ARTISTS CHOICE

THE BLEND OF GUITAR AND ORGAN

BY KEVIN EUBANKS

h A grooving combination: Gregg Rolie

The collaboration of guitar and organ has long been embedded in jazz. The
tone and the timbre of the two instruments make a very good blend in different
contexts. Also, being that theyre both electric instruments, players can command their dynamics. On the guitar they have touch, which gives them control of
volume and articulation, but they also have the volume knobs to make the signal
louder or softer, which is the same as the organ. I use a volume pedal a lot when I
play, and basically thats an organ thing. They are definitely in the same family.

and Carlos Santana

JAMES AND WES

Jimmy & Wes: The Dynamic Duo (Verve, 1966)
What comes out more than anything here is the warmth of Wes and
the groove of Jimmy Smithhe is groove. The intensity of Wes is really pushed by Jimmy. Its a blues, and Jimmy always has that gospel
edge and that blues-funk-jazz thing that he was incredible at. And I
love Wes Montgomery, so I couldnt resist this one.

Jimmy Smith

ILL DRINK TO THAT

Off the Top (Elektra Musician, 1982)
George Benson and Jimmy are playing here with Stanley Turrentine, Ron Carter and Grady Tate, and its a different vibe than what
was happening with the first track. George played a lot with organ,
and he seems to float a little bit more than Wes; Wes kind of lays in
it. Georges articulation with a pick, and Wes articulation with his
thumb, gives you a different blend with the organ and saxophone
and all of that. I wanted to show Wes and George with the same
organist to demonstrate the different textures.

John Abercrombie

RED AND ORANGE

Timeless (ECM, 1975)
Fusionthe word is a clich now, but at the time it wasntwas
wonderful for maybe seven years, before it lost elements of blues
and jazz and became its own thing, with a lot more technique and
a lot less feel. On this youve got Jan Hammer, a great organ player
a lot of people werent aware of, and Jack DeJohnette, and it has a
great jazz vibe, which makes everything a lot looser. Jan and John
Abercrombie had a real understanding of what I call modern fusion music. Its also a great composition.

Santana

BLACK MAGIC WOMAN

Abraxas (Columbia, 1970)
The guitar and organ are so prominent on this song. Gregg Rolie
has that dirty organ feel and theres a wonderful grittiness to it. The
song itself is kind of eerie and mysterious. I felt that this song, and
this band, was really different from anything elsethe rhythm section, the percussion. And still, the organ and guitar are so prominent and pushing it forward without being in your face. Its edgy,
its sexy and its a wonderful example of how guitar and organ are a
grooving combination.
72

JAZZTIMES JULY/AUGUST 2016

Tower of Power

SQUIB CAKES
Back to Oakland (Warner Bros., 1974)
You have the organist, Chester Thompson, and guitarist, Bruce
Conte, really pushing the rhythm section, not just when one of them
is soloing but when theyre both comping behind a sax or trumpet
solo. Its like a jazz-gospel groove but at a quicker tempo; you can
hear the jazz influence in the lines that theyre playing. Its such a
sophisticated funk group for that time period, but yet again you
have guitar and organ at the center, which opens it up to rock, blues,
gospel and jazz. As long as you keep the guitar and the organ moving and simmering, it gives you that warmth. Its really powerful.

Yes

ROUNDABOUT
Fragile (Atlantic, 1971)
The guitar-organ combination gives this a certain brightness. You
still feel some church in there, but you also feel something kind of
innocent; youre having fun. It was a new sound, but still you had
the old organ-and-guitar duo powering through and holding its
own. The groove is there, and the tones of organist Rick Wakeman
and guitarist Steve Howe still have that edge.

Ray Reussner & Tandy Reussner

BOCCHERINI CONCERTO IN E MAJOR NO. 1 ALLEGRO
Unreleased performance at Bales Organ Recital Hall,
University of Kansas, Lawrence (via YouTube)
I wanted to stretch the combination of organ and guitar as much as I
could. The tonalities of Rays nylon-string guitar and the pipe organ,
played by Tandy, are way different. A real pipe organ has the wind going through itit gives it a different attack, a decay on the notes, which
is pretty much the opposite of a classical guitar. Those notes are really
short-lived; the attack is immediate. Its an odd combination, but once
you start listening you can see how one is an extension of the other. JT
[As told to Jeff Tamarkin]
Guitarist Kevin Eubanks has been recording and performing
since the early 1980s. He has released more than 20 albums
as a leader or co-leader, including Duets (Mack Avenue,
2015), a collaboration with Stanley Jordan. From 1995
to 2010 he served as the leader of the Tonight Show Band
alongside host Jay Leno. To read Eubanks analysis of a
bonus track, by B.B. King, visit JazzTimes.com.

FROM TOP: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST, RAJ NAIK

Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery