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| Bobby Floyd
‘Notes To and From My Friends’
Here’s another ‘goodun’ from Bobby Floyd that’s been well worth the wait. A true labor of love, this one reveals Bobby at his best!.
Originally from Marion, Ohio, Bobby moved to nearby Columbus in 1974 just after he g |
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| Bobby Floyd
‘Notes To and From My Friends’
Here’s another ‘goodun’ from Bobby Floyd that’s been well worth the wait. A true labor of love, this one reveals Bobby at his best!.
Originally from Marion, Ohio, Bobby moved to nearby Columbus in 1974 just after he graduated from High School to attend Ohio State University. Up until that point it had been the Church and the many hours spent listening to his Dad’s great record collection that fueled Bobby’s love for music. “My first experience with jazz goes back even before I moved to Columbus”, recalls Bobby. “I came out of church but the whole time I was going to church, my Dad played a lot of the great artists for me - organists and jazz pianists - all the greats. I listened to everybody from Thelonious Monk to Erroll Garner to Andre Previn…to Jimmy Smith, Charles Earland to Bill Doggett, Wild Bill Davis and Earl Grant. I would sit down at the piano and the organ and try to play exactly like them. That’s where a lot of my learning came from. Also the church part of it, too. I listened to great gospel organists like Billy Preston and Twinkie Clark. We were about the same age. Twinkie Clark is the daughter of Mattie Moss Clark. Mattie was like one of the leading gospel choir directors back in the sixties and seventies. So, her daughter came up under her playing for her choir. She was a great organist”.
One listen to the tracks on this CD and it becomes obvious that Gospel music played a fundamental role in Bobby’s musical personality. As he admits: “I was raised in church…playing Gospel music. I started off playing piano and when I grew tall enough for my legs to reach the organ pedals, that’s when I started playing organ. I started playing piano when I was two years old. It was a God-given gift. My Mom played in church. At the age of five or six I took her place playing in church. It was an innate talent; I mean, it just ‘happened’”.
Remember that Bobby is about both the Hammond organ and the piano unlike many other players who have allegiance only to one or the other. His piano trio and organ combo are quite unique in this day and age in that the players remain constant. Here’s how Bobby explains it: “Our drummer is Reggie Jackson. He’s a very good drummer who has been playing with Dianne Shuur for about four or five years but plays with me when he’s in town. Derek DiCenzo is the guitar player. He also plays upright bass so when I move from organ to piano, the members of my trio stay the same. Derek goes from guitar to upright bass. It’s a perfect trio”.
Once Bobby settled in Columbus he began to meet musicians at both the peer and mentor levels. One such peer was Tony Monaco while the great organist, Hank Marr could be considered mentor status. “I learned about Hank shortly after I got here”, Bobby remembers. “The whole time Hank was playing; while he was alive, he was the talk of the town… and he had every right to be, based on the way he played. He was great!”.
Hank Marr’s relationship with Don Patterson obviously preceded any encounters with Bobby Floyd or friend, Tony Monaco but analogies can still be drawn. Reportedly, Don came in to the 502 club one day while Hank was at the console of the Hammond B-3. Don asked Hank to show him a few things on the organ. Hank quickly realized how gifted Don was and only needed to point him in the right direction to inspire the young pianist-turned-organist. Bobby, too, must have impressed Marvelous Hank Marr with this same quick study and spirited playing. “Hank Marr goes way back so I can’t see how organ players weren’t influenced by him. He was around for such a long time and even if you, as an organist, weren’t influenced directly, you were influenced by somebody else who was influenced by Hank Marr. He was such a great musician”.
Besides the nods to both Hank Marr and Don Patterson in this music, Bobby also acknowledges his late father. It was Bobby’s Dad who instilled the love for this music and nurtured any dreams Bobby might have had; hence the title: ‘Notes To and >From My Friends’.
The creation of this CD has involved juxtaposing different recordings from various studios and yet because of Bobby’s musical intuition, the results are lively and spontaneous. Helped by his friend, Tony Monaco, this recording brings out the best in Bobby Floyd. In an era when jazz organ fans are searching for authenticity and personal style, this product delivers the goods. “I’m trying to do some good things to get the music out there and keep jazz alive” says Bobby. “I don’t care if it’s in the studio or if it’s recorded live just as long as we can cop that vibe; that’s the most important thing. Hopefully this CD has that nice, energetic vibe on it”.
The most important feature of this recording might be Bobby’s approach. He never relies solely on his magnificent chops to get across but rather spends the time to tell his story in the most heartfelt manner. This alone makes for a rare find in this day of single chord romps and hyper tense music recordings.
Listen to the interplay between drummer, Reggie Jackson and Bobby as well as the intuition of guitarist Derek DiCenzo who understands both the role of a bass player in a piano trio and the guitarist who must feed off the bass coming from a Hammond organ. And to add even more flavor to this already delightful package, hear the personal song styling of one Jeanette Williams Brewer. Her voice sets within the organ combo like a treasured painting secure in a gold leaf frame.
