Richard ‘Groove’ Holmes – Soul Message (1965/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 34:37 minutes | 371 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Master, Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks | Digital Booklet | © Prestige Records
Recorded: August 3, 1965 at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Remastered: 2006, Rudy Van Gelder at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Many Eastern and Midwestern musicians helped sustain the West Coast jazz scene in the ’50s and ’60s, but the only one among them who made an impact in Southern California on Hammond organ was New Jersey native Richard “Groove” Holmes. This was Holmes’s first recording for Prestige, and it both confirmed his status as one of the B-3’s leading practitioners and elevated his profile with the crossover success of “Misty.” Armed with a talented and totally sympathetic rhythm section, a program that emphasized jazz classics (including the first cover version of Horace Silver’s “Song for My Father”) plus two infectious originals, and a unique sound that created excitement without flamboyance and allowed the brilliant bass lines created by his skillful pedal work to shine through with clarity, Holmes turned Soul Message into the signature album of his celebrated career.
Organist Richard “Groove” Holmes hit upon a successful formula on this Prestige session (reissued on CD in the OJC series), mixing together boogaloo rhythms with emotional solos. His double-time version of “Misty” became a big hit, and the other selections, including Horace Silver’s “Song for My Father” and a pair of soulful originals, are in a similar vein. The lone ballad of the set (“The Things We Did Last Summer”) is a fine change of pace. With the assistance of guitarist Gene Edwards and drummer Jimmie Smith, Groove Holmes shows that it is possible to create music that is both worthwhile and commercially successful. -AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1. Groove’s Groove 07:07
2. Dahoud 05:41
3. Misty 06:04
4. Song For My Father 06:09
5. The Things We Did Last Summer 06:07
6. Soul Message 03:29
Personnel:
Richard “Groove” Holmes, organ
Gene Edwards, guitar
Jimmie Smith, drums
Download:
mqs.link_RichardGrveHlmesSulMessage1965RVG2014HDTracks2444.1.rar