Larry Young – Testifying & Into Somethin’
May 31, 2011
If Jimmy Smith was “the Charlie Parker of the organ”, Larry Young was its John Coltrane. One of the great innovators of the mid-to late ’60s, Young fashioned a distinctive modal approach to the Hammond B-3 at a time when Smith’s earthy, blues-drenched soul-jazz style was the instrument’s dominant voice. His debut album, Testifying, clearly indicates that Smith was an inspiration for his sound, but his first album for Blue Note, Into Somethin’, a few years later captures the phenomenal organist showing his own sound. Certainly follow up by checking out a few of his other recordings including Groove Street and Unity.
Larry Young – Testifying; Prestige, 1960
Larry Young – Into Somethin’; Blue Note, 1964
