RE: McGriff technique, etc...

["Tom Tuson" <Hammond_Lover@msn.com>]

Jimmy McGriff in Boston: From Tom Tuson

>>I was not working New Years Eve for the first time in years and so for a 
change I had the pleasure of going out to see someone else play.  And, man, 
did I hit the jackpot.  It seems that Jimmy McGriff was playing at a local 
club (Scullers in Boston) with Hank Crawford (alto sax man).  I had reserved 
my tickets in advance and was VERY pleasantly surprised to be seated at a 
table not three feet from the organ!  I was just to the left of the organ and 
slightly behind it and I could see every move McGriff made.  Needless to say, 
I learned a few things, which I'll be glad to pass on here.<<

Wish you had drop me EMAIL...  I set up the organ for Jimmy and was there... 
The lady that walked on stage with the clock was my other half!

>>      But first, his setup was a little odd.  He used a Hammond-Suzuki XB-3 
with an integrated Hammond GM-1000 tone module (a Hammond-Suzuki synth 
module), played through a Leslie 122 pretty side out (directly behind himself 
and 3 feet from me) and a small Leslie 302 on the other side of the stage 
behind the guitar player.<<

This is the setup that Jimmy likes. The 122XB was miked through the house 
system and the GM-1000 was DIed into the house system as well.  If you have 
ever seen Jimmy's old rig he used a stationary amp for the bass. Jimmy like 
the 302 for its kick and the 122XB for it warmth.  We also put the 302 near 
Don the drummer to help him hear and feel the bass lines better. BTW the 302 
was only set at about 30 percent of it power.  I think this is what you heard 
as a clean sound.... Again, Jimmy like clean!

>> The 122 was mic'd into a small PA.  He had the XB-3 programmed with presets 
that used the GM-1000 on the upper manual non-drawbar presets.  He used the 
GM-1000 trombone, strings, trumpet, and vibes sounds, which he layered 
underneath the upper manual organ sound on different presets, and used the 
trombone most often.  He used the horn sounds to double horn lines with the 
sax player, and also used it during many of his solos (!).  He used the 
strings to back a singer who sat in on 3 tunes.  His decision to mix horns 
with the Hammond sound will offend purists, and while I'm no purist I thought 
it sounded a bit cheezy during the solos myself; though when used in 
combination with the sax lines it was effective.  On the lower manual he used 
the "B" drawbar preset exclusively (no GM-1000).<<

The "B" preset on the lower does have a MIDI setting programmed into it...  
Jimmy will turn it on and off when he wants to use the sound...  Wood Bass.

>>His right foot was constantly moving on the swell pedal as one would 
expect.  He usually moved the pedal small amounts, except during ballads where 

his swells were frequent and had lots of dynamics.  He did not use the 
technique 
much where the player increases the volume on upbeats and decreses it on 
downbeats.  More frequently he would increase the volume on the frontbeat (1 & 
3 
in a measure) and back off on the backbeat; maybe this leaves a bit more room 
for 
the snare drum?<<

Jimmy played bass before he played organ.
        
>>For the drawbar watchers on the list he used 888000000 when he was not 
using a top manual preset and 838000000 for comping on the lower manual.  I 
never 
saw him change the drawbars after the first tune.  The XB-3 sounded nice 
through 
the 122, if a shade too clean for my own taste.  It sounded quite a bit like 
the 
XB-3 you can heard Joey D playing on "Live At The 5 Spot" or on his first 
album 
with John McGlaughlin.  It sounds very pure and is truely a letter perfect B-3 

clone, but in my own subjective opinion there is still some very subtle aspect 
of 
it that lacks a little bit of warmth, though I could have been imaginging it.  

The stage volume was very low and the 122 could have been jacked up a bit to 
warm 
things up.<<

Like I said before, I think you were hearing the 302 since you were close to 
it!  And Jimmy does like clean sound...  The 302 came throught very clear to 
me and I was setting back on the wall near the entry...  Were the bar used to 
be.

Jimmy has always been one to experiment and grow with his sound...  He has a 
great love for the Counts music...  because of this he uses the brass, plus 
Hank gets cranked with the other sounds. Matter of fact back when Jimmy and 
Groove played together they had WahWah pedals on the B-3's. Jimmy's B-3 still 
has the WahWah pedal on it....  Because of his growing I think that is why he 
has lasted. He was making records when other people weren't.

Mark, I still am pissed I didn't get to meet you....

Tom Tuson