Thursday, January 24, 2013

Greg Skaff, 116th and Park

Take the skeletal structure of a kicking organ trio, add bass and percussion when needed, get some very hip tunes together, and...you have in essence Greg Skaff's 116th & Park (Zoho 201208).

This is his third in this bag and it's a charmer. Ralph Peterson Jr sounds as smoking as ever (listen to him on "The Beehive"!), Pat Bianchi does a hot, contemporary Hammond thing with real style, drive, and no cliche. Greg Skaff is all-invention in the organ trio tradition--and since he's following in the footsteps of cats like George Benson and Pat Martino, you know he's gotta be good or it isn't going to happen. Greg has it and shows it and that way we can dig it! He comps masterfully and lets loose with some LINES. Bassist Paul Nowinski and Mauro Refosco on percussion add the right things when present.

There are some nice Skaff originals, a goodie by Ralph and well-chosen classics, including "Come Sunday" and "Bye-Ya".

So what you have is organ trio the way you hope to hear it. Greg Skaff does it. Crank this one up!

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