Jazz Articles about Opus de Funk

Opus de Funk: Johnny "Hammond" Smith

by Derek Taylor
July 1, 2004

Individuality was a prized commodity during the soul jazz organ boom that bridged the Fifties and Sixties. With so many ensembles exploding like popcorn kernels in the cultural kettles of numerous North American cities, the critical slight of “a dime a dozen” carried more clout than most of the artists wanted to admit.

Prestige producer Esmond Edwards had an ear for the unusual, having signed Eric Dolphy to the label’s New Jazz subsidiary, so his advocacy of ...