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‘Get On Board’ takes us through a Caribbean journey. It’s Reggie’s world-beat that leads the way. There’s cross-over potential in this nicely crafted tune that shows off Derek’s charm and Bobby’s eclectic style.
‘Yesterdays’ comes out swinging. Guitar lines are almost verbal as Derek and Bobby speak to one another in a musical language. It’s the culture of jazz organ that is embedded in Bobby’s playing; he is fluent and frank about what he says and how he says it. Reggie Jackson’s energy has much to do with this tune’s success … as it vamps us home.
‘Your Basic Gospel Song’ is like a peek into the musical history of Bobby Floyd. It seems to tie all genres together as Reggie keeps the Baptist beat breathing and Bryan Olsheskie’s tenor voice brings the Church to all of our hometowns. Bobby is masterful in his interpretation as if he were a preacher delivering his best sermon yet!
‘The Nearness of You’ takes us back to more soulful days when the Hammond organ used to be a part of most night club decors and singers played vital roles in the success of any organ combo presentation. Vocalist Jeanette Williams Brewer never lets us down; rather she believes in her song and there by convinces us of its value.
‘Hip Cake Walk’ is a powerful salute to Don Patterson. Dripping with feeling, this perennial organ-room pleaser showcases the great tenor saxophonist, Gene Walker. He adds authenticity to the tune with a for-real tone in his horn and sincerity in his heart. Bobby’s persistent, droning blues holds us tight in its grip and reveals his forte in this music.
‘Theme From The Odd Couple’ marches us to a familiar theme. It’s a happy sound with a fresh, open guitar style. The transformation, however, from a simple television theme song to a rhythmic groove is uncanny. Bobby quickly opens up space in which to groove; tempos shift and registrations switch. What we wind up with is truly an organ grinder’s delight!
‘Primera Luz’ presents a new guitar voice alongside Bobby’s own wonderment of his instrument. Take this one where your mind wants to go. It seems to transfix our imagination as the interplay swirls between drums and guitar; Bobby’s own organ sound is poetically formed and beautifully performed.
‘Hank’s Idea’ begins with a full orchestral feel in tribute to Hank Marr. This slow and mellow swing would have surely elicited a smile from Marvelous Hank. Players from Columbus, Ohio always seem to have creative soloing sensibilities as evidenced in Derek’s interpretive playing and Bobby’s thoughtful approach. Some organists used to take the sides of the Hammond B-3 and literally shake the entire instrument rhythmically for effect. Bobby creates this kind of movement with his heart alone.
‘Donald Duck’ represents yet another Don Patterson contribution to the genre with a crisp Bobby Floyd rendition that is welcome to our ears. Once again, we’re brought back to the times when organ combos thought only of having fun and delivering communion to an audience. The climbing bass lines created in this jazz organ classic just cannot be beat. Bobby ends this track as he must end many of his live performances: with elongated joy and effortless swing…
Bobby Floyd has added his own signature to the revitalized World of Jazz Organ. ‘Notes To and From Friends’ is a wonderful mixture of the old and new; the present and the past. It’s a true testament to one who has lived this music and holds passion for its preservation.
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1 7:12 Get on Board (Bobby Floyd)
2 7:24 Yesterdays (Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern)
3 7:12 Your Basic Gospel Song (Hank Marr)
4 5:28 The Nearness of You (Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington)
5 8:09 Hip Cake Walk (Don Patterson)
6 7:56 Theme From The Odd Couple (Neal Hefti)
7 9:44 Un Primaz (Joaquin Chacon)*
8 5:17 Hank's Idea (Marr, Redd, Hollowa)y
9 6:25 Donald Duck (Don Patterson)
Bobby Floyd, organ
Reggie Jackson on drums
Derek DiCenzo on guitar
*”Un Primaz” was recorded in Madrid Spain with
Noah Shaye on drums
Joaquin Chacon on guitar
Bryan Olsheski on sax (track 3/”Your Basic Gospel Song”)
Jeanette Williams Brewer on vocals (track 4/”The Nearness of You”)
Gene Walker on sax (track 5/”Hip Cake Walk”)
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Co-Producers: Joe Woodford and Clay Collins
Engineers: Joe Viers, Tony Monaco and Pablo Baselga
Designer: Dan Traynor
Photo(s): Robert Lee of Robert E. Lee Photography, Columbus Ohio
Liner Notes: Pete Fallico
Recorded and mixed at:
John Schwab Recording Studio, Columbus, Ohio
Columbus Sound Recording Studio, Columbus, Ohio
Infinity Studio, Madrid, Spain
Dedications:
In memory of two of my hometown musical heroes, Don Patterson and Hank Marr.
Also, my late father, Bobby Floyd for his everlasting inspiration and guidance.
Thanks to:
Mom, Marilyn, Bobbi, Harold and the rest of my family for their continued love an support.
Producer Tony Monaco and Chicken Coup Records,
Darby Christensen and Summit Records |
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