Brother Jack McDuff - Gin and Orange (1969) LP

Jimmy Smith might have been the one to put jazz organ on the map, but players like Jack McDuff ruled the clubs, jukeboxes, and record charts in the '60s with their blues-heavy, greasy, soulful hi-caloric styles. McDuff had a knack for not only picking the right tunes to cover but for writing them as well--half the songs on GIN & ORANGE (originally issued in 1969) are his. Recorded in both live and studio settings, GIN features a slightly higher quotient of electric guitar than usual and--something unique for most jazz organ sessions--the super-funky electric bass of Phil Upchurch. With BBQ-rich arrangements by Richard Evans, the result is a heavier sound that McDuff nonetheless cuts through like crazy.