Robert Kennedy, Closer to Home Review

Jazz

Robert Kennedy, Closer to Home Review 2Robert Kennedy is a Hammond organist and pianist in the San Francisco area that is keeping the jazz Hammond organ tradition torch burning bright. Joined by guitarist Terrence Brewer and Cody Rhodes on drums, with saxophonist Ben Torres appearing on seven of the ten tracks. The album, titled Closer to Home, is Kennedy’s second full-length release as a leader traversing through a collection of standards and original tunes. The group brings forth a sound that is rich in the organ tradition, stirring in elements of hard bop, soul jazz, blues, gospel rhythms and melodic structures. Most importantly, the band swings with passion and deeply grooves, when it’s time to add in the sho’nuff greasy side.  That’s the short of it!

Positives:

The band plays with melodic clarity and rhythmic direction. Great solos throughout, and a nice mix of styles and harmonic settings. The program is a nice blend of standards from different eras and originals that fit the overall sonic flow, that congeals an excellent listen.

Bottom Line:

Closer to Home has just enough modern colors in the improvisations that make the music feel and sound like the next evolution in the tradition of the Hammond organ cannon. Essential to all great Hammond album’s is a strong presence of the blues vocabulary and feel. Kennedy and his band-mates testify with serious blues-drenched riffs! Deep-in-the-tradition and full of jazz boastfulness and style, a superb example of jazz virtues expressed in the setting of a Hammond led ensemble. Kennedy lends affirmative to the heritage and provides enough progressive viewpoints that it will resonate with the aficionado and newcomer alike.

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