JIMMY McGRIFF : The Bird Wave (1970)

R.I.P. 1936 - 2008

"Jimmy McGriff, the acclaimed blues organist, who scored his first hit in the 1960s with an instrumental arrangement of "I've Got a Woman," then continued to record hard-swinging grooves that appealed to audiences across musical boundaries, died Saturday at a nursing home in New Jersey. He was 72.The cause of death was not known but was believed to be heart failure, said his wife, Margaret McGriff. McGriff was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis many years ago.

"Though sometimes described as a jazz organist, McGriff considered himself a bluesman; the blues was what he felt when he played and what distinguished his music from other greats of the organ."Jimmy Smith is the jazz king on the organ, but when it comes to blues, I can do things where he can't touch me," McGriff once said."
Jimmy McGriff was one of those artists who was steadily releasing good soul-jazz, and funky albums throughout his career, but only starting getting proper recognition for his work decades later. He definitely put the 'soul' in jazz organ. "The Bird Wave" is a classic track recorded in 1969, which has an obvious nod to James Brown's "Cold Sweat" of the same era. Of course, this is a little more raw, with a possible influence from The Meters, and with a great breakbeat intro!

Song : "The Bird Wave" (written by Jimmy McGriff; recorded Sep. 1969)
From the LP "ELECTRIC FUNK" (Blue Note) 1970

LINEUP:
Jimmy McGriff : organ
Horace Ott : electric piano
Others unknown

Get it here : The Bird Wave