js Supa Cookin’ is one of those jazz records that throws all attempts at subtlety out the window and goes for high energy good time jams in which the players gladly show off their most dexterous high speed licks in a crowd pleasing display of showmanship. This sort of thing can be embarrassing if the players can’t deliver, but Holmes and McGriff come through with fierce solos and the energy never drops for a second.

This is a two record live set that features the duo B3s of Holmes and McGriff, plus two or three guitars, one drummer and a percussionist on each side. There is a change of lineup on the second disc with Leon Cook and Mark Elf replacing George Freeman on second (plus third) guitar, and Mike Moss replacing Bernard Purdie on drums. I don’t know if the lineup change is the reason, but the music on the second record is better and more modern than the first disc.

Record one is mostly swing based hard bop and the guys really work it to death, but I prefer record two on which they play in a 70s funk jazz style on ‘The Preacher’s Tune’, and a modern African fusion style on ‘Mozambique’. The fast bop tunes on record two also go at a more furious pace than the ones on record one. Overall, disc one is more like the old Holmes-McGriff soul jazz style we‘ve heard before, but disc two shows them becoming more modern and more high energy as well.

This is a live recording and the B3s have great natural distortion for a rock like aggressive energy. The double and triple guitar player effect is also nice as they complement each other with interlocking funky riffs. If you like virtuoso B3 playing, this is a good one.

js The “Jazz Milestone Series” was put out by the Pacific records label and was designed to showcase a “best of” series for their various artists. This Groove Holmes album covers the early part of his career when he recorded and performed in LA during the early 60s. The music on here is what we would expect from Holmes, blues based jazz played in swing time, the very early roots of the soul jazz sound. When it comes to the B3 greats, Jimmy Smith has the high speed licks and McGriff and McDuff have the hard edged funk, but Groove Holmes is the master of the swing and the hard driving B3 bass pedals. Most of these cuts are pretty solid, with no particular duds, nor many particular stand-outs either. Side one centers around shorter RnB/gospel flavored tunes, while side two stretches out and gets a little jazzier. Album closer, “Comin’ thru the Apple”, is probably the best with a high speed romp based around the Parker tune of a similar name.

Holmes’ playing sounds great throughout, and there are also many stellar guests including Joe Pass, Ben Webster and Les McCann on piano. That double keyboard sound is real effective on the gospel and RnB flavored numbers. If you are a fan of the early 60s B3 jazz sound and you see this at your local used record shop for a reasonable price, go ahead and pick it up, there are not a lot of surprises on here, but sometimes that’s a good thing.

js “Welcome Home” isn’t one of Holmes’ best albums, but on the other hand, its not near as commercial as some of his later efforts. Basically you get a mix of bluesy jazz and RnB pop covers on here, not far from your typical 60s soul jazz side. The album opens strong with the swingin “Groovin Time”. When it comes to the masters of the B3, Jimmy Smith may have the high speed licks, and Brother Jack McDuff and Jimmy McGriff may have the funky RnB, but no one swings like Groove Holmes. Side one closes out nicely with the soulful RnB of “Oklahoma Toad” and a mid-tempo swing blues called “Upward Bound”.

Side two also starts strong with the funky RnB of “The Madison Time”, but then the album looses its drive and closes out with four pop tunes of varying quality with Marvin Gayes’ “Sunday Mornin” being the best, and the theme from “The Odd Couple” being the cheesiest. I think fans of Groove Holmes and fans of 60s soul jazz would be happy with this record, you have three or four great cuts on here, and even the pop tunes are well done and plenty soulful. Another plus on here is the great recorded sound and production, its all a classic 60s analog vibe without a trace of 70s fuzak or smooth jazz.

js “Groovin’ with Jug” is a nice set of jazz blues from two masters of the genre who only recorded together on this one occasion. Apparently Groove Holmes, who was very new to the scene with only one release to his name at that time, had a running gig in LA and Gene Ammons (aka “Jug”) was his guest one night and so impressed Richard Bock of Pacific Records that he invited them to record the next day. The studio session the following day was only partially successful and yielded three keepers, so they decided to take the recording gear to the club where they were able to get five more cuts. All of the recordings sound nice, the band sounds more relaxed live, but there is a little more clarity in the studio recordings where the rhythm guitar and B3 bass pedals can be heard more clearly.

The music on here is flawless bluesy hard bop that borders on the new soul jazz sound of the early 60s. Gene’s expertise on the tenor ranges from the soulful ballad “Willow Weep for Me” to high speed bop on “Juggin Around”. Holmes B3 solos are more in the blues idiom, guitarist Gene Edwards provides rhythm and a few solos and the tastefully under-stated Leroy Henderson minds the trap set. This is highly recommended for fans of blues jazz, put this on and get juggy wit it.