Jimmy McGriff - Jimmy McGriff At The Apollo (1963/2019)

There's no question; organist Jimmy McGriff and company cook up some steaming blues grooves on this live date. Beyond that, though, there is little that distinguishes this set from countless others in the same mold. McGriff and his band are a dynamo when they unite in churning, bluesy bluster. As individual players, however, no one here generates much in the way of a memorable performance. Next to the roar of the leader's Hammond, guitarist Larry Frazier's fills and rhythm work sound slight. He's better when he steps forward to solo in a frenetic Chicago blues style. Saxophonist Rudolph Johnson honks and barks with a spirited, but limited, vocabulary of licks. Drummer Willie Jenkins clatters away with vigorous abandon, but never at the expense of the groove. To McGriff's credit, he pulls these talents together so they total something more than the sum of the parts. The band shines brightest on the McGriff originals "The Deacon" and "A Thing for Jug." This is where Frazier, Johnson, and Jenkins most effectively combine forces with the leader's meat-and-potatoes music and groove-bound B-3 to do what they do best play the blues. Amen.