VA - Hammond Street (2001)

  • 14 May, 13:05
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Artist:
Title: Hammond Street
Year Of Release: 2001
Label: Acid Jazz Records
Genre: Acid Jazz / Funk / Soul
Quality: FLAC (tracks)
Total Time: 55:04 min
Total Size: 361 MB
WebSite:

Tracklist:

01. The Past Present Organisation - Itchy Feet
02. Trashmonkeys - Clubtown
03. Sugarman Three - Soul Barrio Part 2
04. James Taylor Quartet - Car Chase
05. The Clique - Wormin'
06. Sharkskin - Hothead
07. Reuben Wilson - Sugar
08. The Forster-Hammond Trio - Texas Twister
09. The Nick Rossi Set - Monkeyshines
10. Phaze - Indian Rope Man
11. Pleasure Beach - Smells Like Teen Spirit
12. Jimmy McGriff - Ain't It Funky Now
13. The Spiderman - Theme From Poindexter
14. Martini - Buttermilk

Thanks to the 1970s and '80s soul jazz movement and its 21st century counterpart, acid jazz, the Hammond B-3 organ has shown a remarkable ability to survive and adapt to changing musical trends -- all without changing its swirling, pulsing tone one little bit. The Hammond Street anthology from Acid Jazz mixes in tracks from a couple of veteran B-3 players like Jimmy McGriff and Reuben Wilson with tracks from newer combos, and even though these newer groups cover songs like Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," what is immediately obvious here is how much a B-3 sounds like a B-3 no matter what kind of clothes you drape over it. Highlights include the hard-charging "Itchy Feet" by the Past Present Organisation (which opens the disc), the ragged and energy-overloaded "Clubtown" by the Trashmonkeys, McGriff's "Ain't It Funky" (which indeed it is), and Wilson's "Sugar," a classic piece of soul jazz. Pleasure Beach's instrumental cover of "Teen Spirit" will doubtless generate some attention, but other than hijacking the grunge anthem into some strange lounge territory, it generates much more smoke than heat. Still, Hammond Street is an interesting compilation, and illustrates what is old is new again eventually. -- Steve Leggett