Home » Jazz Musicians » Leon Spencer

Leon Spencer

Leon Spencer was an American jazz organist from Houston, Texas. He played piano with David Newman and organ with Melvin Sparks. Spencer recorded for Prestige in the early 1970s with Buddy Caldwell, Idris Muhammad, Melvin Sparks, and Grover Washington Jr.


Tags

Recording

Backgrounder: Leon Spencer - Bad Walking Woman

Backgrounder: Leon Spencer - Bad Walking Woman

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

After reviewing Wonderful!, Mike LeDonne's new organ jazz album yesterday, I was drawn to my favorites from the late 1960s and early 1970s. To give you a feel of this jazz period, I thought I'd select a few lesser-known gems. Today, I'm featuring Leon Spencer Jr.'s Bad Walking Woman. Recorded in 1972, this LP was Spencer's third studio album as a leader. The compositions, all by Spencer: Hip Shaker Down on Dowling Street In Search of Love If You Were ...

1

Video / DVD

Backgrounder: Leon Spencer's 'Louisiana Slim'

Backgrounder: Leon Spencer's 'Louisiana Slim'

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Leon Spencer Jr. was and remains my favorite organist. In the early 1970s, he was part of Prestige's stable of soul-jazz musicians who recorded relentlessly as leaders and sidemen on other artists' albums. One of my first albums purchased, in 1971, was Spencer's Louisiana Slim. Backing Spencer were Virgil Jones (tb) Grover Washington, Jr. (ts, flute), Melvin Sparks (g) Idris Muhammad (d) and Buddy Caldwell (congas)—the classic Prestige lineup at the time. Bob Porter produced and the engineer was Rudy ...

Video / DVD

Perfect Album: Louisiana Slim

Perfect Album: Louisiana Slim

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

One of my favorite 1970s Hammond organists is Leon Spencer Jr. Along with Melvin Sparks (g) Idris Muhammad (d) and Buddy Caldwell (cga), Spencer was a virtual house organist for Prestige during that decade. In addition to recording behind Sonny Stitt and Gene Ammons, Spencer was on several Blue Note albums by Lou Donaldson. In between, Spencer recorded a handful of leadership albums for Prestige. His finest album, Louisiana Slim, is perfect on every score. Recorded in 1971 and produced ...

41

Obituary

Leon Spencer Jr. (1945-2012)

Leon Spencer Jr. (1945-2012)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Leon Spencer Jr., one of the most melodically funky organists during Prestige's Hammond B-3 era in the early 1970s and whose voicings and guitar-like touch on the instrument provided a powdery groove behind lead horn players, died on March 11. He was 66 and lived in Houston. Spencer's recording career began in 1968 but didn't become significant in small-group settings until Lou Donaldson's Pretty Things in June 1970. Spencer's style wasn't as bombastic as Charles Earland's nor was it as ...

Music

Videos

Similar

Houston Person
saxophone, tenor
Dr. Lonnie Smith
organ, Hammond B3
Jimmy McGriff
organ, Hammond B3
Charles Earland
organ, Hammond B3
Johnny "Hammond" Smith
organ, Hammond B3
Gene Ammons
saxophone, tenor
Jack McDuff
organ, Hammond B3
Gary Bartz
saxophone, alto
Shirley Scott
organ, Hammond B3
Reuben Wilson
organ, Hammond B3

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.