Just to add something positive to this thread, I would like to share another Hammond tip (and funkify your day): THE Hammond Master is, the one and only, incomparable, Chester Thompson. Check out Tower of Power or Santana...amazing stuff. (Note this is not be confused with the amazing drummer of the same name who also sometimes plays with Santana but of long time Genesis fame) |
Angela,
Glad to hear you appreciate TOP!
I expect you have it but Soul Vaccination Live Album really captures their amazing live sound! You need to crank it though (thinly mixed especially so it sounds correct at live levels)
Enjoy... |
Fmpnd,
Thanks for the tips. I will spend my weekend ordering more CD's. Great suggestions - all of them. I see TOP are in Seattle in December I am sorely tempted to catch a plane and make a weekend of it and see a show....how good is the current band? Are they still THAT good? How was the sound quality?
In return I highly recommend Steve Ferrone's Farm Fur More Head (Available from CDBABY)...excellent live recording of some AWB covers ...stuff that you can't find well recorded on the original AWB albums (Person to Person Live had such awful sound quality). |
I love Steve's Strutt...such a shame they had an issue somewhere about 3:00 minutes in where you hear distortion (listen carefully) ...seems to be the Hammond on one of the key boards which has the bass notes cranked too much (or microphone too close and clipping or noise) or at least it goes away after the organ solo or around 4:30...maybe their sound crew caught it by then.
...such is life when you have speakers that pick up everything! I think Steve uses Westlakes - so no doubt they knew about it....but that is "live" music....you got to take each track as it comes....and feel the ENERGY!!! |
Here is another addition to the B3 list - Jeff Young. He plays on this simply awesome CD (available from CDBaby) Zen Blues Quartet! Zen Blues have another album coming. I can't wait. |
I just want to thank everyone with such great suggestions and Angela for starting this thread. I have spent $300 on music in the last day!!
Keep it coming.... |
|
Well the first disc arrived. PHAT PHUNKTION.
WOW - this is awesome stuff! Not quite at TOP level but then who is.....very polished and slick if only a little too polite.....lots of influences mesh together to make this a really a fun listen. They have a great bass player whoever he is!!!!
I can't wait for the next PHAT Phunktion album to arrive (to see how this great band have progressed!!) |
Listen to THIS - B3 solo starts around 7:20 but that great wurlitzer sound is throughout. |
Well I'm hoping to see CHESTER THOMPSON playing with Santana next week. Gotta love that B3 !!!!
Dennis Chambers on drums - should be a great gig with such greats.
Here is another great groove with some nice organ - The Meters - Look-Ka Py Py ...enjoy. |
BTW - I can confirm, live Santana band was a lot better than on CD's - simply put in a live performance they didn't compress the hell out of the drums and backing musicians and jack up the guitar like they do on the CD's.
Dennis Chambers on drums was astonishing. Played 3 hours absolutely perfectly "in the pocket". Never seen a drummer do that - usually on the fills (especially long complex ones) most drummers have a different feel (instead of making the fill part of the music). Dennis nails the groove all the way through and all the time...astonishing.
Chester Thompson was his old self - contorting like a madman over his Hammond and producing more feeling from a keyboard than I have heard in years...
Santana, what can I say, amazing! ...but lengthy guitar solos get tiring after a while even from a maestro. |
Try Medeski Martin Wood - Combustication Some great laid back flowing organ stuff coupled with some really funky drumming! |
Maceo's Roots & Grooves - Advanced Funk and Pass the Peas has some real
funky live Hammond B3 by Germany's Frank Chestenier. I'd also suggest The
anthology collection of The J.B.'s with James Brown playing the organ on several
tracks and simply outstanding on Dirty Harri |
Some amazing B3 playing on School's In! by Maceo Parker....try Advanced Funk and the organ playing is just about as funky as it gets...Morris Hayes is on keyboard. |
Booker T. Jones has a new release titled "Potato Hole" check it out. I intend to. Meanwhile check this out WDR Big Band & Maceo |
There is really some amazing chemistry going on here. Booker's laid back style seems to really contrast to the aggressive guitar riffs by the Truckers. Raw Funk at it's best. Drummer is rock solid on the beat - Brad propels things along like a jet engine... |
Check out this great video from a legend - Brian Auger - his playing just flows so naturally. |
