James Harrell McGriff (April 3, 1936—May 24, 2008) was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who developed a distinctive style of playing the Hammond B-3 organ. Born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, McGriff started playing piano at the age of five and by his teens had also learned to play vibes, alto sax, drums and upright bass. His first group was as bassist in a piano trio. When he joined the United States Army, McGriff served as an MP during the Korean War and he later became a police officer in Philadelphia for two years. Music kept drawing McGriffs attention away from the police force. His childhood friend, organist Jimmy Smith, had begun earning a substantial reputation in jazz for his Blue Note records (the two played together once in 1967) and McGriff became entranced by the organ sound while Richard Groove Holmes played at his sisters wedding. Holmes went on to become McGriffs teacher and friend and they recorded together on two occasions in 1973 for two Groove Merchant records. McGriff bought his first Hammond B-3 organ in 1956, spent six months learning the instrument, then studied at New Yorks Juilliard School. He also studied privately with Milt Buckner, Jimmy Smith, and Sonny Gatewood. He was influenced by the energy and dynamics of organist Milt Buckner and the diplomatic aplomb of Count Basie, and by local pianists such as Howard Whaley and pianist Austin Mitchell. 1960s: First combos McGriff formed a combo that played around Philadelphia and often featured tenor saxophonist Charles Earland (who soon switched permanently to organ, and became one of the instruments renowned performers). During this time, McGriff also accompanied such artists as Don Gardner, Arthur Prysock, Candido and Carmen McRae, who came through town for local club dates. In 1961, McGriffs trio was offered the chance to record an instrumental version of Ray Charles hit Ive Got a Woman by Joe Ledermans Jell Records, a small independent label. When the record received substantial local airplay, Juggy Murrays Sue label picked it up and recorded a full album of McGriffs trio, released in 1962. The album also turned out another huge hit in McGriffs All About My Girl, establishing McGriffs credentials as a fiery blues-based organist, well-versed in gospel, soul and fatback groove. McGriff recorded a series of popular albums for the Sue label between 1962 and 1965, ending with what still stands as one of his finest examples of blues-based jazz, Blues for Mister Jimmy. When producer Sonny Lester started his Solid State record label in 1966, he recruited McGriff to be his star attraction. Lester framed McGriff in many different groups, performing a wide variety of styles and giving the organist nearly unlimited opportunities to record. McGriff was heard everywhere from an all-star tribute to Count Basie; The Big Band, a series of organ and blues band records such as A Thing to Come By (1969), pop hits (Cherry, The Way You Look Tonight) and funk classics (Electric Funk and singles such as The Worm and Step 1). During this time, McGriff performed at clubs and concert halls worldwide. He settled in Newark, New Jersey, and eventually opened his own supper club, the Golden Slipper - where he recorded Black Pearl and a live album, Love Ain’t Nothin’ But A Business Goin’ On with Junior Parker in 1971. Beginning in 1969, he also performed regularly with Buddy Richs band, though the two were only recorded once together in 1974 on The Last Blues Album Volume 1. 1970s-1980s McGriff retired from the music industry in 1972 to start a horse farm in Connecticut. But Sonny Lesters new record company, Groove Merchant, kept issuing McGriff records at a rate of three or four a year. By 1973, McGriff was touring relentlessly and actively recording again. Around this time, disco was gaining a hold in jazz music and McGriffs flexibility proved infallible. He produced some of his best music during this period: Stump Juice (1975), Red Beans (1976) and Outside Looking In (1978). These albums still stand out today as excellent documents of McGriffs organ playing. By 1980, McGriff broke away from Sonny Lester and began working actively with producer Bob Porter (and recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder). McGriff began a long relationship with Fantasy Records Milestone label, collaborating with Rusty Bryant, Al Grey, Red Holloway, David Fathead Newman, Frank Wess and Eric Alexander. In 1986, McGriff started a popular partnership with alto saxophone player Hank Crawford. Their partnership yielded 1987s Soul Survivors and 1997s Road Tested. But it was only during their brief period at Telarc in the mid 1990s that McGriffs name headlined the popular club and cruise ship attraction. 