A double-length package of organ/guitar greatness – and a set that features key 60s work by Hammond hero Jack McDuff and guitarist George Benson! First up is The New Boss Guitar Of George Benson – the first album ever cut by Benson as a leader, a cooker of a soul jazz set, recorded back when George was the guitarist in Jack McDuff's classic 60s quartet! The album's almost a McDuff Quartet one – since Jack's on Hammond and Red Holloway is on tenor – but the group's slightly different too, with the surprising additions of Montego Joe on drums, and Ronnie Boykins on bass! Benson's guitar is amazing throughout – sharp-edged and played with a tightness that's quite different than most of his later work – and titles include "Shadow Dancers", "The Sweet Alice Blues", "Just Another Sunday", "Easy Living", and "Rock A Bye". Next up is Hot Barbeque – one of our all-time favorite albums from Brother Jack McDuff! The combo here is great – with a young George Benson hard-wailing on guitar, cutting lines so fast and furious it's hard to believe – especially if you only know his later work. The legendary Joe Dukes is on drums – dancing all over the place under Brother Jack's great groovy solos – and Red Holloway completes the group on tenor sax! The title track's got a rare vocal refrain – with Jack shouting out "Hot Barbeque" over the organ – and other cuts include "Briar Patch", "Hippy Dip", "601 1/2 North Poplar", and "The Three Day Thang". CD

A great Chess Records session from organist Jack McDuff – a set that also features great work on saxes from Red Holloway, Leo Johnson, and David Young – working with jack on a club date in the Bay Area! The vibe is great – very much as groovy and unusual as some of McDuff's Blue Note work – with some especially great rhythmic modes on the cuts "Soul Yodel" and "The Jolly Black Giant" – next to other tunes that include "Middle Class Folk Song", "Georgia", and "Red White & Blooze". LP, Vinyl record album

Two classic greasy grooves – hot off the grill from chef Jack McDuff! Hot Barbeque is one of our favorite all-time Jack McDuff albums, and one that features his classic quartet in totally amazing form. George Benson's wailing on guitar, and proving that he was a genius, even at this tender young age (and in fact, maybe only at this age!), Red Holloway's on tenor, and the amazing Joe Dukes' is skipping away on drums, dancing all over the place under Brother Jack's great groovy solos. With the short vocal ditty that comprises the title cut, plus other long groovers including "The Party's Over", "Happy Dip", and "Cry Me A River". All this, and the cover's got a great photo of Jack chompin' on a slab of ribs! The other half of this CD is one of three live sides McDuff cut, all with similar covers, but this one's got the red and orange lettering. Red Holloway blows and hollers over the fingerpoppin' grooves delivered by a young George Benson on his first major gig, and the soulful drums of Joe Dukes. Features cookin' live versions of "Rock Candy", "Sanctified Samba" and "A Real Goodun'". Jack McDuff Live is a killer, and one of three live sides McDuff cut for Prestige during the 60s – a monster session of stretched-out jazzy grooves, with many fine little dancers, and a raw soulful feel throughout! The group's one of Jack's best – as Red Holloway's tenor blows and hollers over the fingerpoppin' grooves delivered by a young George Benson on his first major guitar gig – and the soulful drums of Joe Dukes scatter across the place, taking the whole band into some incredible rhythms! Titles include cookin' live versions of "Rock Candy", "Sanctified Samba", "Undecided", and "A Real Goodun'". CD

The great vocalist Joe Williams here works with a tight combo led by tenorist Red Holloway – with a lineup that also includes Jack McDuff on Hammond and piano, Phil Upchurch on guitar, and Eddie Cleanhead Vinson on alto and a bit of vocals too! LP, Vinyl record album

A killer live set from Hammond genius Jack McDuff – one of a few totally smoking records he did in this style for Prestige during the 60s! The group's a quartet, with stunning work from the young George Benson on guitar, burning tenor from Red Holloway, and amazing drums from Joe Dukes – one of the few players on the kit who really got the right energy to match McDuff on the keys! The album's filled with screamin' groovers throughout, including a great version of "Girl From Ipanema", plus originals like "Another Goodun" and "S'Okay". McDuff was always best in a live setting – and this rare gem is a great testament to that fact! LP, Vinyl record album

