Mitch Towne

Chester is another animal all together!! He brings more gospel to the table than other jazz organists. You play a lot more off the bass on the pedals when you play gospel organ. Joey and Chester are my two biggest influences. I love their playing so much.

Yes. That’s correct. The tapping of the pedal adds an attack to the note which helps the bass line pop more, similar to the attack of an acoustic bass. But using an acoustic bass sample is a whole other thing. Organ bass and upright bass sound totally different. And when you’re playing a sample on an instrument that’s not that instrument (for example, an acoustic guitar patch on a keyboard), it’s going to end up sounding weird.

I wish Barbara didn’t use MIDI pedals with an acoustic bass sound. I think that’s a bit cheesy. But, hey, it’s her choice.

BTW, Joey was maybe 25 or 26 when this video was recorded.

I’m practicing the secret handshake!

I just read that thread. Wow. I get it now! 😂

This clip is from Joey’s first instructional VHS tape from the mid-late 90s. This video quite literally taught me how to play the organ. Watching him was a revelation and, to this day, my bass lines implement the “walk up to the 6th” method he demonstrates. To third or fourth what others have said, jazz organ bass is majority LH with foot thrown in for emphasis. In this very same instructional video, Joey specifically states this, then demonstrates that he can definitely play them. He then points out that for up tempo tunes, playing all the bass on the pedals just doesn’t swing the same.

Yeah, ok. 🙄

Everyone benefits from a better sounding clone. That’s what keeps these companies striving to get better - competition. Otherwise, we’d still be using the aforementioned XB-2.

Ha ha! Yes! There is SOOOO much money flying around in the Clone world! Max at MAG Organs just sent me on luxury cruise for playing his gear! 😂😂 I can only speak for me, but I only want to be an endorsing artist for an instrument that I like. It wouldn’t matter if a company offered me free gear if I didn’t find it inspiring to play. I was an endorsing artist for Crumar for 9 years. Why? Because I thought the Mojo was overall the best clone. I literally tried every new clone that came out within that time - XK5, Numa 1 and 2, Dexibel, Viscount Legend, SK, and various versions of the HX3. None of them made me move from Crumar. I worked frequently with Guido on major updates to the sound and functionality. Hell, two of my organs are modeled and included in the software of every Mojo. Then, one day, the HX3 had a fantastic update that felt finally made it more realistic than the Mojo. That’s when I began talking to Max about a MAG. I only want to play instruments that I find inspiring to play. That’s why I switched to MAG (and bought it with my own money, BTW) and am very happy with it to this day. All I want is a clone that is going to get me as close to the real thing as possible. 20 years ago, clones could get you maybe 80% there. Now, we are in the 90% range. We will probably never get to 100%, but it’s a far cry from the XB-2 that anyone who wanted a portable Hammond facsimile was stuck with 30 years ago. And, by the way, if The MAG didn’t exist, I’d still be using the Mojo. It’s still the best of the rest in my view. (And I still use a Crumar Seven for my EP. I love that board so much.)

He did McGriff! Watch again!

I know I am posting a lot about Joey DeFrancesco lately, but this is one that is definitely worth remembering. I an sure that many of you have seen this since it made the rounds a few years ago. Jeremey Thomas (a great organist in his own right) stands over Joey's shoulder and calls out famous organists and Joey plays like each one, nailing all the little stylistic differences that set them apart. Jimmy Smith, Groove Holmes, Jimmy McGriff, Don Patterson and Charles Earland are all represented here. Joey D has absolutely absorbed their playing and can recreate their sound instantly. My favorite part is at the end where the girl shouts, "Play Joey D!" and Joey then plays like only he can. He was the king. Joey D plays the Greats.mp4

All of that masterclass is on there plus a lot more content.

I’d like to reiterate that he does do a lot of explanation of concepts. It isn’t like he just plays and says “figure it out.” At the very least, when it comes to things like diminished scales and whole tone scales (two elements that he uses a LOT in his playing), he definitely covers the concepts and points you in the right direction, showing the basics and then different permutations and runs and licks based on those scales. But he doesn’t always slow it way down and take it note by note. Once in a while, but not always. The great thing is that there is SO MUCH to glean from just one of the lessons posted. Hell, I’ve literally spent the last week working everything I picked up from one four bar 3-6-2-5 phrase he played over “There Will Never Be Another You!” Taking his phrases and analyzing them, getting them to feel natural, taking them to different keys, etc. You literally get to look over the shoulder of one of the greatest musicians of our time and see how he’s doing it. Just like any of the greats, there are certain things Joey does that are signature things. Coltrane had them. So did Herbie, Chick, McCoy, Woody Shaw, etc. All of those “Joey” things (particularly the burning bebop lines, the angular diminished phrases, the descending whole tone runs and the unique pentatonic phrase that flow in out of the changes) are all there. The gold is there. You just have to mine it.

