# Extremely Good Modern Organ Music



## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

I would love to find some very good modern organ music, that is 
very unique sounding, soulful, and progressive.

I really don't care much for some Jazz Organ, it's too derivative and
it doesn't sound very positive.

I like this one:
Barbara Dennerlein & Adam Pache - "A Summer Day" in Larino - Eddie Lang Jazz Festival Open Tour 2013






Here is one that is interesting in a church organ type way. I'm 
not sure if facebook links work embedded.

[video]https://www.facebook.com/pacmult/videos/10208892786134342/[/video]

It's really not that common to find organ music that is innovative, so if anyone knows
of any, please post it.


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

Cherry Wainer - La Danza


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

I see this thread isn't picking up speed. No worries. It's of interest to me, and maybe, one day in the distant future, when everyone has evolved to my level, it will be unearthed and continued 

It seems to me there are two kinds of Jazz. One kind is very much in a certain feeling which seems to stay around blues scales.

That was the kind I mentioned earlier. Another kind is more open ended and at the same time as musical (as opposed to chaotic and dissonant), such as this piece.






There isn't a lot of it out there I'm finding that isn't rock or jazz. The Cantebury sound is pretty good at
times for organ playing.


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## Metairie Road (Apr 30, 2014)

regenmusic - the Barbara Dennerlein video was great, and fascinating to watch. All four limbs moving at same time, just like a drummer. Speaking as one who cannot walk and chew gum at same time, I was duly impressed.

Unexplored territory for me. Would like to hear more. Recommendations please.

Best wishes
Metairie Road


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

This is the only one I've found so far that compares to the others.

Hopefully, others will chime in. I think the genre "Exotica" may provide some things
of interest.


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

OK, I've searched high and low and this is what I've found: Ena Baga - Eye Level.


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## tortkis (Jul 13, 2013)

regenmusic said:


> It seems to me there are two kinds of Jazz. One kind is very much in a certain feeling which seems to stay around blues scales.


There are a lot of good organ jazz which are not like Jimmy Smith type of soul jazz. That Dennerlein performance (wonderful) reminded me of Larry Young, who was called "Coltrane of the organ." Larry Goldings is also very modern. Joey DeFrancesco is interesting: very cool when he plays as a sideman; too much on his leader album, but very enjoyable.

John Zorn has been releasing solo improvisation albums _The Hermetic Organ_ series, played on church organ. It's quite avant garde, very harsh at times.

I am very interested in non-classical organ music, jazz or non-jazz, avant garde or easy listening, experimental, ambient, etc.


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## tortkis (Jul 13, 2013)

Mammane Sani et son Orgue - Tunan





https://sahelsounds.bandcamp.com/album/la-musique-electronique-du-niger
_Mammane Sani Abdullaye is a legendary name amongst Niger's avant garde. A pioneer of early West African electronic music, for over 30 years his instrumentals have filled the airwaves. The instrumental background drones of radio broadcasts and instrumental segue ways of TV intermissions borrow heavily from his repertoire. The dreamy organ instrumentals drift by sans comment, yet are known to all. Mammane first found the organ in 1974. _


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I've listened to Joey D. for a long time. He is a great musician that can play any kind of music, but years ago I had hoped he would write and record music in a more progressive style. Unfortunately he has stayed in a more traditional bag, and done a lot of tribute type albums looking to the music of the past. I guess that's what the fans and record companies want?


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

tortkis said:


> There are a lot of good organ jazz which are not like Jimmy Smith type of soul jazz. That Dennerlein performance (wonderful) reminded me of Larry Young, who was called "Coltrane of the organ." Larry Goldings is also very modern. Joey DeFrancesco is interesting: very cool when he plays as a sideman; too much on his leader album, but very enjoyable.
> 
> John Zorn has been releasing solo improvisation albums _The Hermetic Organ_ series, played on church organ. It's quite avant garde, very harsh at times.
> 
> I am very interested in non-classical organ music, jazz or non-jazz, avant garde or easy listening, experimental, ambient, etc.


Any suggestions on Larry Young works to look for that don't have the brass? 
I love brass in its right place but just looking for the voice of the organ.

I've never liked Zorn's music but would give it one more try.


