Jimmy McGriff
| Jimmy McGriff | |
|---|---|
McGriff at Organ Summit, Toronto 2004
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Harrell McGriff |
| Born |
April 3, 1936 Germantown, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Died | May 24, 2008 (aged 72) Voorhees Township, New Jersey |
| Genres | Jazz, hard bop, blues, soul-jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, bandleader |
| Instruments | Organ, vocals, violin, guitar, piano, vibes, alto saxophone, drums, upright bass |
| Years active | 1960–2007 |
| Labels | Groove Merchant, Jell, Sue, Solid State |
| Notable instruments | |
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Hammond B-3 organ Hammond XB-3 synthesizer |
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James Harrell "Jimmy" McGriff (April 3, 1936 – May 24, 2008) was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who developed a distinctive style of playing the Hammond B-3 organ.
Born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, McGriff started playing piano at the age of five and by his teens had also learned to play vibes, alto sax, drums and upright bass. His first group was as bassist in a piano trio. When he joined the United States Army, McGriff served as an MP during the Korean War and he later became a police officer in Philadelphia for two years.
Music kept drawing McGriff's attention away from the police force. His childhood friend, organist Jimmy Smith, had begun earning a substantial reputation in jazz for his Blue Note albums (the two played together once in 1967) and McGriff became entranced by the organ sound while Richard "Groove" Holmes played at his sister's wedding. Holmes went on to become McGriff's teacher and friend and they recorded together on two occasions in 1973 for two Groove Merchant records.
McGriff bought his first Hammond B-3 organ in 1956, spent six months learning the instrument, then studied at New York's Juilliard School. He also studied privately with Milt Buckner, Jimmy Smith, and Sonny Gatewood. He was influenced by the energy and dynamics of organist Buckner and the diplomatic aplomb of Count Basie, and by local organists such as Howard "The Demon" Whaley and Austin Mitchell.
McGriff formed a combo that played around Philadelphia and often featured tenor saxophonist Charles Earland (who soon switched permanently to organ, and became one of the instrument's renowned performers). During this time, McGriff also accompanied such artists as Don Gardner, Arthur Prysock, Candido and Carmen McRae, who came through town for local club dates.
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