https://www.joeydefrancesco.com In 2018, Joey D did a two day streamed masterclass. Each day was broken up into 3 one hour sessions. It was fantastic. He broke up the sessions into categories and turned this into an on demand educational resource that he continued to update until his untimely passing. One monthly subscription price of $19.99 gives you access to everything. All the lessons are logically titled and cover a huge variety of topics. Should you subscribe? Read on. Joey’s instructional videos are kind of funny. The majority of his brilliance comes naturally to him, so he isn’t the best teacher. He definitely doesn’t walk through a whole lot of content in a slow, methodical way. That’s not to say he doesn’t explain some concepts. He does. But he’s just such a natural and it comes so easily to him, he covers a lot of ground very quickly. Sometimes, it’s almost comical. He will play an amazing chorus through a standard and say, “So that gives you an idea of what you could do there.” 😄 There are a couple times that he explains a seemingly basic substitution concept in a very convoluted way. It’s obviously the way he thinks of it, but there are easier ways to get to the same idea. A beginner would get more from Tony Monaco’s offerings. However…if you are an intermediate to advanced player with a basic understanding of jazz theory, and you have a slow-downer transcription program…everything you’d ever need to know about playing jazz organ is there. One chorus of Joey playing over “There Will Never Be Another You” has enough language and conceptual info to keep you busy for 6 months. Inside playing. Outside playing. Bebop language. Modern language. Blues. Substitutions. You have to transcribe it yourself and figure it out…but it’s all there. And that’s still the best way to learn. Hell, just one example of him voicing a minor 2-5 is a masterclass. My entire practice routine for the last few years, outside of learning songs for gigs, is taking a concept from Joey D and working it into my playing. Doing that enables me to not only add new language and conceptual ideas to my repertoire, it works my technique. So much of Joey’s playing consists of classic language and bebop, it’s naturally a chops builder, as well as a way to expand your ears. Plus, seeing him playing from the top down also helps speed the transcription process. (It’s somewhat helpful to see Joey play it, but not always. His technique and fingerings are, in some cases, shall we say… “unorthodox.”) 😂 The bottom line is this: if you’re serious about being a jazz organ player and you can already play somewhat, this is the only resource you’d ever need. Be ready to figure out a lot on your own, but you won’t ever forget it that way.

It’s from one of Joey’s instructional videos.

Joey DeFrancesco passed away a year ago today. I quite literally listen to his music every day. For me, he demonstrated the full potential of the Hammond organ, the instrument to which I’ve dedicated my musical life. One of the best ways to get into the head of your musical heroes is to transcribe their playing. Here is a brilliant solo chorus that Joey played once over the standard “Stella By Starlight.” I transcribed this particular chorus because it demonstrates his total grasp of the jazz language. It’s inside the changes and, the way he played it, infinitely swinging. I’m sad that there will no longer be new music produced by Joey, but he left many lifetimes worth of amazing music for us to enjoy (and, in my case, study).

As a former Mojo user for about a decade, I can definitely say that the HX3 has a more “alive” sound than the Mojo. That’s not to say that the Mojo isn’t good. If it weren’t for the MAG, I’d still be using a Mojo. The MAG is the only clone that was able to make me switch.

Here is a recording of my MAG C2 with the MAGGIE speaker from a recent gig. https://youtu.be/_aUD8IngJrI

I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to talk longer!! Thank you for coming out! This week in NYC!

When was the last time something shipped ahead of schedule?? 😲

The Seven absolutely is an uncanny experience. It’s the closest sounding and feeling Rhodes clone by a mile. I find the suspension of disbelief playing it to be second to none.

Best sounding clone for my money!

Jeff Berlin would hate this post.

Hey, again. I thought I’d un-zombie this thread to let you all know that we are hitting the road this summer for a few dates, some of which feature very special guest, the legendary Tom Scott!! June 21 - Billboard Live - Osaka, Japan June 23 - Billboard Live - Yokohama, Japan June 24 - Billboard Live - Tokyo, Japan The following dates feature Tom Scott July 8 - Catalina Jazz Club - Hollywood, CA July 16 - Keystone Korner - Baltimore, MD July 18 - 22 - Birdland Jazz Club - New York, NY July 23 - The Falcon - Marlboro, NY July 24 - Berklee College of Music I can’t begin to tell you all how excited I am about this. This is literally dream come true stuff for me. Now…just gotta hope for good backline Hammonds! 🤞🏻