Melvin Rhyme - Boss Organ (2-LP Set)

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER ON VINYL

THE SEMINAL 1993 CRISS CROSS ALBUM IN HQ 180-GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL

Organist Melvin Rhyne (1936-2013) was best known for his association with guitar legend Wes Montgomery in the 1960s. On this amazing Criss Cross album (presented here on vinyl for the first time ever), Rhyne shows that he was one of the finest jazz players on his instrument. On Boss Organ (a pun on Montgomery’s classic LP Boss Guitar, on which Rhyne also played) he is backed by guitarist Peter Bernstein, drummer Kenny Washington, and, most importantly, young tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman, then in his mid-twenties, who despite beginning his recording career just two years earlier, had already participated on more than a dozen albums.⁠

The quartet offers a superb set of hard-swinging performances, including readings of well-known standards such as “All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm” and “Jeannine,” as well as more obscure tunes such as Hubert Laws’ “Shades of Light,” Stevie Wonder’s “You and I,” and Mel Tormé’s “Born to Be Blue.”⁠

“Mel Rhyne, best known for his association in the 1960s with Wes Montgomery, re-emerged with this Criss Cross album as one of the finest jazz organists around. He is matched with guitarist Peter Bernstein, drummer Kenny Washington, and young tenor great Joshua Redman for a set of good-natured and often hard-swinging performances.  The music is consistently stimulating and swinging.” SCOTT YANOW -  ALL MUSIC

Tracklist 

SIDE 1
1. HATTUSH’S BLUES 9:04
2. FULL HOUSE 10:13ç

SIDE 2
1. YOU AND I 7:03
2. BORN TO BE BLUE 6:46

SIDE 3

1. SHADES OF LIGHT 5:36
2. ALL GOD’S CHILLUN GOT RHYTHM 5:59

SIDE 4

1. BEAR’S TUNE 6:36
2. JEANNINE 10:13

Credits 

MELVIN RHYNE organ
JOSHUA REDMAN tenor sax 
PETER BERNSTEIN guitar 
KENNY WASHINGTON drums

Official reissue in collaboration with Criss Cross Jazz. 

Released on October 14th, 2022