Lest we forget, B-3 organ burners (Jimmy McGriff, Groove Holmes, Charles Earland, and the master, Jimmy Smith) are to modern groove-jazz what, say, Hendrix is to acid-funk-guitar. The Essence All-Stars, Organic Grooves (Hip Bop HIBD 810, 46:29) features two of the best-Dr. Lonnie Smith and Joey DeFrancesco. With Kenny Garrett, Grover Washington, Jr., Lenny White, Tony Purrone, and Idris Muhammad on board, this set of bluesy grooves is pretty much a walk through. DeFrancesco and Smith swap solos on the 12-minute “Broadway,” which also features some fleet-fingered solo statements from guitarist Purrone. Garrett, Smith and Washington tear up the second-line freighted “True Blue,” ended in some spirited lick dialogue between Garrett’s alto and Washington’s tenor.
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