[HAM] McDuff - Listen

[Organfreak]

Let's play the Jack McDuff feel good hit of the summer off some more of my 
old vinyl. I have seen this record ("Do It Now!," Atlantic) on CD, but 
rarely. It's bright yellow so you can't miss it.

I'll do a write-up on it, but here's the link if you want to skip the blather:
<www.organfreak.com/listen/McDuff-StrollingBlues.mp3>  (3.35 MB, MONO)
MONO because that's the way the record is.

When Jack came to Atlantic, he was missing his classic group of Geo. 
Benson, guitar, Red Holloway, tenor sax, and Joe Dukes, drums. So here we 
have Melvin Sparks, guitar, Leo Johnson and Danny Turner, saxophones, and 
Ray Appleton, drums. (I once knew his brother, Crabby.) That didn't slow 
him down much-- he still made these outrageous arrangements out of 
formerly-simple blues, like this one in 'F.'

The tune features breaks that are two full choruses long where the soloist 
has to really hang it out there by himself-- both a compliment and a 
challenge from our diabolical band leader. These may not be the greatest 
soloists in the world, but McDuff's bass and comping are so much fun, so 
swinging and varied, and so clearly-recorded that I like to just sit and 
listen to him, to heck with the soloists.

Something that Jack liked to do was make the one chord (F7) nice and noisy, 
with lots going on, then when going to the four (Bb7), there's a loud hit 
on a big Bb13th and then everything quiets down to let the soloist get into 
it. Countless organ players have done it since, but I think he started it.

Bass line aficionados, if they haven't before, should really pay attention 
to how he makes his patented, subtle variations in his bass line. The 
pattern is somewhat set for the tune, but it never stays the same; it's 
always varying and moving in unexpected directions. And, here I go again on 
this, there are SPACES between the notes, unlike most of the other organ 
players. (His fingers were bouncing up in the air. Standing behind him, you 
should have heard all the clacking from his left-hand rings.) This makes 
the notes punchier, and it gives more space for the grace notes. Notice how 
prominent his decorations are, and it swings hard!

The drum solo gets a whole new chord progression. It's a sort of musical 
joke, a never-ending vamp of II-Vs. Then back to the head. Being one of the 
uncommon jazz organists who could play full chords with his left hand on 
the LM, he then can rip off a few new ones after the closing chord.

And yes, the percussion is set to slow decay. How 'bout that!


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