Groove Holmes' Blue Note Moment, Briefly Captured
A tight, soulful session that proved Holmes belonged in the studio with real players.
Richard Groove Holmes recorded Comin' On Home (1971) during a peak period for Blue Note, when the label was chasing both the jazz traditionalists and the younger funk-soul crowd. The album arrived with minimal fanfare—a single Blue Note release from an organist already well-known on the organ circuit but not yet a household name in jazz. It never became a signature record, and for decades it existed mostly in the bins of dedicated collectors, overshadowed by bigger names on the label's roster.
What makes the session work is how tight and unselfconscious it is. Weldon Irvine on electric piano and Gerald Hubbard on guitar lock into grooves that feel lived-in rather than rehearsed, while Jerry Jemmott and Chuck Rainey trade bass duties over Darryl Washington's propulsive drumming. Holmes himself doesn't overshadow anyone; he sits comfortably in the pocket, letting the ensemble breathe. Ray Armando's congas add color without crowding the frame. This is not a vehicle for Holmes to showboat. It's a working band finding its sound across a few hours.
The album matters less as a commercial or critical milestone and more as evidence that Holmes could step into a proper studio setting and deliver something genuine. It remains one of Blue Note's quieter successes—the kind of record that rewards the listener who takes time with it, though it never demanded that time from the broader jazz world.
Who's playing
Jerry Jemmottbass
Chuck Raineybass
Weldon Irvineelectric piano
Gerald Hubbardguitar
Darryl Washingtondrums
Ray Armandocongas
Where next?
More by Richard Groove Holmes
All 34 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
