Hammond's Soulful Stride in Early Maturity
A swinging organ trio that finds Hammond balancing church soul with bebop sophistication, never forced.
By 1959, Johnny Hammond Smith was already an established figure on the organ circuit, but That Good Feelin' (1959) captures him in a particularly loose, confident moment. This is not a debut statement — he had been recording and performing for several years — but rather a snapshot of an artist hitting his stride, comfortable enough with the instrument and the idiom to play without overthinking. The album stays close to what Hammond did best: small-group swing with a blues-rooted organist leading the charge.
What makes this record distinct is its refusal to overstate things. The organ doesn't bark or overreach; it sits in the pocket, comping smartly, soloing with directness rather than flash. The tunes are straightforward vehicles — standards and simple blues heads — and Hammond treats them as such, which paradoxically lets the music breathe more than a record chasing novelty or showiness would. There's soul here, genuine warmth, the kind that comes from knowing exactly what you can do and doing it without apology.
For listeners new to Hammond, this is a natural entry point: it's inviting, swings hard, and doesn't require you to sit through anything experimental or difficult. It won't change your life, but it will give you a clear picture of why organ trio jazz mattered, and why Hammond's particular brand of it — rooted in gospel but unafraid of bebop changes — had staying power. This is solid, honest work from a musician in command of his craft.
