Freddie Roach (organist)

Freddie Roach ( born May 11, 1931 in Bronx, New York) is an American soul-jazz organist ( Hammond B3)

Freddie Roach began at the age of eight years with the organ playing, as he grew up with his aunt in White Plains, New York. In the next few years he taught himself organ and piano playing, finally, he studied at the conservatory in Newark. His first job as a professional musician, he was in the band of Grachan Moncur II, the strollers. At twenty, he did his military service in the Navy and was played by a band. After his release, 1953, Roach was down for a while in Canada and returned to the area from New York, played piano and organ with Chris Columbus, Cootie Williams and Lou Donaldson.

In the late 1950s he concentrated more on playing the organ; He lived at this time in Newark, New Jersey, where he worked with a own band and as a soloist. There he joined jam sessions at Club 83 with musicians such as Kenny Dorham, Cannonball Adderley and Jackie McLean on. The most important for his future career connection was the acquaintance with saxophonist Ike Quebec, who brought Roach in his band. Roach worked then at the sessions, which grossed Quebec for Blue Note Records in which the albums Heavy Soul and It Might as Well Be Spring arose. His performance convinced Alfred Lion, Freddie Roach in 1962 to offer its own record deal. This year, Roach then took on his debut album under his own name, Down to Earth, where the guitarist Kenny Burrell, tenor saxophonist Percy France and drummer Clarence Johnston participated.

At this time he also played in the band of Willis Jackson. From 1962 to 1964, he then took a total of five albums under his own name for Blue Note and it participated in Donald Byrd's album I'm Trying to Get Home with. Great attention was paid to his Blue Note LPs Mo Greens Please ( 1963) with Kenny Burrell, Good Move with Blue Mitchell Hank Mobley and (1963) and Brown Sugar, which was created in March 1964 and at the Joe Henderson participated. In October 1964, Roach recorded his last album for Blue Note, All That 's Good, which was also the guitarist Calvin Newborn participated; the album was a bizarre mix of his soul jazz with a choir.

1966/67, Roach played three more albums for Prestige Records, but a more commercial orientation had as his Blue Note sessions before. He then moved to France and disappeared from the jazz scene. Roach is regarded as one influenced by organist Jimmy Smith.

Disco Graphical Notes

Albums under his own name

• Good Move ( Blue Note, 1963)
• Mo ' Greens Please ( Blue Note, 1963) with Conrad Lester (ts ), Kenny Burrell ( g), Clarence Johnson ( dr)
• Down to Earth ( Blue Note )
• All That 's Good ( Blue Note, 1964)
• The Soul Book; Mocha Motion, My People ( Soul People) ( Prestige, 1966/1967 ).

Albums as a sideman

• Donald Byrd with Orchestra Brass & Voices: I'm Trying to Get Home ( Blue Note, 1964)
• Willis Jackson: Legends of Acid Jazz - Keep on blowin ' ( Prestige, 1959-62 )
• Ike Quebec: The Art of Ike Quebec ( Blue Note, 1961/62 ); Heavy Soul (BN, 61)

Swell

• Bielefeld catalog 1988 & 2002
• Richard Cook & Brian Morton: The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings, 8th Edition, London, Penguin, 2006 ISBN 0-141-02327-9