Richard Holmes (organist)
Richard Arnold " Groove" Holmes ( born 2 May 1931 in Camden, New Jersey, † June 29, 1991 in St. Louis, Missouri ) was an American jazz organist of the hard bop and soul jazz. He is considered a precursor of the acid jazz.
Life and work
Richard Holmes appeared in the early 1960s in the jazz scene; He recorded his first album for Pacific Jazz Records with guest soloists Ben Webster in March 1961. He sat down immediately with his own inimitable style. He was a straight receptive and warm player and was around Philadelphia and southern New Jersey locally successful until he attracted attention with a contract with Pacific Jazz in the entire United States. Individual as a single decoupled Erroll Garner's Misty recordings as proved to be very successful.
Its sound was in the upper register immediately recognizable, and also because of the ingenious inventions of his bass lines that were fast, accentuated and rhythmically pulsating. He moved from the stylish roughest blues to soulful ballad, " soulful " and was " grooving ".
He made several albums as a trio with guest soloists like Joe Pass or big bands, and though he had a rather short period of time available for recording, he is regarded as one of the stars among the notable jazz organist Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff and Brother Jack McDuff. He recorded many albums for Pacific Jazz, Prestige Records, Groove Merchant and Muse Records.
Especially among the African American population, he was popular. With organist Jimmy McGriff he delivered himself organ battles and made him successful as a single decoupled recordings as a duo. In the early 70s he turned more to the keyboards and more fusion - oriented music. The organ moved back in the '80s with his recordings for Muse at the center. Until his death in 1991, he continued to deliver sophisticated soul jazz, so with Houston Person for Muse.
One of his last concerts he gave in 1991 at the Chicago Blues Festival with his friend, singer Jimmy Witherspoon, with whom he had worked for many years.
Auswahldiskografie
- After Hours (Pacific Jazz Records (1961 )
- Groovin 'With Jug (Pacific Jazz Records ) ( 1961) )
- Soul Message ( Prestige ) ( 1965)
- Spicy ( 1966) ( with Ivan " Boogaloo Joe" Jones)
- That Healin ' Feelin ' (1968 )
- Night Glider (1973 )
- New Groove (1974 )
- Broadway ( 1980)
- Swedish Lullaby (1984 )
- Blues All Day Long ( 1988)
- Hot Act ( 1989)
- Groove 's Groove (1991 )