In 1967, when the two LPs that comprise this CD were recorded, organist extraordinaire Richard "Groove" Holmes was still riding high from his 1966 hit single "Misty," which climbed to number 12 on Billboard’s R&B chart. One of the top names in "soul-jazz," Holmes (1931-1991) was a big man with a sound commensurate with his size. On the first ten selections herein, Holmes grooves in front of a first-call Chicago big band arranged and conducted by Richard Evans, best known for his work with pianists Ahmad Jamal and Ramsey Lewis; on the remainder of this collection the organist fronts a sextet featuring tasty guitarist Wally Richardson. The repertoire tends toward soul and pop hits of the day ("Ain't That Peculiar," "Sunny"), but there are also the straight-ahead Groove-ers ("On Green Dolphin Street, "The Preacher," "I Will Wait for You") and low-lights ballads ("In Between the Heartaches," "Since I Fell for You") that won Holmes the kind of popularity not customarily associated with true jazz players.

with Dave Blume, Ben Dixon, Jimmy Lewis, Wally Richardson, Steve Wolfe