feature photo: Novo Photography
When one hears the term “organ trio,” thoughts of Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff or Big John Patton spring to mind. When I listen to I Told You So by Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, I hear echoes of The Meters’ early Josie recordings, Lou Donaldson from around the same time, and Booker T & the MG’s. Whereas the Soulive organ trio retros back to the 70s, DLO3 is bringing alive the 60s version of that kind of funky soul-jazz.
So who, then, is the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio? They are a Seattle-based unit originally formed in 2015, and after several personnel changes, they eventually settled on guitarist Jimmy James and drummer Dan Weiss (no, not that drummer named Dan Weiss). The namesake Delvon Lamarr is self-taught on organ, which he picked up after mastering trumpet and drums. Their first album Close But No Cigar topped the U.S. Contemporary Jazz Albums charts and came close to pulling off that feat for the broader U.S. Jazz Albums charts. Their second studio album I Told You So dropped in January, 2021 and it’s already gotten the same chart success.
Make no mistake, this isn’t just a B3 monster with a couple of guys along for the ride. They can all play, and a lot of that has to with not just laying down heavy chops, it’s understanding the nuances involved in creating that just-right groove (a word you’ll see too many times here, but I can’t help it). James in particular may be evocative at times of the era’s greats like Steve Cropper or, say, Melvin Sparks, but he’s got his own thing going.
The Meters feeling is really strong on “Hole In One,” with James doing a nice Leo Nocentelli but what jumps out even more is how tight that groove is and everyone is equally invested in that.
James gets the spotlight all to himself for “From The Streets,” as Lamarr is playing only the bass pedals. James plays no real lead, but that hazy, 1967 studio guitar leaves a big impression just from that wavy tone. He takes a completely different approach for
“Fo Sho” with a loosey-goosey guitar lead after some chicken scratchin’.
“Aces,” the go-to track, features a fantastically fonky drum breakdown and Lamarr is smoldering on his solo, after which James’ guitar wails with a lot of intent and a little feedback.
For the Wham! hit “Careless Whispers,” the guitar mimics that sax part, then settles into jazzy accompaniment as Lamarr’s organ follows the lyric lines before tearing away into . Even on this ballad, though, the Trio gets a strong groove going for it.
“Right Place, Right Time” sports a guitar in each channel and both are doing complementing rhythm parts until the one on the right channel tears away to let loose a stinger solo. But check out Weiss’s shuffling beat, shades of James Brown’s “Get On The Good Foot.” “I Don’t Know” also has a nice wiggle and Lamarr’s inner Dr. Lonnie Smith comes out.
If you think the organ-guitar-drums concept has run its course, I present to you The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio. On I Told You So. They give the idea a hard kick in the pants by remembering what made it a great concept to begin with while amping up the groove factor to a level rarely seen back in the day. You see? There’s that “G” word again.
I Told You So is now available on Bandcamp and other outlets through Colemine Records.
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