,.....just sayin'

Chas, I like the Jimmy Smith version a lot, and these guys were certainly shining, but it seemed like they were trying to out-do each other. But that's o.k. As you say, the situation probably called for just that!

Donny, there may be, but thee guys are the creme of the players alive today, that we know of.

Of course, there may be a kid in a dive somewhere that can blow them all away.

Russ

Russ, that's really generous of you but at this stage of my life, I've decided not add a single other keyboard, not even a Melodica . If, no...WHEN, I downsize, I may get rid of everything and just put a cherry b3/122 and a small quality Grand piano in my living room and that's it. Even today, I only play my KeyB organ anymore. But again, thanks for the offer. If I were just 10 years younger.....

chas

exactly Russ....

Russ, what's a ''Little M''? I had an old beat up M102 for many years - what a warrior, but I never heard the term Little M before.

Funny you should mention the M3. I know of one sitting in pristine condition in the smoking room of a seniors' residence. It probably reeks of tobacco, though.

It's the same size of all the M's...just older and way fewer controls.

The term "Little" was mine, not part of the Hammond designation.


Russ

I used an M-3 (with a Leslie 147RV) for quite a while...it was the usual spinet style with the shorter pedal board, drawbars for the two 44 note staggered manuals, and no presets whatsoever. It was, however a great little organ with the same sound as it's bigger brother, the B-3 and a really superb chorus/vibrato.

It has all the essentials for organ work, including harmonic percussion, although the shorter keyboards and one octave pedal board were sometimes a disadvantage. Still, the keyboards were beautifully made and very responsive.

It was also considerably lighter than a B-3.

One of it's close kin, the M-102, was used by Matthew Fisher (Procul Harum) to record the enduring rock classic, A Whiter Shade Of Pale, so these instruments did have that legendary Hammond sound.

Ian

Thanks, Russ. Had me wondering for a bit, there.

For sure, Ian. That old M102 I had was built like a tank.

Originally, I had an L102 and, as nice a condition it was in, I traded it straight across for the M.

How it came about was we were booked into this seafront pub in Southend and this banged up M102 was just sitting under a sheet at the back of the stage. So I asked the landlord if he'd be interested in a straight swap for my immaculate L102. He said yes, and We drove away with the M that night.

One trick I used to like with the M was having the 2nd percussion tab down and then just easing down on the 3rd tab. It would put a lovely 'scream' into the percussion.