''McGriff Avenue'' is an album by organist

Jimmy McGriff James Harrell McGriff (April 3, 1936 – May 24, 2008) was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader. Biography Early years and influences Born in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Germantown, Pennsylvania, Uni ...

recorded in 2001 and released on the

Milestone A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...

label the following year.Jazzlists:Milestone Records 9000 Series
accessed October 22, 2018

Reception

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Richard S. Ginell said: "''McGriff Avenue'' cruises easily through mostly blues country, highlighted by a few inspired remakes of early McGriff hits ... Though this CD doesn't have the ecstatic super-grooves of some of McGriff's earlier milestones, it still keeps the customers satisfied". On

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

, Joel Roberts noted "While no new ground is broken here, McGriff and company evoke the down home mood of the classic soul jazz years. It ain't quite as greasy as the old days, but it still tastes good". In

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growth ...

, Owen Cordle wrote "The organist, an economical player, comes from the slow-burn school. Forget theatrics and fireworks-he’s the type who paces his performances for a steady payoff of good grooves and soulful messages. Everyone delivers heartfelt solos throughout the album and, as always, the dance floor remains open during the set".Cordle, O
JazzTimes Review
accessed October 22, 2018

Track listing

All compositions by Rodney Jones except where noted # "All About My Girl" (Jimmy McGriff) – 7:50 # "McGriff Avenue" – 7:35 # "Soul Street" (

Jimmy Forrest James, Jim or Jimmy Forrest may refer to: Sports * James Forrest (rugby union) (born 1907), Scotland international rugby union player * James Forrest (baseball) (1897–1977), American baseball player * James Forrest (basketball) (born 1972), Ame ...

) – 10:50 # "The Answer Is in the Blues" – 8:13 # "The Great Unknown" (McGriff, Ronnie Cuber) – 6:45 # "Dissertation on the Blues" – 8:35 # "The Worm" (McGriff,

Sonny Lester Sumner Lester (November 15, 1924 – April 28, 2018), better known as Sonny Lester, was an American Grammy-award-winning music producer from New York City. He started his career as a musician in a big band jazz ensemble before being drafted into ...

, Fats Theus) – 6:30 # "

America the Beautiful "America the Beautiful" is a patriotic American song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey. The two never m ...

" (

Samuel A. Ward Samuel Augustus Ward (December 28, 1848 – September 28, 1903) was an American organist and composer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of a shoemaker, he studied under several teachers in New York and became an organist at Grace Church (Newar ...

Katharine Lee Bates Katharine Lee Bates (August 12, 1859 – March 28, 1929) was an American author and poet, chiefly remembered for her anthem "America the Beautiful", but also for her many books and articles on social reform, on which she was a noted speaker. Bat ...

) – 3:02

Personnel

– Hammond X-B3 organ *Gordon Beadle,

Bill Easley Bill Easley (born January 13, 1946) is an American jazz musician who plays saxophone, flute, and clarinet. Early life and education Easley was born and raised in Olean, New York. He began playing music at the age of 13 and studied at Memphis ...

–

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

Ronnie Cuber Ronald Edward Cuber (December 25, 1941 – October 7, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. He also played in Latin, pop, rock, and blues sessions. In addition to his primary instrument, baritone sax, he played tenor sax, soprano sax, clarinet ...

–

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contra ...

*Rodney Jones (tracks 2, 4 & 6), Melvin Sparks-Hassan (tracks 1, 3, 5, 7 & 8) –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

Wilbur Bascomb Wilbur D. Bascomb Jr. is an American bass guitarist. He is the son of jazz trumpeter Wilbur "Dud" Bascomb, who played with Erskine Hawkins and Duke Ellington. Career In the 1970s, Bascomb worked with James Brown(1974),bass *

Bernard Purdie Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie (born June 11, 1939) is an American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul and funk musician. He is known for his precise musical time keeping and his signature use of triplets against a half-time backbeat: the "Purdie ...

(tracks 1, 3, 5, 7 & 8), Don Williams (tracks 2, 4 & 6) −

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

{{Authority control Milestone Records albums Jimmy McGriff albums 2002 albums Albums produced by Bob Porter (record producer) Albums recorded at Van Gelder Studio