Once & Future by Brian Charette

Organist Brian Charette takes us on a tour-de-force of the "Once & Future" history of the Hammond B-3 with his fourth album for Posi-Tone!  Organ buffs and casual listeners will be delighted to tune in and turn on this groovy and hard-hitting date. The record features an exciting program of musical selections from a wide range of styles, from the funky and familiar to the soulful and original. While the focus and crux of the session rests squarely upon the shoulders of Mr. Charette and his B-3 organ, the strong showings of guitarist Will Bernard and drummer Steve Fidyk also provide melodic highlights and consistently exhibit the kind of strong rhythmic support that always keeps the session in the pocket.  Charette literally wrote the book on the B-3, and his new album "Once & Future" certainly succeeds again and again as a straight forward collection of performances that jazz enthusiasts will enjoy time after time after time.

Notes from the artist:
After investigating glitch jazz, electronics, and original music on Square One and Alphabet City, I am now paying homage to the great Hammond organists, past and present, on Once & Future. The genesis of this idea came from a casual conversation with Posi-Tone producer Marc Free during a break on another session. As we sat on the bench of the magnificent Hammond organ in Acoustic Recording Studios and discussed which drawbar setting to use on the next take, we noticed a copy of my book, 101 Hammond B3 Tips, on the organ. After laughing at the irony of the situation, we opened up the book, flipping through its section on the giants of the Hammond Organ and their personal drawbar settings.  This is when it struck us: referencing these stars would be a great idea for the next recording. On Once & Future, we examine classic tunes from my favorite organists with the mission of weaving in the influence of the new guard.  Modern organists, Gary Versace, Sam Yahel, and Joey Defrancesco are a continuous inspiration to me and I try to approach the pieces here with a combination of the sounds of the original artists and the harmonic and rhythmic sensibilities of my peers.

Brian Charette is a New York City organist/pianist that has established himself as a leading voice in modern jazz.

briancharette.com
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