Two Organists, One Room, Pure Swing
McGriff and Holmes trade solos over hard-grooving rhythms that never let up for a second.
Jimmy McGriff and Richard "Groove" Holmes were already established names on the organ circuit by 1973, each with their own loyal following and studio track record. Putting them together in a room was a natural idea—two heavyweight players, no need to prove anything, just swing. George Freeman and O'Donel Levy handled the guitar lines with lean precision, while Bernard "Pretty" Purdie anchored everything with the kind of rock-solid time that made organists sound their best. The session had the feel of a pickup gig that someone decided to document: no pretense, no concept album, just two organists taking turns over grooves that sit somewhere between soul-jazz and hard funk.
What makes Giants of the Organ Come Together work is how straightforward it is. McGriff and Holmes don't circle each other warily—they're comfortable, they're listening, and they're both trying to play something worth hearing. The organ is the star here; guitar and drums are support staff, but good support staff. Purdie's drumming is particularly sharp, laying down feels that give each track its own character. This isn't intellectual or exploratory. It's working musicians doing what they do.
The album landed on Groove Merchant, a small label that specialized in exactly this kind of release—solid, unpretentious funk and soul-jazz sessions that had real players and real grooves. If you want to hear what McGriff and Holmes sounded like in their element, this is closer to the real thing than a lot of their solo work. It's not their definitive statement, but it doesn't need to be.
Who's playing
Where next?
More by Jimmy McGriff
Blues for Mr. Jimmy 1965
I've Got a Woman 1962
One Of Mine 1963
Concert Friday the 13th, Cook County Jail 1973
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
