Jazz Articles about Richard "Groove" Holmes

Richard "Groove" Holmes: Soul Message

by Samuel Chell
April 26, 2007

The Hammond B-3 organ, even more than the Fender Rhodes electric piano, simply refuses to surrender to the proponents of digital synthesis, be they manufacturers of keyboards or aging keyboardists looking for less strenuous gigs. The instrument continues to exert a universal appeal, offering a soul-stirring Sunday-morning message at a time and place that suits Saturday-night sinners. All the more reason this RVG edition of Soul Message, a popular recording by one of the instrument's more effective evangelists, is likely ...

Richard "Groove" Holmes: On Basie's Bandstand

by David Rickert
January 7, 2004

Soul jazz was never in short supply during the mid to late sixties, occupying slots in juke boxes next to Aretha Franklin and James Brown and filling clubs such as Count Basie’s lounge in Harlem. On many a night these small and noisy joints were excellent places to catch master organists such as Richard “Groove” Holmes burn through a set of meaty jam sessions.

On Basie’s Bandstand features seven unreleased tunes from a 1966 live set and is about as ...

Richard "Groove" Holmes: On Basie's Bandstand

by Russell Moon
December 12, 2003

The years 1965 to 1968, during which which Richard “Groove" Holmes recorded for Prestige, comprised his career's best period, and thus a previously unreleased Prestige recording is very welcome.

Groove Holmes joined the label in August 1965 with one of the jazz organ's finest albums, Soul Message. The following April, Prestige recorded Holmes at Count Basie's nightclub in Harlem. Five songs were taken from the gig and released in time for Christmas as Living Soul. During the summer of 1966 ...

Richard "Groove" Holmes: Spicy

by AAJ Staff
July 1, 1999

Two sides, one groove. There’s a torrid live set, a bare-bones trio that keeps the crowd going. It’s a basic sound, loose (in the good sense) and very satisfying. Then they go to the studio, with percussion and a second guitar (Boogaloo Joe Jones, in his first session for Prestige.) This is more polished, with varied timbres and a bit of pop. You get wicked movers, and the gentle cool found in his hit “Misty”. Tension ebbs and flows with ...

Richard "Groove" Holmes: Spicy!

by Douglas Payne
July 1, 1999

Organist Richard “Groove" Homes (1931-91) recorded prolifically over three decades for Pacific Jazz, Loma, Blue Note, Groove Merchant, Flying Dutchman, Versatile and Muse. But it was the dozen records he made for Prestige between 1965 and 1968 that scored him the biggest hits of his career ("Misty") and some of his most memorable music. On this collection, his second in the “Legends of Acid Jazz" series, two of his 1966 sessions are paired up: his third Prestige LP ( Living ...

Richard "Groove" Holmes: Broadway

by Jim Santella
October 1, 1998

Orginally released by Muse in 1980, this reissue features organist Groove Holmes, saxophonist Houston Person, guitarist Gerald Smith, percussionist Ralph Dorsey, and drummer Bobby Ward. No bassist is required because the leader provides stellar bass lines himself from the organ.

The title track, “Broadway," starts off this album with a blazing tempo and a natural flair for the melody. Person’s tenor saxophone tone is light and airy, and his technique is tempered with a sense of confidence that seems to ...

Richard "Groove" Holmes: Groove's Groove

by Jim Santella
February 1, 1998

Based in the blues and gaining popularity early in his career with a 1965 version of “Misty," Groove Holmes was one of the premier artists to employ the Hammond B3 organ. Starting out as a bassist and teaching himself organ as he went along, Holmes found that he could produce a solid bass line with his foot while creating new and interesting sounds at the keyboard. These days, when a trip to your local record store may reveal items in ...