I can't remember exactly when I first heard jazz organ. I do know it was Jimmy Smith, and I do remember exactly how I reacted. I remember thinking: "Are you kidding? Can music feel this good? Can it groove this hard?" The answer, of course, is yes...and Tony Monaco is bringing that groove to the TD Toronto Jazz Festival.
What is it about jazz organ - and Hammond B3 - that gets me moving? It's hard to explain. I've always liked Gospel music, so it could be that organ is so frequently heard in that genre; it could be that the B3 is such a bluesy instrument; or it could be the almost incessant energy that each B3 player seems to bring to the instrument: a driving, swinging, unstoppable musical force.
A former teacher (I believe it was Alex Dean in third-year jazz improv class) once said that "Talking about music is like dancing about architecture." That is, I won't spend too much time trying to describe the sound or the feeling produced by the B3 - I'll let Tony Monaco demonstrate (watch at least until 2 minutes in - it's worth it!):
What you may notice in this clip is the absence of a bass guitar. Not only does Tony play incredible solo and melody lines, but he's covering the bass lines too (as all B3 players do) - either with his left hand or with his feet. You can imagine, as the tempos start to climb, how acrobatic he has to be. But he's got the chops...here's a clip from Tony jamming at a music conference in 2004 (notice about 30 seconds in how he sustains a note with his right thumb, plays lines with the rest of his right hand, and the bass with his left hand!):
Tony Monaco started his musical career on accordion at age eight. When he was 16, he got an encouraging call from master jazz organist Jimmy Smith, and four years later Tony was invited to play at Jimmy's club in California. Over the years Tony pursued a variety of opportunities within and outside the music business, but when he met Joey DeFrancesco in 2000, his career as an organist took off. He worked with Joey on several albums and started touring internationally. Since then he's played around the world with some of the biggest international jazz musicians, has developed organ teaching methods, and started his own record label (Chicken Coup Records).
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