Search - Richard Groove Holmes :: Soul Message

A Quintesential Pick ! ! !

Eddie Landsberg | Tokyo, Japan | 03/17/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I like to describe Groove Holmes as a member of the "third wave" of Jazz organists to emerge during the heyday of the Hammond- - First you had the classic heavy swingers like Wild Bill and Milt, then along came Jimmy and the blues meets bop school including his disciples McDuff, McGriff, JHS, etc... then finally the third wave, in which the improvisational and technical ante was raised significantly. Among these players were Larry Young, Don Patterson, and of course Richard Groove Holmes. Groove's trademark (besides his robust figure), were three things : 1. He could groove hard. (he was afterall left handed !), 2. Long before Joey DeFrancesco he had technical mastery and chops that few of the earlier organists (despite their awesome capabilities had.) 3. He did strange things with his rig to get a unique sound (which we won't get into here.) This album SOUL MESSAGE shows Groove at his peak. His "double time" funky "charleston beat" version of Misty was actually a major crossover hit - - just as Jimmy Smith's CHICKEN SHACK taught a whole generation of disciples how to approach the B-3, Groove's MISTY did it again - - Groove's Groove brings the whole McDuff thang up to date and is definitely a house rocker (check out Duff's LIVE LP) - - While "Ipanema" can sound cheesy and annoying in the hands of most organists, Groove makes it sound fresh and wicked... Tunes like Dahoud and Song For My Father show his ability to be modern, as well as DOMINATE the instrument. - - Though an incredible trio (Jimmie Smith on drums, Gene Edward guitar) typical to any Groove CD is his ability to carry practically the entire Groove (hence his name...) - - When Groove is smoking, cats... stay out of his way !If you like Groove's version of MISTY, check out Freddy Roach doin' TENDERLY in a very similar vein - - SOUL MESSAGE however clearly is where the buck stops !"

Great Groove - Gene jars!

Dr.D.Treharne | Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom | 12/10/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"By any standards Groove Holmes really produces a great sound from the Hammond B3 on this album. There's no doubt, listening to the 1995 transfer, that the Fantasy guys did a great job on the remaster.The material is, to say the very least, eclectic."Grooves Groove" and a great version of Horace Silver's "Song for my father" are the standout tracks."Things we did last summer"is great but now seems overlong.Despite getting to #44 on the Billboard pop chart at the time,"Misty" hasn't worn well at all. My main criticism of the album is the playing of Gene Edwards on guitar. Firstly I'm sure that he plays several bum notes, one of which occurs early in "Grooves Groove".Secondly, since the album first came out in 1965 the availability of a range of guitar sounds even to sidesmen has increased enormously, and the guitar sound on this album now sounds one-dimensional compared to what has followed. So there's the dilemma.One the one hand some of the best of "Groove" Holmes but combined with some fairly limp guitar sounds.If you can get over that impediment this album is recommended."

This is one of my five favorite albums.

Eddie Landsberg | 02/14/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this one in October of '66. It was my first hard core jazz album.I'll never get tired of it.This was Groove's first album for Prestige after a number of years with Pacific Jazz. Everything clicked the day they recorded this one."