A killer diller of a live set from Brother Jack McDuff – a cut that burns with energy that almost beats his studio 60s classics for Prestige! The group is one of Jack's best ever – a lineup that includes the twin tenors of Red Holloway and Harold Vick, plus incredibly sharp guitar from a young George Benson, and some of the most unique soul jazz drum work you'll ever hear – courtesy of the amazing Joe Dukes. Despite their individual strengths, which might make this whole thing an ego-fest – all players fit perfectly into place on the album's hard wailing batch of groovers, and groove together with a sympathetic energy that's simply amazing! Titles include a great remake of "Jive Samba", plus "Dink's Blues", "Grease Monkey", "Passing Through", and "Vas Dis". This is the kind of thing live recording equipment was made for! LP, Vinyl record album

2 of the greatest albums ever by Jack McDuff – back to back on one CD! Soulful Drums of Joe Dukes was originally issued under the name of McDuff's famous mid-60s funky drummer, Joe Dukes – but it's actually a McDuff session, recorded with the classic quartet lineup that includes Red Holloway on tenor and alto, George Benson on guitar, and Dukes on drums. The album's got an incredible sound, with Dukes' unique approach to drums scattering all over the kit, creating these complicated dancing rhythms for the organ, sax, and guitar lineup. The album's filled with excellent groovers, like "Moohah the D.J.", "Soulful Drums", "Greasy Drums", and "My Three Sons" – and the whole thing's great! Equally sublime is the album Hot Barbeque – probably the strongest of all of McDuff's mid 60s albums, with a coherency and a solidness to the playing that you'd have to work hard to find on other organ group sides from the time. Jack's work on the Hammond is incredible, filled with sharp changes and turns that will leave you breathless, and which will soon make him your favorite organist ever. Benson's guitar is incredible, too – filled with energy and intensity, vamping away at a pace and accuracy that's simply inexplicable. Every single cut's a gem – and the album includes the vocal-driven groover "Hot Barbeque", plus "Hippy Dip", "601 1/2 North Poplar", "The Three Day Thang", and "Briar Patch". All That, and the CD also includes the rare bonus track "Redwood City"! CD

Wonderful stuff from Brother Jack McDuff – very hip, with a mixture of soul jazz and 60s grooving that's hard to beat! The album's also one of Jack's harder to find numbers on Prestige – and it features tenor work by Red Holloway and Harold Ousely, guitar by Pat Azzara, drums by Joe Dukes, and some occasional bigger arrangements by Benny Golson, who always gave Jack the hippest sound around! Includes a sublime mellow cover of "Walk On By", plus the tracks "Song Of The Soul", "Too Many Fish In The Sea", "For Those Who Choose", "Talkin Bout My Woman", and "Around The Corner". LP, Vinyl record album

The first album ever cut by George Benson as a leader – a cooker of a soul jazz set, recorded back when George was the guitarist in Jack McDuff's classic 60s quartet! The album's almost a McDuff Quartet one – since Jack's on Hammond and Red Holloway is on tenor – but the group's slightly different too, with the surprising additions of Montego Joe on drums, and Ronnie Boykins on bass! Benson's guitar is amazing throughout – sharp-edged and played with a tightness that's quite different than most of his later work – and titles include "Shadow Dancers", "The Sweet Alice Blues", "Just Another Sunday", "Easy Living", and "Rock A Bye". LP, Vinyl record album

