Requisites
Live! ~ Brother Jack McDuff | By Eddie Carter
Three cherished family members inspired this morning’s discussion. My mom, Merlyn Carter, introduced my sister and me to Brother Jack McDuff during our Sunday dinners when we were younger; my uncles, Benjamin and Emmanuel Curry, often featured this album at their weekend jazz gatherings. Offered now for your consideration is his 1963 release and first concert performance, Live! (Prestige PRLP 7274/PRST 7274). (Prestige PRLP 7274/PRST 7274). This album captures the organist igniting a lively crowd at The Front Room in Newark, New Jersey, joined by his stellar quartet: Red Holloway on flute (track B1) and tenor sax (tracks A1 to A3, B2, B3), George Benson on guitar, and Joe Dukes on drums. My copy of the album is the 1964 U.S. stereo reissue.
The announcer’s introduction gets the set off to a roaring start with Rock Candy by Jack McDuff. The quartet’s infectiously spirited theme segues into Red’s vigorous opening statement. A swinging interlude is succeeded by George’s lively solo ahead of the foursome’s second interlude. Brother Jack states his case in fine form before the theme’s closing chorus, and Jack speaks to the crowd. The tempo eases as the foursome takes on George and Ira Gershwin’s It Ain’t Necessarily So. Benson and Dukes’ soulful warmth paves the way for McDuff’s down-home melody that whets the appetite for more. George pays his respects in the opening solo, then Red compliments him with a bluesy, slow-cooked groove, preceding McDuff’s theme reprise fading softly into Jack’s introduction of the next tune.
The group ushers us into Jack McDuff’s Sanctified Samba, launching the soulful gathering with an irresistible, bossa-nova tinged beat that calls the congregation to worship. George begins with a lively, melodic progression that builds to a satisfying climax. Jack delivers a stream of inventive ideas with characteristic ease next. Red wraps up the readings, blending bluesy flair with smooth, expressive lines before the group unites for a rousing conclusion. Side Two starts with Whistle While You Work, by Frank Churchill and Larry Morey from Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Red opens the whimsical melody on flute, then steps aside for McDuff to take two happy solos with Benson’s cheery statement sandwiched in between them, leading back to the ending theme.
Jack shares the story behind his blues, A Real Good’un, and then the organist’s introduction segues into the quartet’s home cooking during the melody. Benson comes to the table first, serving up a platter of appetizing notes. After the first of several short interludes, Holloway brings the musical equivalent of red beans and rice to the table. McDuff adds a generous helping of fried chicken and mac and cheese before the group wraps up the song on a tasty note. The set concludes with Undecided, by Sid Robin and Charlie Shavers. The ensemble’s brisk introduction and catchy melody open the door for McDuff to deliver a swinging solo. Holloway maintains the momentum in a peppy interpretation. Benson plays with energetic finesse, then Dukes has the last word preceding the spirited closing chorus.
>Produced by Lew Futterman and Peter Paul, this live session captivates listeners from the very first note. Though the identity of the recording engineer remains a mystery, the album’s sound places listeners right in The Front Room, giving them the sense of being part of the lively crowd. The energy of the performances is infectious, and it’s nearly impossible not to snap your fingers, tap your feet or get up and dance along. Throughout his career, Jack McDuff masterfully fused hard bop, R&B, and soul jazz, drawing out the best from his fellow musicians at every turn. If you’re a jazz organ fan seeking an album that’s vibrant and uplifting, Live! by Brother Jack McDuff is a top recommendation for your library. It’s the perfect soundtrack to relax after a busy day or week, and is guaranteed to brighten your mood!
~ It Ain’t Necessarily So, Whistle While You Work – Source: Wikipedia.org
© 2025 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Karl Kiffe, born July 6, 1925 in Los Angeles, California first attracted attention as winner of the annual Gene Krupa Contest in 1943. Succeeding Chuck Falkner as leader of the Hollywood Canteen Kids he was featured in novelty numbers in several feature films before working as a single in Ken Murray’s Blackouts.
1945 saaw him hired by Jimmy Dorsey, with whom he worked for about a year, and then again from 1950 through 1953. Over the next decade, Kiffe worked with Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Charlie Shavers, Red Norvo and Woody Herman, as well as singers Andy Williams, June Christy, and Ella Fitzgerald.
Speaking in 1946, when asked which drummer he most admired, Kiffe cited the solos of Buddy Rich, while praising the big band work of Don Lamond and Jo Jones.