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

starthrower said:


> I've listened to Joey D. for a long time. He is a great musician that can play any kind of music, but years ago I had hoped he would write and record music in a more progressive style. Unfortunately he has stayed in a more traditional bag, and done a lot of tribute type albums looking to the music of the past. I guess that's what the fans and record companies want?


I saw him live and was impressed. Maybe if he writes more progressive it might fit his soul
and keep him in better health. He did look like he was overweight but maybe that's normal
for some people, I don't know.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

He's way overweight. He's been like that for a long time now. He seemed to gain a hundred pounds or more back in the mid to late 90s. I started listening to him with his early 90s album Reboppin'. It's a pretty diverse portrait of the different kinds of jazz he likes to play.


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

tortkis said:


> There are a lot of good organ jazz which are not like Jimmy Smith type of soul jazz. That Dennerlein performance (wonderful) reminded me of Larry Young, who was called "Coltrane of the organ." Larry Goldings is also very modern. Joey DeFrancesco is interesting: very cool when he plays as a sideman; too much on his leader album, but very enjoyable.
> 
> John Zorn has been releasing solo improvisation albums _The Hermetic Organ_ series, played on church organ. It's quite avant garde, very harsh at times.
> 
> I am very interested in non-classical organ music, jazz or non-jazz, avant garde or easy listening, experimental, ambient, etc.


To me, both Young and Goldings stay around that same harmonic place as Smith. There is good gospel organ but sometimes it too stays in it's own area too much. It seems I personally like Wainer and Dennerlein the best so far, because harmonically they are so different. The modes they are using aren't the same old thing, with a little more chromatics thrown in. That's why Sun Ra is one of my more favorite Jazz writers, because his band harmonically wasn't like other Jazz bands. I've always liked Fusion more than other Jazz. Duke Ellington's Sacred Concerts are also good, because they emphasize the positive instead of the "get down and dirty" feeling a lot of Jazz seems to aim for.

I'm thinking there are some good pop organists from the 60s and 70s that need to be discovered, that are kind of lost in the "easy listening" mainstream market direction they marketed themselves toward.


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

http://www.regenerativemusic.net/Higher_Impressions.html

Higher Impressions by R.S. Pearson


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## tortkis (Jul 13, 2013)

regenmusic said:


> Any suggestions on Larry Young works to look for that don't have the brass?
> I love brass in its right place but just looking for the voice of the organ.


Talkin' About is very good. (guitar-organ-drums trio with Grant Green and Elvin Jones)





Unity is an exceptional album but includes brass. One tune, Monk's Dream, was played by the duo with Elvin Jones.


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## tortkis (Jul 13, 2013)

regenmusic said:


> To me, both Young and Goldings stay around that same harmonic place as Smith. There is good gospel organ but sometimes it too stays in it's own area too much. It seems I personally like Wainer and Dennerlein the best so far, because harmonically they are so different. The modes they are using aren't the same old thing, with a little more chromatics thrown in. That's why Sun Ra is one of my more favorite Jazz writers, because his band harmonically wasn't like other Jazz bands. I've always liked Fusion more than other Jazz. Duke Ellington's Sacred Concerts are also good, because they emphasize the positive instead of the "get down and dirty" feeling a lot of Jazz seems to aim for.


I think it's a matter of degree, and what one feels new depends on what aspects of music are focused on. Actually, when I was looking for new organ jazz, I found the name of Dennerlein, but short samples I heard sounded rather traditional. Your posts made me want to listen to her music more carefully.

Regarding DeFrancesco, I feel he really likes what he does on his own album - fun, soulful and playful stuff, displaying his extraordinary technique. I prefer a little more constrained way though.

BTW, here are some nice sites about organ music I found some time ago.

The Hammond Jazz Inventory
http://www.hammondjazz.net/index.php?page=homepage

organ reviews in The Free Jazz Collective (not only jazz but also indie/contemporary classical and experimental music)
http://www.freejazzblog.org/search/label/Organ


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

Still looking for some more good organ music. It seems there are a few new YouTube
neighborhoods that I've found. A lot of similar things clustering around, and I haven't
heard any of them before. I don't like this music as much as the earlier, but here
are a few more ideas:





Klaus Wunderlich - Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep - Sunny - Rose Garden - Cracklin' Rosie





There are a lot of scantily-clad women on the covers.

