Jazz Articles

Skip Heller: It's Like That: The Organ Combo Anthology 1998-2004

by AAJ Staff
November 27, 2005

In its heyday during the 1960s, organ jazz was scorned by the critics and embraced by the people. It was a populist form of jazz that could be heard in many working class bars in seemingly every black neighborhood in America. The organ trio would hold forth--just organ, guitar, and drums--playing swinging, blues-drenched music. And no city was more synonymous with organ jazz than Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In the 1980s, when guitarist Skip Heller came up, he learned his ...

Skip Heller: It's Like That: The Organ Trio Anthology 1998 - 2004

by C. Michael Bailey
October 17, 2004

The hyper-eclectic Skip Heller has most recently been attending the often-abused genre of guitar-organ jazz. The guitarist's most recent recordings, Fake Book , Battle in Seattle , and Homegoing were all devoted to this time-tested format, and in each case Heller revealed some element not otherwise considered when thinking of Hammond B3-driven jazz. It's Like That is an anthology containing music from these three discs, plus Career Suicide, Couch, Los Angeles, and previously unreleased live and studio cuts. ...

Skip Heller with Dose: The Battle in Seattle 3.13.03

by C. Michael Bailey
October 10, 2003

Skip Heller is a West Coast Uri Caine with a much more wicked sense of humor. That comparison should be flattering to both parties, as they were friends growing up on the jazz fertile street of Philadelphia. Both men like to apply jazz, or simply music, if you will, in the most unlikely places. Ever searching, The Battle in Seattle finds Mr. Heller traveling North from his Hollywood home to Seattle Washington to...

Hook up with an amazing rhythm ...