DOC BAGBY — Doc Bagby & Luis Rivera : Battle Of The Organs (review)

DOC BAGBY — Doc Bagby & Luis Rivera : Battle Of The Organs album cover Split · 1959 · Soul Jazz Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
js
If you have ever dug through a stack of records at a thrift store looking for a hidden gem, then you’ll know that you end up looking at about a million over sold 70s albums by the likes of Elton John and Seals and Crofts before you might get lucky and hit an obscure garish tacky album cover like “Battle of the Organs”. Bizarre thrown together cheap album covers like this are a beacon to record collectors looking for that odd bit of exotica. No doubt the cover of this record is priceless kitsch, but it also helps that the music isn’t bad either.

Although he never became a household name, Doc Bagby was very busy in the music industry, particularly in the 50s and 60s, as a session musician, arranger, bandleader and whatever else was necessary. Not only did he participate in many collectable exotic instrumental RnB and novelty rock records, but he also served as Sonny Stitt’s organist at a time when there were very few jazz organ players. Some of the records he cut with Stitt, on which they mixed jazz with blues played with a tenor sax plus B3 organ, became a blueprint for the coming soul jazz fad. Side two of “Battle of the Organs” belongs to Luis Rivera, who was a long time lounge organist in the Los Angelas area. Although Barby’s side is better musically, Rivera’s bold plaid jacket helps make this album cover a kitsch masterpiece.

Bagby’s side of the record is pretty solid old school blues-jazz played with your typical organ trio of B3, tenor sax and drums. Some of these tracks are fairly funky in a proto-soul jazz kind of way with “Grinding” being one of the stand out cuts. Luis Rivera’s side is a little more cheezy with somewhat similar blues based music, but with a much more exaggerated and hammy approach that was typical of the lounge players in this era. His band makeup is similar to Bagby’s, but his tenor player uses old school over-done swoops in his playing, plus a deep reverb sound typical of 50s corny instrumental rock records. Jazz fan will probably find the Bargby side of “Battle of the Organs” to be of more interest, but the collector of odd exotica will probably find much to appreciate on both sides of this wonderful piece of vinyl.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Mikolaj Trzaska, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, Paal Nilssen-Love : The Last Temple vol.3 Avant-Garde Jazz
MIKOŁAJ TRZASKA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mikolaj Trzaska, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, Paal Nilssen-Love : The Last Temple, Vol.1 Avant-Garde Jazz
MIKOŁAJ TRZASKA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mikołaj Trzaska / Ingebrigt Håker Flaten / Paal Nilssen-Love : The Last Temple Vol.2 Avant-Garde Jazz
MIKOŁAJ TRZASKA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Sustain Avant-Garde Jazz
AALY TRIO
Buy this album from MMA partners
Sunset Park Post Bop
TOBIAS MEINHART
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

FASCINATING RHYTHM - The Amazing Keystone Big Band feat. Neima Naouri
THE AMAZING KEYSTONE BIG BAND
snobb· 1 day ago
Alicante
RENAUD GARCIA-FONS
js· 1 day ago
She's Forty with Me
WILTON CRAWLEY
js· 1 day ago
Tall Tillie's Too Tight
WILTON CRAWLEY
js· 1 day ago
Rhoda Scott Ladies and Gentlemen - special guest : David Linx
RHODA SCOTT
snobb· 1 day ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed