James Brown gettin' ORGANized

On the Smash label, James Brown did a couple instrumental albums featuring his skills on the organ (I'm guessing it was a Hammond). One was 'Grits & Soul' and the other 'plays James Brown Today & Yesterday' and they have yet to be reissued or remastered on cd, so the original vinyl is all that remains.

What I wanted to point out was that his style of playing the organ is very unique. Not atomic like Jimmy Smith or earthshaking like McGriff, (although I did read in Wax Poetics #12 that James use to always ask McGriff for lessons but was turned down everytime) but a soulful chill of funk that rattles the spine. To best hear his grit check 'A Song For My Father (part 2)' ,to me he really zones out there spilling that JB funk that feels like its gushing out of his fingers.

Have you heard his organ skills? What do you think?

I've spent A LOT of time cringing when I've seen James 'bless' the keys for sure!

Right, he wasn't great but his style is different as well as his approach. Of course after those albums James never did an organ album again, but I'm not gonna give up my copies just because the critics rainned on them. There's alot of gritty samples on those albums if you can flip it right. To me he was just trying to get his groove on.

i have one called james brown plays the new breed

A lot of James' most interesting stuff is in between his early R&B ballad stage and before the full on funk period. A lot of stuff that didn't 'blow up,' or maybe isn't sample worthy in many people's eyes, but are great tracks. When James actually sang, it was incredibly unique.

eastcoast121 wrote:i have one called james brown plays the new breed

One of the better ones of James on the keys.

bedouin wrote:A lot of James' most interesting stuff is in between his early R&B ballad stage and before the full on funk period. A lot of stuff that didn't 'blow up,' or maybe isn't sample worthy in many people's eyes, but are great tracks. When James actually sang, it was incredibly unique.

Thats one of the great things about this man, he's not afraid to experiment and always got something interesting to put on wax. Might not always be poppin' but listenable. 'Sho is Funky Down Here' is an example of this, it wasn't soulful but that didn't stop Brand Nubian to sample it and make a hit with 'All For One'.

And yeah, his voice is uncanny.