1990s-2000s Between 1994 and 1998, McGriff also experimented with the Hammond XB-3, an organ synthesizer that increased the organs capabilities with MIDI enhancements. This gave McGriff an unnatural synthesized sound, which probably explains his retreat from the instrument on late recordings such as 2000s McGriffs House Party (featuring fellow organist Lonnie Smith). House Party did include the use of the XB-3; however, he did not use the MIDI functions. McGriff was one of the first B3 players to add MIDI to the upper keyboard his personal B3 to add and extend his sound beyond just the drawbar sound of the B3. He incorporated synthesizers in his live performances as he liked vibes, piano, string, brass and other sounds that could only be created by a synthesizer and which the classic B3 cannot provide. Jimmy purchased the XB-3 as he had more control over the MIDI functions, and the XB-3 weighs about half of the classic B3, which made it easier to move. Jimmy, as well as Groove Holmes, spent a great deal of time experimenting and modifying their B3s and Leslie speakers over the years. Some of these modifications made their way into products manufactured by both Hammond and Leslie, for which they did not always receive credit.[citation needed] Along with the soul-jazz sound, McGriff experienced renewed popularity in the mid-1990s, forming The Dream Team group, which featured David Fathead Newman (a longtime saxophonist with Ray Charles) and drummer Bernard Purdie, and recording the Straight Up (1998), McGriffs House Party (2000), Feelin It (2001), and McGriff Avenue (2002) albums. On March 29, 2008, McGriff was given a last private concert by Mr. B3 Bill Dilks and Grant Macavoy in his honor in Voorhees, New Jersey. Dilks brought his B3 and played for McGriff his wife Margaret, their guests, and the folks at Genesis HealthCare. As Dilks said, The Hammond reaches its players far beyond where the conscious mind lives. A resident of Voorhees Township, New Jersey, McGriff died there at age 72 on May 24, 2008, due to complications of multiple sclerosis. Discography Ive Got a Woman, Sue, 1962 One of Mine, Sue, 1963 Jimmy McGriff at the Apollo, Sue, 1963 Christmas With McGriff, Sue, 1964 Jimmy McGriff at the Organ, Sue, 1964 Topkapi, Sue, 1964 Blues for Mister Jimmy, Sue, 1965 The Big Band of Jimmy McGriff, Solid State, 1966 Cherry, Solid State, 1966 A Bag Full of Soul, Solid State, 1966 A Bag Full of Blues, Solid State, 1967 Ive Got a New Woman, Solid State, 1967 The Worm, Solid State, 1968 Honey, Solid State, 1968 Step 1, Solid State, 1969 A Thing to Come By, Solid State, 1969 Electric Funk, Blue Note, 1969 Something to Listen To, Blue Note, 1970 Black Pearl, Blue Note, 1971 Good Things Dont Happen Everyday, Groove Merchant, 1971 Groove Grease, Groove Merchant, 1971 Black and Blues, Groove Merchant, 1971 Soul Sugar, Capitol, 1971 Lets Stay Together, Groove Merchant, 1972 Fly Dude, Groove Merchant, 1972 Giants of the Organ Come Together, Groove Merchant, 1973 The Main Squeeze, Groove Merchant, 1974 Stump Juice, Groove Merchant, Groove Merchant, 1975 The Mean Machine, Groove Merchant, 1976 Feat. Joe Thomas Red Beans, Groove Merchant, 1976 Tailgunner, Lester Radio Corp. 1977 Outside Looking In, Lester Radio Corp. 1978 City Lights, Jazz America, 1980 Movin Upside the Blues, JAM, 1980 The Groover, JAM, 1982 Countdown, Milestone, 1983 Skywalk, Milestone, 1984 State of the Art, Milestone, 1985 Soul Survivors, Milestone, 1986 with Hank Crawford The Starting Five, Milestone, 1986 Steppin Up, Milestone, 1987 with Hank Crawford Blue to the Bone, Milestone, 1988 On the Blue Side, Milestone, 1989 with Hank Crawford You Ought To Think About Me, Headfirst, 1990 In A Blue Mood, Headfirst, 1991 Right Turn on Blues, Telarc, 1994 with Hank Crawford Blues Groove, Telarc, 1995 with Hank Crawford The Dream Team, Milestone, 1996 Feat. David Fathead Newman Charles Earlands Jazz Organ Summit, Cannonball, 1997 Road Tested, Milestone, 1997 with Hank Crawford Straight Up, Milestone, 1998 Feat. David Fathead Newman Crunch Time, Milestone, 1999 with Hank Crawford McGriffs House Party, Milestone, 1999 Feat. Dr. Lonnie Smith Feelin It, Milestone, 2000 McGriff Avenue, Milestone, 2001
Posted on: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 23:01:12 +0000