The Vince Ector Organatomy Trio + - Live at the Side Door (2023)

Esteemed jazz drummer and composer Vince Ector is thrilled to announce the March 17, 2023 release of Vince Ector Organatomy Trio+ - Live at the Side Door. This electrifying follow up to 2019’s critically-acclaimed Theme For Ms. P captures the stellar Philadelphia bred/NY based jazz outfit’s January 2020 performance at the iconic Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme, Connecticut. As ever, the group’s sound is centered around the great organ-centric Philadelphia jazz tradition, an idiom through which Ector gained his renown, acting as the driving rhythmic pulse behind generations of Philly jazz greats. Live at the Side Door is dedicated to the memory of the great Joey DeFrancesco who, prior to his passing, encouraged Ector to share this live recording with the world. This adventurous, soulful outing features Ector alongside organ great Pat Bianchi, celebrated guitarist Paul Bollenback and fiery up-and-coming saxophonist Justin Jones.
Ector reflects: “When we stepped into The Side Door in January 2020, we never expected that the world as we knew it would soon experience a seismic shift”. Ector had recently embarked with the Organatomy Trio+ on a NorthEast tour in support of his recent recording entitled Theme for Ms. P which had recently been recognized as one of the top ten most requested recordings on the SiriusXM Real Jazz station for 2019. Ector continued, “The Side Door was a one-night engagement and when our dear friend, jazz advocate and Side Door owner Ken Kitchings asked if we would mind if they recorded the evening, I never hesitated to say "of course"! I was on a cloud that Friday evening! Everything that you hear on this recording was captured in one take as it was intended for the audience that evening and encompasses material spanning my last 4 recordings as a leader.”

Ector’s debut Side Door performance as a bandleader would mark one of the last performances of the group before the pandemic brought live music to a sudden decrescendo. The album remains a stunning document of the group’s creative output and of the live concert atmosphere that was so sorely missed in the many months to follow. “This is our gift to those who love the music we make and is dedicated to those we lost since the pandemic struck.” The performance features the core Organatomy Trio+ members with the exception of saxophonist Bruce Williams, due to his recovery from a recent surgery. Williams was replaced for the evening by young lion Justin Jones. Ector remarked, “That evening, Justin was thoroughly prepared and a welcome addition to our growing Organatomy family!”

On Live at the Side Door, Ector’s Organatomy Trio+ celebrates the great lineage of Philadelphia jazz through the evocative compositions of Ector, one of Philadelphia’s most prolific sons. The evening began with “South Philly Groove”, an anthemic hard-bop-fueled piece which highlights the group’s interplay, attention to nuance and soulful sound. The following tune, “Sister Ruth” features formidable solos from both Jones and Bianchi. “The Courtship” strikes a more sentimental chord, with a lush melody from Jones supported beautifully by Ector’s steadfast rhythm section. The group continues with Ector’s fiery arrangement of the Dizzy Gillespie classic “Con Alma”, a true ensemble piece which features solos from Jones, Bianchi and Bollenback, and masterful rhythmic ingenuity from Ector throughout.

Other highlights include the vivacious “Renewal Revisited” featuring overdriven solo-work from Bollenback and tightly-arranged feel changes from the rhythm section. “Wives and Lovers”, featuring a tremendously jubilant solo from Bianchi, begins with an incredible display of rhythmic invention from Ector following up to a soulful triple-meter exploration, closing out the album on a high.

Capturing the raucous triumph and masterful refinement of the Organatomy Trio+’s live performance aesthetic, Live at the Side Door is a love letter to live music, to the rich legacy of Philadelphia jazz, and to the current vibrancy of the jazz world. Ector remarks “Please continue to support live music, it is a true healing for that we can share with each other.”