The Hammond B-3 organ gets some big love in this episode. First up is the Delvon LaMarr Organ Trio and their debut album Close But No Cigar, a Billboard #1 in the jazz charts. The band takes the well honed sound and constructs an incredibly funky outing that comes off like a live mixtape. It harkens the spirit and quotes from the titans of B-3 like Booker T. and the MG’s, the Incredible Jimmy Smith, and Brother Jack McDuff.
Speaking of which, The Major Scale has been waxing on for a long time about the need to spread the word on Brother Jack McDuff’s overlooked spaced-out jams of the late ’60s and early ’70s. We take a look at a trio of albums he cut for Blue Note during this period: Moon Rappin’, To Seek A New Home, and Who Knows What Tomorrow’s Gonna Bring? Unlike his other work, these albums don’t turn up often on playlists, but when they do they dazzle and delight with their surreal soul and hard driving funk. Crate-diggers and producers have looked to these records since the dawn of hip-hop; just ask, J Dilla, Nas (who’s father plays on one of the albums) A Tribe Called Quest, or Black Moon.
The Major Scale – African-American Art in the 20th Century – Civil Rights, the African-American Experience, and Rallying Cry
The Major Scale – Brandee Younger & Gary Peacock
The Major Scale – Tom Scott Tribue
The Major Scale – Jaimie Branch & 1959: A Magic Year
The Major Scale – In A Sentimental Mood Over Chet Baker, Grady Tate, and Bob Dourough
The Major Scale – Mark De Clive-Lowe & Idris Ackamoor