A lot of what I'm finding doesn't have "cross cultural" appeal. Like a lot
of pop music before the 1960s, it doesn't seem to carry well over today.
The heavy vibrato organ sound is pretty foreign today in what most people
like to listen to.





FATS WALLER - Soothin' Syrup Stomp - Organ

If you click on the Youtube icon it will pop out a new tab and you
can see better the videos around these.


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

Harry Stoneham Lowrey Organ Fever


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## tortkis (Jul 13, 2013)

Very atmospheric duo of hammond and church organ.

Organ Point - Hammond dialogues vol I (Particular Recordings)
Daniel Formo (hammond B3 organ) & Nils Henrik Asheim (church organ)









Formo's solo is more experimental free improvisation.

at large - a hammond monologue (Particular Recordings)
Daniel Formo (hammond B3 organ)









Daniel Formo - Hammond Dialogues


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

The Best of Lounge Organ Hammond style Cd album

So, I think I found under what little rock, er, genre label some of the these might be hiding, "Lounge Organ."

My dad didn't want me to be a professional musician, he called them Lounge Lizards....

(gulp).

(Luckily, I don't drink alcohol and find bars depressing) (and I found you guys, not a lounge lizard in the bunch, I bet).


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

tortkis said:


> Very atmospheric duo of hammond and church organ.
> 
> Organ Point - Hammond dialogues vol I (Particular Recordings)
> Daniel Formo (hammond B3 organ) & Nils Henrik Asheim (church organ)
> ...


Can't find any samples of this online.


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## tortkis (Jul 13, 2013)

^ Click the link at the end of my post. There are some sample clips.
Here is the URL, just in case: http://danielformo.com/hammond-dialogues/


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

Some of that I didn't find too bad. It would be nice if he worked more in the Organ Point direction or worked more on evolving Synapsis. I don't have the full work so I'm not sure exactly what the works are really like.

Here is something I am writing:

"I've been listening to experimental music for over 40 years. Many of my friends in my adult life were composers of it. However, a few years ago I really outgrew most of this kind of music. It seemed largely a collection of "tricks" and techniques in how to make "music" by avoiding the musical. Experimenting on "riffs" and structures to me isn't music. It can be intellectually interesting, and rarely sometimes emotionally evoke something positive. But, largely I find that it's not what I'm looking for. A good composer can introduce the elements of the unusual into a musical structure and that's what the best composers do. A failed "composer" to me just merely stays in the unusual and is not musical. I see the "letting myself go" into these non-musical territories also possibly harmful, and may be one reason why you sometimes find so much drug abuse in the experimental music community, other times it's just like the same amoral survival of the fittest you find elsewhere in life. True artists should also be truly virtuous people, and real music depicts that encourages that."


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

Well, this thread is getting a lot of views so I'll keep adding them as I find them.

I am not saying to download the music, I only used it as a player. Ena Baga's music isn't easy to find but people have put just about every album online these days. The "library music" sites have a lot of interesting music. I found one by Cherry Wainer and here is one by Ena Baga:

http://www.free-mp3-download.me/music/Ena-Baga-Burt-Bacharach


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

Mamman Sani - Ya Bismillah


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

Shigeo Sekito - the word II


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

Niacin, with John Novello on organ, Billy Sheehan on bass, and Dennis Chambers is a first class jazz-fusion trio.

Not very derivative, and is quite positive to me.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

I think this thread needs some organ driven prog-rock.

Here is a sample from modern Italian band, La Torre dell' Alchemista.

Some very nice flute, too.


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

Tche Belew - Hailu Mergia & The Walias Band

Ethiopian.


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## tortkis (Jul 13, 2013)

Alice Coltrane's organ is mesmerizing.

Battle At Armageddon from Universal Consciousness


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## Casebearer (Jan 19, 2016)

Don't know exactly what qualifies for organ but I'm very interested in what the Flemish jazz composer and performer Jozef Dumoulin is doing. He plays keyboards (piano, Fender Rhodes) but there's also a lot of programming and effects involved I suspect. 
It's quite experimental and not that 'easy'. But I must say it grows on me after repeated listening. The cd 'Trees are always right' which he made with Lidlboj is becoming one of my favourites. Especially Eihwaz Part#2.









Jozef Dumoulin recently also made a Fender Rhodes solo album I haven't listened to yet.

There's not that much on youtube. You can get an impression of his work via Soundcloud:

__
https://soundcloud.com/


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