Description
Release Date: 2024
Label : Enlightenment
Notes
Richard Arnold ‘Groove’ Holmes, born May 2, 1931 in Camden, New Jersey, was an jazz organist who performed in the hard bop and soul jazz genres. Best known for his 1965 recording of ‘Misty’. Holmes’s first album, on Pacific Jazz with guest Ben Webster, was recorded in March 1961. He recorded albums for Pacific Jazz, Prestige, World Pacific Groove Merchant, and Muse.
A ‘heavy-weight’ African-American, and physically rotund in stature, he gained respect with an inimitable style of his own. His sound was immediately recognizable in the upper register, but even more so because of his virtuosity in creating, undoubtedly, the most rapid, punctuating, and pulsating basslines of all the jazz organists. Though his recording years were relatively brief, as he died at the less than advanced age of 60, he established a recognition that is stellar within the community of notable jazz organ giants.
While ‘Groove’ Holmes never attained the same kind of superstar status as fellow Hammond legend Jimmy Smith, Holmes was equally skilled in the keyboard pyrotechnics department. This collection brings together eight original LPs by this jazz maverick, all fully remastered and presented here on this new 4CD set. A pure delight for jazz fans of all stripes, this selection is both a perfect starting point for beginners, and a boon for all fans searching for this great man’s often hard to locate earliest recordings.
