Jun 3, 2025 11:25 AM
In Memoriam: Al Foster, 1943–2025
Al Foster, a drummer regarded for his fluency across the bebop, post-bop and funk/fusion lineages of jazz, died May 28…
Brian Charette’s Borderless is his latest album — just Charette, solo, and his Hammond B-3.
(Photo: Salim Issa)Of all the instruments that have defined the course of modern jazz for the past 80 years, the organ might be the most enigmatic. It can sound baroque, earthy and alien at the same time; it’s up to those who push the keys and pull the drawbars to shade which direction it will go.
For drummer Towner Galaher, it’s all about the groove. The Mike Clark acolyte has formed a tight brotherhood with his band that includes organist Jimmy Sanders, whose actual brother, Johnny, was a dear friend of Galaher. The aptly named album Brothers (Rhythm Royale; ★★½ 43:12) is a collection of eight groove-based originals that all vary slightly from each other but are intemperately similar in vibe, volume and smoothness. Galaher and his extra-matriarchal siblings play feel-good music, but it would feel better if they had more precision, especially considering they all pretty much stick to their arranged parts without much interactive variation. That said, Sanders has his moments to shine, especially on “Seventh Heaven,” where he drives home the SNL-style funk vehicle with a rousing gospel fanfare, ending with a flourish of preternatural partials.
Ordering info: townergalahermusic.com
Another drummer, Virginia-based Jae Sinnett, protracts a different angle on the organ, using Allen Farnham’s considerable jazz keyboard know-how to emulate the Hammond sounds on classic rock recordings in his Blur The Lines Project (J-Nett; ★★★½ 36:56), revisiting music from Rush, Rare Earth, Edgar Winter, Steppenwolf, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. Sinnett, for his part, embraces his inner John Bonham, ably matching the intensity and fire needed to pull this off, along with guitarist Jason Cale, whose distorted guitar shredding is fever-pitch perfect. Yet Sinnett and company keep the album from being merely a well-executed set of covers with some clever transitions to other modes of expression, particularly on the 1972 instrumental rock hit “Frankenstein,” which takes on a life of its own as it morphs into free-jazz territory, featuring some terrifying solos from saxophonist Ada Rovatti and Farnham (on piano). Rovatti is a brilliant improviser, but her dark tone feels out of place leading these rockin’ anthems: more Johnny Hartman than Jimmy Page.
Ordering info: jaesinnett.com
Guitarist Frode Kjekstad’s Jazz Detectives (Losen; ★★★★ 63:08) harkens back to a more conventional jazz organ trio, internationally comprising native Norwegian Kjekstad, British organist Roy Powell and Cuban drummer (and current Norway resident) Raciel Torres. The trio sounds like a polished, eurythmic unit, displaying their pedigrees on “Dirt,” a swinging extended blues form with scintillating solos from Kjekstad and Powell. There’s a delicious variety of material throughout, from the funk-inflected grooves of “The Royster” and “Night At Zita,” to blues-roots based music like “The Lizzard” and “Blues For Runi,” to things of a more subtle conception, like the jazz-waltz “Baba Ganoush” or the evocative, Metheny-esque soft-rock ballad “Song For M.” Throughout, Powell is more than up to the task of driving the trio with his proficiency of both rhythm and timbre. Kjekstad has virtuosity for days and complements Powell with his blues-inflected bebop approach.
Ordering info: losenrecords.no
The last album on this list, Brian Charette’s remarkable Borderless (Steeplechase; ★★★★½ 58:33) could also be the last word on what it truly means to play jazz organ. Charette dives in with both feet (and hands) in a startingly intimate exposition on everything this grand instrument is capable of. There’s certainly plenty of bluesy, groove-based vehicles like the John Patton-inspired “Blue Bow,” the evergreen “Willow Weep For Me” and, in a deft curveball, Huey Lewis’ top 40 hit “If This Is It.” But Charette runs the gamut of countenance, at one point spinning off bebop lines over walking bass on “Tadd’s Delight” and “Bicoastal” (his line to Charlie Parker’s “Confirmation”), then experimenting with unusual, otherworldly aural ruminations on his vignettes “Sunrise,” “Ratios” and “Fráctal.” He even takes the listener to church with his gospel-tinged “Blood Sun,” followed by a trip to the beach with “Venice Beach Rhumba” and Jobim’s “Corcovado,” where he makes a vocal cameo on Gene Lees’ haunting lyrics. Through it all, it’s fascinating to hear Charette manipulate the organ in mid-flight, in the process unlocking the massive potential for this ancient but enduring sound generator. DB
Ordering info: steeplechase.dk
Foster was truly a drummer to the stars, including Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson.
Jun 3, 2025 11:25 AM
Al Foster, a drummer regarded for his fluency across the bebop, post-bop and funk/fusion lineages of jazz, died May 28…
Benny Benack III and his quartet took the Midwest Jazz Collective’s route for a test run this spring.
Jun 3, 2025 10:31 AM
The time and labor required to tour is, for many musicians, daunting at best and prohibitive at worst. It’s hardly…
To record Dream Manifest (Dom Recs), Croker convened artists from his current and recent past ensembles, plus special guests.
Jun 10, 2025 4:13 PM
Partway through his early set at Smoke Jazz Club, Theo Croker blinks the room back into focus. He leans over the piano.…
“There’s nothing quite like it,” Springs says of working with an orchestra. “It’s 60 people working in harmony in the moment. Singing with them is kind of empowering but also humbling at the same time.”
Jun 17, 2025 11:12 AM
When it came time to pose for the cover of her new album, Lady In Satin — a tribute to Billie Holiday’s 1958…
James Brandon Lewis earned honors for Artist of the Year and Tenor Saxophonist of the Year. Three of his recordings placed in the Albums of the Year category.
Jul 17, 2025 12:44 PM
You see before you what we believe is the largest and most comprehensive Critics Poll in the history of jazz. DownBeat…
