-the mighty- Hammond Organ |
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Laurens Hammond The Hammond organ is regarded being one of the world's most genuine and creative instruments all categories. With its collection of vibrant and juicy tones, this big and sometimes clumsy instrument has through the years left an immense mark and legacy on a variety of musical genres, ranging from blues and jazz to rock and pop. The Hammond organ was invented by a clock and organ manufacture named Laurens Hammond (1895-1973) from Evanston, Illinois in the mid 1930s, and was patented in 1934. The Hammond organ was from the beginning primarily meant to be an instrument for use in homes and churches but it came to spread for far wider use. Laurens and his chief engineer, John Hanert became the two innovators who came to lead the development of the Hammond organs. To show how much they believed in the project, they decided to start up an organ factory, situated on 4200 West Diversey Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. Soon the word was out about the new, mighty and powerful Hammond organs, and it didn't take long until the "one-man-band" Hammond organ had found it's way into bars, clubs and other similar places. Many musicians found the organ to be very handy due to the fact that the organist handled the base with the base pedals, which meant that the only thing missing to have a complete band was a drummer. Soon more or less professional organ players emerged in bars and clubs as e.g., jazz organists Fats Waller (1904-1943) and William Strethen Davis, perhaps better known as Wild Bill Davis (1918-1995). They had great importance in marketing the Hammond organ and making it widely accepted among musicians and people in general. However, the real major breakthrough was not about to come yet. The real major breakthrough did not occur until in January 1955, when Hammond introduced a new organ model which eventually became the greatest and most successful models of them all - the model B-3. In fact, it was an improved version of Hammond model A from the 1930s, but the success came instantly. Between 1955 and till the production of B-3s ended in 1975, circa 100 000 were manufactured and sold all over the world. Another important factor, except for the model B-3, to help launch the Hammond organ around the world, came in the end of the 1950s when a (mildly speaking) quite innovative virtuoso by the name of Jimmy Smith emerged on the Hammond organ scene.
Jimmy Smith with his Hammond B-3 Jimmy Smith was able to perform things on his organ that people never ever thought would be possible. He got his Hammond -of cultmodell B-3- to produce wails, cries, howls and roars with an enormous rich and juicy sound, sounding like it came from an alien planet. He also proved that the Hammond was a great instrument for be-bop, which no one really had proven or realized before. The pioneer Smith soon got several disciples as "Brother" Jack McDuff, Shirley Scott and Jimmy McGriff, who all are among the best among the older school of organists. The Hammond organ was now officially established as one of the coolest (and heaviest) instruments in the world, and thus made its definitive entry into the music history. The organ sales increased year after year during the 1950s and 60s, and reach it's peak in 1967, when the Hammond organ company sold more organs than ever before. On the 3rd of July in 1973, Laurens Hammond passed away and sadly the Hammond organ company stopped their production of tone wheel organs just a few years later. Today there are no classic analogue organs manufactured, and the production is closed down since 1976, when the last B-3 was manufactured. During the years the Hammond company has been sold and have had numerous amounts of owners, but none have been able to re-create the successful years from the 50s and the 60s. As digital pianos and keyboards made their first entry in the mid 70s, and things became smaller and smaller, the interest for the Hammond organ rapidly started to decline. The Hammond sound was not very popular during a great amount of years in the end of the 70s and during the 80s. However, in the late 80s things started to change as a new hip music style, Acid Jazz, started to emerge and gain followers in Great Britain. The Acid Jazz movement were crying out loudly for groovy, funky and danceable Hammond music, far away from the plastic, digital and clumsy disco tunes of the 1980s. Suddenly, groovy, 70s, Hammond based, jazz/funk music became the hottest dance music at London's underground scene. It became the beginning of a Hammond organ revival, which soon spread all over the world, and today the Hammond interest is rapidly growing. The Hammond organ is most common in music styles such as jazz, blues, funk and gospel. It has probably left its biggest legacy in American gospel music, which literally has been synonymous with the Hammond organ. Most African-American churches owns at least one organ and a set of Leslies. In some traditional churches, bass players are still quite rare, and the bass is often played by the organist when it is time to accompany the church choir. If you ever get the opportunity to attend a service or a gospel concert at an African-American church, it's something you should not miss. Many gospel organists have truly understood how to make the organ jump, dance and groove for the Lord. The Hammond is also a quite common instrument in jazz and blues. Especially within jazz were Hammond based trios are common. But how does a Hammond organ work? A Hammond organ is an electromagnetic instrument, with an inside consisting of tons of wires, cables and tubes. The sound from the organ is produced by small cogwheels which are rotating in front of magnetic coils. The tone produced are amplified and transformed into different soundings by so called drawbars, theoretically giving the organist 252 million different sound and tone combinations to choose from. Another important ingredient in the making of the Hammond sound, is the famous separated Leslie speaker cabinet. Inside the Leslie you'll find a speaker mounted on a rotating disc, and when the disc is in motion, a periodical sound change occurs and the pitch is sounding to be alternately higher and lower. One of many secrets with the Hammond/Leslie-sound are also the close relation between the Leslie and a siren found on, e.g. an ambulance. It is therefore not very strange that the sound of a Hammond organ often can be apprehended being fierce and quite nerved, easily transporting your pulse into a higher level. There are several different Hammond models, but the most famous and most cult proclaimed one is probably the Hammond B-3. It's also one of the hardest ones to find for sale in Sweden, since quite few have been imported. Other famous models are e.g. the C-3 (except for some smaller design details, it is the same thing as a B-3), the M-100 and the L 100.
