Groovy 70s work from this mighty organist – three full albums in a single package! New
Groove is full of funky funky
Groove Holmes – one of his tightest albums ever! The set's a monumental batch of organ jazz
groovers – recorded with some larger backings from Manny Albam, and a super-dope, super-funk sort of 70s feel that's really outta site! The tracks are lean and very rhythmically oriented – all instruments grooving very strictly on the beat, except for
Groove's wailing Hammond – which takes off over the top in some fierce musical flights! Bernard Purdie chops up some wicked drums on the set, and titles include "Red Onion", "Meditation", "Good Vibrations", "Chu Chu", and the solid
groover "You've Got it Bad". American Pie is tasty small group work from
Groove – with Mr Holmes himself on organ, and the great Larry Willis on electric piano – coming up with a twin electric organ/
piano sound that's similar to the one that
Groove used on his Comin On Home LP for Blue Note. The difference here is that things aren't as funky as on the Blue Note record – more in the style of the mellow soul of some of the other
Groove Merchant albums, with a sweet use of percussion and guitar next to the keys – in a nice laidback kind of
groove! Titles are mostly covers – like "St Thomas", "American Pie", and "Who Can I Turn To" – but the lineup also includes two Holmes originals, "Catherine" and the jazzy "Fingers", which is a nice little cut! Night Glider is sweet 70s funk from the legendary
Groove Holmes – an album that has his funky organ riffing nicely over some tight larger arrangements! The style is really great, and a nice departure from the smaller combo
Groove Holmes sound of the 60s – more in keeping with his later Blue Note work, in that the organ's in the lead, grooving soulfully, and the rest of the band vamps and comps behind him with a tight style that's almost in the soundtrack mode! Players include Pretty Purdie on drums, Horace Ott on electric piano, and Seldon Powell on tenor – and Horace Ott wrote two nice originals – "Night Glider" and "Flyjack" – and
Groove contributed "Pure Cane Sugar". Other tracks include "Go Away Little Girl", "Young & Foolish", and "One Mint Julep".