The first album ever cut by George Benson as a leader – a cooker of a soul jazz set, recorded back when George was the guitarist in Jack McDuff's classic 60s quartet! The album's almost a McDuff Quartet one – since Jack's on Hammond and Red Holloway is on tenor – but the group's slightly different too, with the surprising additions of Montego Joe on drums, and Ronnie Boykins on bass! Benson's guitar is amazing throughout – sharp-edged and played with a tightness that's quite different than most of his later work – and titles include "Shadow Dancers", "The Sweet Alice Blues", "Just Another Sunday", "Easy Living", and "Rock A Bye". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our all-time favorite albums from Brother Jack McDuff – not just for the cover (which is plenty appealing to us as BBQ fans!), but also for the tight, sharply focused grooves on the set – some of Jack's first really firey work on record! The combo here is great – with a young George Benson hard-wailing on guitar, cutting lines so fast and furious it's hard to believe – especially if you only know his later work. The legendary Joe Dukes is on drums – dancing all over the place under Brother Jack's great groovy solos – and Red Holloway completes the group on tenor sax! The title track's got a rare vocal refrain – with Jack shouting out "Hot Barbeque" over the organ – and other cuts include "Briar Patch", "Hippy Dip", "601 1/2 North Poplar", and "The Three Day Thang". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our all-time favorite albums from Brother Jack McDuff – not just for the cover (which is plenty appealing to us as BBQ fans!), but also for the tight, sharply focused grooves on the set – some of Jack's first really firey work on record! The combo here is great – with a young George Benson hard-wailing on guitar, cutting lines so fast and furious it's hard to believe – especially if you only know his later work. The legendary Joe Dukes is on drums – dancing all over the place under Brother Jack's great groovy solos – and Red Holloway completes the group on tenor sax! The title track's got a rare vocal refrain – with Jack shouting out "Hot Barbeque" over the organ – and other cuts include "Briar Patch", "Hippy Dip", "601 1/2 North Poplar", and "The Three Day Thang". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the lesser-known 60s albums from Hammond genius Brother Jack McDuff – a set that features his stunning work on organ in a few different settings! The great Red Holloway is on tenor on most of these cuts – and the young George Benson plays guitar on three, Pat Marino on one more. Joe Dukes provides tremendous work on drums on the small combo tracks – and the set also features one very cool cut with large arrangements from Benny Golson! Tracks are fairly long, with lots of fire from McDuff and Benson – and titles include "Stop It", "Midnight Sun", "Love Walked In", and "Misconstrued". LP, Vinyl record album

With George Benson, Kenny Burrell, Gene Ammons, Jimmy Forrest, Red Holloway, and Lem Winchester. CD

A mighty nice setting for Carmen McRae, and a bit different than usual too – especially given that the backing group is a pretty soulful tenor/organ combo! Jack McDuff handles the Hammond, and Red Holloway plays both tenor and alto, with some nice comping from Phil Upchurch on guitar in the group – and this mix of hip players gives the set a more soulful swing than some other McRae dates from the time – and from other times as well – almost going for the feel of some of the 60s Etta Jones sets on Prestige. Titles include "Black & Blue", "My Handy Man Ain't Handy No More", "Fine & Mellow", "What Is This Thing Called Love", "What Can I Say After I Say I'm Sorry", and "One More Chance". CD

Soulful and pounding! Joe Dukes is one of the greatest soul jazz drummers ever – the key to the unique sound that Jack McDuff had during his big rise to fame in the mid 60s, a combination of tightly funky rhythms underneath, with a freer approach to the top of the kit that worked perfectly with McDuff's hefty Hammond Organ work. The group on this album's McDuff's classic quartet that includes Red Holloway on tenor and alto, George Benson on guitar, and Dukes on drums. The album's got an incredible sound, with Dukes' unique approach to drums scattering all over the kit, creating these complicated dancing rhythms for the organ, sax, and guitar lineup. The album's filled with excellent groovers, like "Moohah the D.J.", "Soulful Drums", "Greasy Drums", and "My Three Sons" – and the whole thing's great! . Filled with excellent groovers, like "Moohah the D.J.", "Soulful Drums", "Greasy Drums", and "My Three Sons". Super-rare, too! LP, Vinyl record album

The great vocalist Joe Williams is working with a tight combo led by tenorist Red Holloway – backed by Jack McDuff on Hammond and piano, Phil Upchurch on guitar, and Eddie Cleanhead Vinson on alto and a bit of vocals too! CD