A new Japan made Hammond X-B3 med Leslie 122 However, the only Hammond organs built today are digital Japanese ones, (as the X-B3 shown above) with a number of high tech devices which are not included on the original analogue organs. If you want to get a hold of a real classic analogue organ you either have to buy a used one, or order a custom made from a private builder. Due to Laurens Hammonds extreme quality demands, it is still today quite easy to get a hold of Hammond organs in top condition all over the world. Despite the fact that the manufactures of today are claiming that the new organs have the same classical feeling as the old ones when it comes to the clicking sound from the oxides and the feeling of worn out tone wheels etc (which easily could be found on old organs). It is however quite unrealistic that a new digital organ is ever going to sound, feel, or be the same thing as an old classic analogue one, even though the quality of the new organs are very good. It will always be something special with the real classic analogue Chicago made ones. So if you want to have a really phat and timeless Hammond sound, you probably have to get yourself a classic tone wheel organ with scanner vibrato, touch response percussion, and a unique tone wheel generator.
Jamming on a Hammond organ during a trip to the windy city, Chicago in 1998. Discography: There are of course tons and tons of talented and groovy Hammond organists who are worthy to be mentioned. But, since we do not have unlimited space, I'm therefore forced just mention the grooviest and most recommended organists. Worthy to be mentioned by the older generation of jazz organ players, are of course the pioneer and the man who revolutionized the organ playing, Mr. Jimmy Smith. Practically all his recordings are great investments for anyone who wants to hear some great organ work. Check out his latest release "Dot Come Blues" released in January 2001. At an age of 70 + something he easily proves that he without any doubts still is the King of Hammond organs. Other talented organ players from the older generation are also, Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, Richard "Groove" Holmes and Shirley Scott who all have released great records in the jazz, blues and funk genres. By the contemporary young organ players of today there is one who is especially recommended, and that's Larry Goldings and his solo recordings. His first solo recording also includes such prominent guest stars as saxophone players Maceo Parker, Joshua Redman and David Sanborn and trombone player, Fred Wesley. Goldings has also played on several different recordings with a verity of artists like jazz guitarist John Scofield and the funk saxophone player, Maceo Parker. Other young organ players who knows how to handle an organ is the magnificent Joey Defranseco, John Medeski and Billy Preston just to mention a few.
the Swedish Hammond B-3 freak Pierre Swärd There are also several great Swedish and Scandinavian organ players who's records are well worth owning. The phenomenal Swedish organ player Kjell Öhman and his band the Öhman Organ Grinders has produced several great recordings. Sweden's most loyal Hammond B-3 player, Pierre Swärd and his Hammond Jazz´n Soul Group has released a superb record by the name of "Organ Jazz´n Soul". Since him being one of Sweden's top session organ men, he can also be heard on several studio recordings with groups like Blacknuss Allstars and Rebecca Törnqvist. Other Swedes who knows how to handle an organ is Monica Dominique, Knud Jörgensen and Merit Hemingson. Another very talanted organ player is Paul Wagnberg, born in Sweden but since 1986 living in Norway. Together with some of Norway's most prominent jazz musicians he has formed the Hammond based group, the Real Thing which records is a must have for every Hammond freak. The group has e.g. released a live recording which includes some of the most grooviest and tightest organ work on earth. In the beginning of 1999 Wagnberg also released his first solo recording, "Eat Meat" which included the superb American jazz guitarist Randy Johnstone.
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