m_dejean said:Re: Larry Young - that guy was in his own zone when it came to approaching the organ.
I'm listening to "Heaven On Earth" now. It's not one of his best LPs, but I keep it because of the fantastic, brooding 9 minute track "The Hereafter" (young G. Benson in fine form here too).
The funny thing is, there's a track on the same album called "The Infant" which is a more traditional Blue Note/Prestige/Atlantic funky soul-jazz tune a la McGriff etc., and it's striking how pedestrian it sounds compared to "The Hereafter". It's just not his element and it's evident that he was way beyond the "organ burner" thing.
yeah, it's funny 'Heaven On Earth' was like the last Young album I still needed, and when i finally got it, it was a little disappointing. Parts of it sound like they were trying to reel him in and see if he could do a "Sidewinder"-style hit song, the same way they seem to have done with Andrew Hill on "Grass Roots". Those albums are still enjoyable and have their moments, but definitely seem kind of restrained and commercial.
so what other organ players really pushed the envelope and broke new ground? for one, I really appreciate Shirley Scott's LP on Strata East. While not as wild and blatantly 'out' as Larry Young, i find that her 'one for me' steers largely clear of the greasy bluesy soul-jazz styles that most organists worked in. It shows she had a different conception of what organ can do, and it's innovative and fresh but in a very subtle way that I find to be very dignified and pretty profound.
