Cast
Jimmy McGriff — Bandleader, organist
Richard Easley — Drummer
Thornel Schwartz — Electric guitar
Serge Leroy — Movie director
Program notes
Following the example of his mentor Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff was one of the first musicians to popularize the Hammond B-3 Organ. An electric miracle of an instrument, it was created to replace pipe organs in the vast numbers of rural churches that sprang up during The Great Migration of African Americans in the first half of the 20th Century.
Here, McGriff demonstrates a marriage between blues and soul-jazz, between deep melancholy and up-tempo spirit. He plays both the Hammond B-3 and a piano, dancing between the two sets of keys on interpretations of standards, like "Round Midnight." He is joined by Richard Easley on drums and Thornel Schwartz on guitar, both also part of the Philadelphia touring elite.
This concert was shot in 1965 at the Comblain-La-Tour Festival in Belguim, a jazz event that took place between '59 and '66, featuring artists such as John Coltrane, Nina Simone, Chet Baker and Ray Charles.