Drummer Karl Kiffe, who was great friends with saxophonist Warne Marsh, died on May 10, 2004 at the age of 76 in Las Vegas, Nevada
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Charles William Jenkins was born July 5, 1956 in Bromley, Kent, England and was known to the jazz and blues worlds as Billy. He began learning the violin from the age of nine and two years later added piano and choir. By twelve he taught himself to play the guitar.
As a young teenager, Billy started regular jam sessions in the basement of the bohemian twenty-three room former hotel where he grew up. This jam session attracted many local contemporaries, his best friend at the time, Bill Broad, who the world came to know as Billy Idol and Steven Bailey, later to become Steven Severin.
During those teen years he performed in local church halls, USAF Bases in East Anglia, riverside pubs, local colleges and clubs under various names 1970-72. Jenkins toured and recorded for Arista Record’s Clive Davis with art rock band Burlesque from 1972-77, performed as a young adult with ‘alternative musical comedy’ duo The Fantastic Trimmer & Jenkins from 1979-82 and drummer Ginger Baker before founding the VOGC, the Voice of God Collective.
From 1983 – 93 he lived and worked at Wood Wharf Rehearsal Studios in Greenwich, England. Since then Billy has produced a large body of over 40 recorded albums including Scratches of Spain, Motorway At Night, Entertainment USA and Music For Two Cassette Machines. Some of his recordings are about his SE London environs and include Sounds Like Bromley, Greenwich, Still Sounds Like Bromley and Suburbia.
Guitarist, composer and bandleader Billy Jenkins, who is immersed in improvisation as ell as standards, continues to pursue his love of jazz and blues.
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Maria Speight was born in Savannah, Georgia on July 4, 1958 and got a head start in the world of jazz, as her birthplace is the home of kindred brother, lyricist Johnny Mercer. The oldest of five siblings, her mother thrust her onstage at her local church when she was six. From that moment on she was hooked.
Her dad was exposed to everything from opera to jazz and her mother taught Maria about Gospel music, and was exposed to so many influences of music, and have found they are part of her style. In college she studied operatic voice for four years, however, after her last recital she realized opera wasn’t for her. It was at this point six years later that she found jazz.
Touring professionally fourteen years with a gospel band and paid her dues for her life in jazz. Her style is in the vein of Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Peggy Lee and the standards she performs endure.
Now based in Perth, Scotland she is new on the jazz scene. She weaves rich colours and textures into every swinging note with the Maria Speight Quintet.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Bruce Adams was born on July 3, 1951 in Glasgow, Scotland and was brought up in a musical family. His father Bob was a guitarist whose career extended back to the British dance bands of the 1930s and his mother was a dancer. His first real musical interest was the music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli at the age of seven. His first instrument was the guitar but switched to trumpet on his eleventh birthday. Within five months he played his first gig on trumpet.
By twelve, Bruce was working three to four nights a week in the Glasgow area playing in small dance band residencies and performing in a cabaret act with his father. When he was fourteen he was sponsored on Hughie Green’s Opportunity Knocks by British trumpet legend Nat Gonella. The following year he left school and went on the road with his father playing theatres. They continued until 1973 when his father’s health led to disbanding the act.
From 1973 onwards Adams immersed himself in the Glasgow jazz scene by forming a jazz quintet with alto saxophonist Bill Fanning. Together they formed a big band. During this period he also played the Mecca Ballrooms, with Benny Daniels in the Plaza and Bill Patrick in Tiffany’s.
In the mid-eighties, Bruce worked with Harry Sweets Edison, Warren Vache, and Spanky Davis. Buddy Tate, Al Cohn, Benny Waters, Danny Moss, Bruce Turner, John Barnes, Bob Wilbur. Dan Barrett, Roy Williams, George Chisholm, Bill Allred. Dave McKenna, Ray Bryant, Dick Hyman, Art Hodes, Johnny Parker, and Stan Greig.Milt Hinton, Ronnie Rae, Len Skeat, and Dave Green. Jake Hanna and Gus Johnson.
Adams played with Pete Long’s Echoes of Ellington, the BBC Big Band, and freelanced with Lennie Niehaus, Gerald Wilson, Patti Austin, and the Cuban Fire Concert with Horatio el Negra Hernandez and Giovanni Hidalgo.
He is a multiple British Jazz Awards Winner, with among his more than twenty nominations has received awards for Best Trumpet, Oustanding Soloist, and Trumpet Soloist. Trumpeter Bruce Adams continues to ply his trade encompassing jazz styles ranging from Louis Armstrong to the modern-day.
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