Don Patterson - The Exciting New Organ Of Don Patterson (1964) [vinyl]

Great album with Booker Ervin on tenor sax. ~ by Michael Erlewine, AMG.

Presumably, as it goes, Prestige headquarters called it The Exciting New Organ Of Don Patterson for marketing purposes. Three years of experience playing alongside tenor and alto giant Sonny Stitt saw Patterson cooperating with guitar player Paul Weeden, and the remaining decade he would strike up an engaging companionship with Pat Martino. Martino and Patterson certainly inspired each other to career heights. Without the guitar, however, Patterson is far from handicapped. The dynamics are not so much better as different.

Patterson original S'Bout Time is a whole different ballgame. By far the album’s greatest achievement, eclipsing the rendition of Sonny Rollins' Oleo, itself a fine performance that receives meticulous attention to its tricky theme and a fair dose of fast-fingered bop-blues riffs from Patterson and tenorist Booker Ervin, and Up In Betty's Room, a lively blues composition containing some freewheeling improvisation. S'Bout Time stretches the boundaries of soul jazz by way of a modal "feel" reminiscent of the work of contemporaries such as Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock.

A sassy build-up from drummer Billy James and Patterson's "walkin" bass lines is followed by a simple melody that is somewhat in the vein of (a speeded-up) So What, from whence Booker Ervin takes off. And I do mean take off! Ervin, an astute contributor to many of Charles Mingus' finest recordings, is fiery all the way, splendid in his combination of blues and the depth of Coltrane. Patterson's answer to Ervin's spontaneous combustion is dynamic, coherent, unashamedly free flowing. Patterson uses his right hand almost exclusively and the effect is mesmerizing. After four and a half minutes of classy soloing, Ervin re-enters for a few heated bars and the trio trades fours down to the coda.

It’s a powerful statement from a refreshing record of organ jazz. ~ Extract from Flop House Magazine

Prestige Records, PRST 7331, 1964

Recorded 12^th May, 1964 At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Don Patterson - Organ

Booker Ervin - Tenor Saxophone (#A1-B1)

Billy James - Drums

Tracks:

A1. S'bout Time {Don Patterson} (10:08)

A2. Up In Betty's Room {Don Patterson, Billy James} (5:12)

A3. Oleo {Sonny Rollins} (3:50)

B1. When Johnny Comes Marching Home {Traditional} (10:56)

B2. The Good Life {Sacha Distel, Jack Reardon} (9:59)

Credits:

Supervision - Ozzie Cadena

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Design, Photo - Don Schlitten

Liner Notes - Robert Levin (July, 1964)