Brother Jack Mc Duff - Silken Soul (2000)

This 13-track, 72-minute compilation is drawn from no less than seven albums Jack McDuff cut for Prestige, though all selections were recorded in 1965 and 1966. They must have been going 24-7 on soul-jazz sessions in their days; can you imagine comparably prolific studio activity on one label aimed toward the general record-buying market by a fairly though not hugely popular jazz artist in the 21st century? It's a good organ soul-jazz collection, above the average for discs of such mid-1960s material, the band almost always featuring tenor saxophonist Red Holloway and guitarist Pat Martino (though George Benson plays on a couple of songs, "How High the Moon" and "Silk'n'Soul"). The repertoire, too, is more varied than much similar stuff in the same groove, favoring the up-tempo mode, and getting into Latin beats and movie themes occasionally; "Stop It," with its periodic injections of shouts of the title phrase, could have fit into Ray Charles' instrumental set. Whether a shuffle or a near-frenetic tune, the funky organ-grounded riffs are consistently good, and the arrangements leave space for the sax and guitar to have their say. Considering how homogenous the soul-jazz organ style can sound over the course of half a dozen albums -- not just by McDuff, but by anyone -- this well-chosen condensation of his mid-'60s output is a recommended buy if you like, but don't love, the genre.