Towner Galaher’s 2023 Organ Trio Live collection found the veteran drummer and bandleader paying homage to the great jazz ensembles that were especially popular in the 50’s and 60’s. Some fanciful, bluesy-jazzy organ jamming is at the heart of the funky, freewheeling energy propelling his follow-up Brothers, but the inspiration behind the project is far more personal.
The brothers referred to in the title are Galaher’s longtime friends from his hometown of Portland, OR – the late keyboardist Johnny Sanders and his B-3 playing brother Jimmy Sanders, who along with Galaher and veteran Portland bassist Randy Monroe, form the driving force of a set of originals dedicated to the memory of and once upon a time camaraderie with Johnny.
Rounding out the quintet – and perfectly suited for the barn burning aesthetic of the album – are saxophonist Craig Handy (Herbie Hancock, Cedar Walton) and guitarist Marvin Horne (Elvin Jones, Aretha Franklin). The joyful fusion of nostalgic swinging B-3 fusion and rumbling, creative ways to move the trio concept forward rings clear from the shuffling title track (truly a showcase for Horne’s snappy guitar work). The high octane excitement continues on the boisterous, Headhunters inspired “Hit it and Quit it” and weaves through the breezy exotica of “Rio-Lization,” the buoyant, offbeat funky strut of “Piece of the Action” (named for one of Jimmy Sanders’ old bands), the cleverly titled, hard swinging romp “Cahva Bite?” and the gospel jam “Seventh Heaven.”
Along the way, the ensemble shows a slightly more sensitive child side on the smoky ballad “The Diamond Chalice” and the lyrical, easy flowing “Past Present and Future,” a title which seems to capture the essence of Brothers – rooted in the past, reaching full bloom in the present and (hopefully!) promising more great collaborations in the future.
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