Ken Lovern

Plastic Sax Album Review: OJT Ground Level By Bill Brownlee

What’s the best American band of the last 75 years? Variations of the question frequently pop up in barrooms and internet forums. Acceptable responses range from Miles Davis’ Second Great Quintet to Creedence Clearwater Revival. The correct answer, however, is Booker T. & the MGs.

The three members of OJT- organist Ken Lovern, guitarist Brian Baggett and drummer Kenny Watson Jr.- display their affinity for the legendary Memphis group on the new album Ground Level. “Loose Space” is an interpolation of “Time Is Tight” while the title of “Baggy Blues Jeans” may allude to Booker T. & the MGs’ “Hip Hug-Her”. 

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Plastic Sax Album Review: OJT Ground Level By Bill Brownlee

What’s the best American band of the last 75 years? Variations of the question frequently pop up in barrooms and internet forums. Acceptable responses range from Miles Davis’ Second Great Quintet to Creedence Clearwater Revival. The correct answer, however, is Booker T. & the MGs.

The three members of OJT- organist Ken Lovern, guitarist Brian Baggett and drummer Kenny Watson Jr.- display their affinity for the legendary Memphis group on the new album Ground Level. “Loose Space” is an interpolation of “Time Is Tight” while the title of “Baggy Blues Jeans” may allude to Booker T. & the MGs’ “Hip Hug-Her”. 

The jazz filter OJT applies to the framework of timeless soul amplifies the profoundly groovy sound. Their ten-minute “It’s Not That Bad” touches on the history of organ jazz from Jimmy Smith to Medeski, Martin & Wood. The inclusion of the colossal performance makes Ground Level the year’s most robust Kansas City party album.

https://www.plasticsax.com/blog/ojtgroundlevel

Keyboard Magazine — Michael Gallant

Keyboard Magazine May 2006 UNSIGNED ARTIST OF THE MONTH For many keyboardists, there's nothing more satisfying to hear than a B-3 beautifully played. Ken Lovern’s Organ Jazz Trio is a wholly satisfying disc for just that reason. Though it’s clear that Ken has a solid groove, creative sense of melody, and the chops to make it all sing, one if the real highlights here is his mastery of the drawbars; the OJT’s organ tone changes constantly and fluidly within the framework of a song or solo, adding an unexpected layer of expressiveness to Ken’s playing. Original tracks like “OJT Theme” and “Swirlies” show a good deal of compositional maturity as well, and the group’s cover of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean is surprisingly cool, funky, and sophisticated. Michael Gallant www.kenlovern.com

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