1. Dem Philadelphia Organ Blues
2. Driftin'
3. Grieve But Be Brief
4. Blues Citizens
5. Misty
6. Pay Up
7. A Ghost of a Chance
8. Hangin' with Smooth
9. Steal Away
10. Eighth Wonder
Radam Schwartz - Hammond B-3 Organ
Bill Saxton - Tenor sax
Bruce Williams - Alto sax
Eric Johnson - Guitar
Cecil Brooks III - Drums
Kice - Vocals (track 6)
When the leader of a band plays the Hammond organ,
the group is usually a trio - either organ, saxophone and drums or
organ, guitar and drums. This group is a bit different: consisting
of organ, guitar and drums plus two saxists. This makes for an interesting
sound, especially as organist Radam Schwartz writes imaginative arrangements.
One track (Grieve But Be Brief) slims down the group to a duo
of Radam with alto-saxist Bruce Williams. This is a very effective
pairing: a poignant eulogy to the son that Radam lost in a motorcycle
accident.
Most of the other tracks have a bluesy content: half
the tracks being Schwartz originals., with another (Hangin' with
Smooth) by drummer Cecil Brooks III and the remainder an enterprising
mixture including Herbie Hancock's Driftin' and Erroll Garner's
Misty. This last is very reminiscent of the classic version
of Misty by organist Richard "Groove" Holmes - deliberately
so, as Radam plays it as a tribute to Holmes. However, comparison
of the two versions points up one failing in Schwartz's playing: his
sound is somehow less clear than that of many other Hammond organists.
This could be due to the recording, or it may be caused by the particular
settings that Radam uses. At any rate, Misty grooves along
comfortably, with a good alto sax solo and some nice harmonising between
the two saxes (except for a short period when they sound like the
bagpipes!).
Of the other tracks, Dem Philadelphia Organ Blues
benefits from the Wes Montgomery-like guitar of Eric Johnson. The
title-track is a Schwartz original with a marching rhythm similar
to Blues March. A Ghost of a Chance is a feature for
the emotive tenor sax of Bill Saxton. Hangin' with Smooth is
an up-tempo chase which is driven by Radam's bass pedals setting a
solid beat. Steal Away is not the well-known spiritual but
a later composition by Jimmy Hughes which still has some gospel righteousness
about it. Eighth Wonder is a tribute to organist Jimmy Smith,
upon whom Radam modelled his organ style - although he is not so adventurous
with the stops as Smith was. The only inferior track features Kice,
who is billed as "vocalist" on Pay Up but who actually
talks his way through most of the track, which is otherwise a fairly
ordinary riff-laden blues tune.
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
Savant
SCD 2087
