As I wrote recently, to me, there’s very little that’s quite as beautiful as a fine jazz pianist – someone with great touch and sensitivity, a beautiful harmonic or lyric sense, a great sense of drive or maybe just the ability make you happy. All of these things certainly apply to a fine jazz organist as well, but with something a little different as well – the ability to swing. Perhaps not other instrument lends itself so well to such a deep sense of groove. This is no doubt at least partly related to the technology needed to get the sound of a Hammond B3 or other classic jazz organ, but there also seems to be a sort of stylistic commonality to all the greats – the need to make it funky.

We offer some modest examples below:

Barbara Dennerlein and Rhoda Scott

Rhoda Scott and her Trio

Joey DeFrancesco

Larry Young