Eric Siereveld's Organic Quintet: Walk The Walk

Trumpeter/flugelhornist Eric Siereveld returned to New York after teaching in Madison, Wisconsin for three years. The debut recording of his Organic Quintet includes musicians from New York City and the Midwest. Tenor saxophonist Tony Barba is based in Madison; B3 organist Steve Snyder is the head of jazz studies at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, and drummer Mitch Shiner hails from Milwaukee. Guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg is probably best known for his association with legendary organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, which makes him a perfect match for this organ-jazz music.

Right from the start, the album aligns itself with classic Blue Note hard bop organ-jazz. "The Last Innovator" has a busy modal theme; after a striking trumpet solo from the leader and a swinging tenor saxophone solo, Kreisberg distinguishes himself with a solo that is both soulful and virtuosic. "Toughin' Up" sounds like a classic hard bop blues, while the title tune, co-written by Siereveld and Kreisberg, presents an updated version of the organ group model.

The Rogers & Hart standard "Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered" gets a sensitive guitar/flugelhorn treatment. Kreisberg departs from the traditional hard bop guitar vocabulary with contemporary volume pedal swells, a beautiful complement to Siereveld's warm sound. Kreisberg also contributes "Occam's Razor," a collaboration with Danish bassist Morten Haxholm, while Siereveld's "B-Town Bop" is a tribute to the late jazz educator David Baker. "Split- Finger" is a boogaloo in the Blue Note tradition, benefiting from the addition of conga player Aaron Gochberg, to bring the album to a funky conclusion.

Nothing radical here: just a slight update on the classic Blue Note organ-jazz tradition, played by a band that is completely in tune with themselves and that sound, and sure to please organ-jazz fans.

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