Jack McDuff
The blend of Hammond organ, tenor saxophone, guitar, and drums is one of the signature small-group sounds that have come to be identified with Rudy Van Gelder’s Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey studios in the last half-century. That sound is heard here in one of the definitive “organ-tenor” sessions. The Honeydripper, a blues-heavy program of impeccable groove and feeling, marks the moment at which Jack McDuff left his new star and featured sideman status behind and became a cer… MORE
MORE RELEASES FROM JACK MCDUFF
A soul jazz icon and influential master of the Hammond B-3 organ, the late Brother Jack McDuff… More
Here is a collection that will appeal to Brother Jack McDuff's fans, old and new--and to anyone with a well-developed taste for soul-jazz, organ… More
For 40 years--and counting--Brother Jack McDuff has been at the forefront of jazz organ, both artistically and commercially. Though organ/tenor… More
Jack McDuff started out playing piano in his father's church. Although he later switched to playing jazz on the Hammond B-3 organ, strong gospel… More
Jimmy Smith may have been jazz's Once and Future King of the Hammond B-3 organ, but Brother Jack McDuff's mid-1960s bands could cook with… More
The Soulful Drums is both a showcase for one of the all-time most exciting organ groups and a dual memorial tribute to that group's… More
A master jazz organist, Brother Jack McDuff is known for his pearly right hand, his pumping left, and his innate sense of musical drama. Born in… More
When it comes to jazz organist, Jack McDuff goes straight to the head of the class. Leader of his own groups for over three decades, the genial… More
During the golden age of small groups led by organists and featuring tenor saxophone and/or guitar (c. 1956-1965), Brother Jack McDuff’s… More
Jack McDuff and Gene Ammons were both sophisticated enough to deal with bebop if required, yet each was aware of their audience’s concern… More
ABOUT JACK MCDUFF
Jack McDuff (1926-2001) was one of the top organists to emerge after Jimmy Smith hit the scene.
McDuff was originally a bassist who worked with pianist Denny Zeitlin, Joe Farrell, Eddie Chamblee, Johnny Griffin, and Max Roach. At the suggestion of a club owner, he taught himself how to play organ, switching permanently in 1959. McDuff gained exposure working with Willis Jackson starting in 1959 and he made his recording debut as a leader in 1960, forming his own group the following year. McDuff hit paydirt in the mid-1960s when George Benson and Red Holloway were members of his band. He continued leading groups throughout his career and, although he partly switched to electric keyboards in the 1970s, in the ’80s he returned to the Hammond B-3 organ.
McDuff recorded many sessions for Prestige from 1960 to 1966. The fact that 13 CDs of his recordings have been reissued at this writing is a testament to the continuing popularity of his accessible music. Brother Jack was his debut set; Tough ’Duff and The Honeydripper match McDuff with tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest; Brother Jack Meets the Boss is a famous collaboration with tenor great Gene Ammons; and Screamin’ has altoist Leo Wright and guitarist Kenny Burrell joining McDuff and his longtime drummer Joe Dukes. Red Holloway and Harold Vick are both on tenors on Live!; Silken Soul contains a variety of material from 1965-1966; and Crash co-stars Kenny Burrell. The quartet with Benson, Holloway, and Joe Dukes is documented on Legends of Acid Jazz, Prelude (which also utilizes a big band arranged by Benny Golson), The Soulful Drums, and The Concert McDuff. In addition, The Last Goodun’ is a sampler of McDuff’s Prestige years.
Taken as a whole, Jack McDuff’s Prestige recordings form quite a musical legacy, showing why he is considered one of the giants of soul-jazz.