Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Charles Earland: Jazz Organ Summit
Charles Earland: Jazz Organ Summit
Each performer is featured in a brief solo segment, before all four join together for a funky, jam-session finale. Earland lives up to his nickname ("The Burner") with a sizzling version of the pop hit "I Love You More Today Than Yesterday." McGriff, the king of the organ blues, gets the crowd screaming with a pair of soul / blues improvisations. Dr. Lonnie Smith, usually a funk / groove player, offers an extended take on the standard "Cherokee."
It is Johnny "Hammond" Smith, though, who delivers the evening's most poignant performance. Seriously ill with cancer, he made a special trip from his home in California to take part in this concert, which would turn out to be his last. He died just 11 days later. Listen closely to his emotional reading of the ballads "This Masquerade is Over" and "Summertime" for an example of dignity and artistry in jazz.
Personnel
Charles Earland
organ, Hammond B3Album information
Title: Jazz Organ Summit | Year Released: 1998 | Record Label: Cannonball Records
About Charles Earland
Tags
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Become a Sustaining Member
Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.
Help Build the Future of All About Jazz
Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.
Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.
Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.
