Ben Webster - Groove: The Complete Legendary 1961 Session (Bonus Track Version) (2014)

An early cooker from Richard Groove Holmes -- and one of the most important Hammond jazz sets to come out of the west coast at the time! At a point when most folks think the east has a lock on the instrument, Groove bursts forth here with a great hard-edged sound -- proof that the LA scene didn't just go for cool jazz and the occasional hardbop date -- and the start of a great run of records that would have Holmes sounding great all through the 60s! The lineup is nicely unusual, too -- with guitar from Chicagoan George Freeman, then on the west coast -- and a key part of Holmes' group for years -- and trombone from the excellent Lawrence Tricky Lofton, a player who rarely recorded, but made some great sides with Carmell Jones. The group also features Les McCann on piano, a nice combo with the organ -- plus Ben Webster on tenor and Ron Jefferson on drums. Titles include "Good Groove", "That Healin' Feelin'", "Them That's Got", and "Deep Purple" for a total of 9 tracks from the original session plus 8 bonus tracks featuring Ben Webster backing vocalists Kay Starr and Clarence "Big" Miller.