Eddie [Eddy] Louiss – Our Kind of Sabi (MPS, 1970)

Eddy Louiss (org, p, mar); John Surman (bs, ss); Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (b, 1 track only); Daniel Humair (d)

Recorded on August 27 - 29, 1970

American jazz fans who recognize the name Eddy Louiss will likely remember it from his appearance on Stan Getz's classic Dynasty (Verve, 1971).  Louiss (whose first name "Eddy" is misspelled on the cover of this MPS LP) was a highly respected French jazz musician, well known for his distinctive style on the Hammond B3 organ.  

Back in the day, few of Louiss' recordings made it to the U.S., so his profile remains far lower than many other jazz organ heroes.  Per Discogs, MPS only released our Our Kind of Sabi in Germany, France, and Japan in 1971.  Unlike some other MPS releases, the album was never issued in the U.S. through their licensing dealing with PAUSA.  Most of Louiss' other releases were limited to European (and occasionally Japanese) markets as well.

Furthermore, Louiss' approach to the Hammond B3 defied the conventions of the instrument -- at least as they had come to be defined in the United States circa 1970.  Perhaps more than any other instrument, the Hammond organ was a sound associated with inner-city Black America and with soul-jazz.  I suppose it's no surprise that, as a Frenchman, Louiss did not play in that style.  Instead, his approach to the instrument was built on older jazz styles like bebop and then mixed with a range of then-contemporary European jazz influences, including the burgeoning avant-garde.  That's what you hear on My Kind of Sabi.  

Louiss recorded the album in Tokyo while he as touring with a package of European Downbeat Poll Winners.  Fortunately for us listeners, the music doesn't sound like it was made by a pick-up group.  That's because Louiss and drummer Daniel Humair had a long-standing relationship, and their simpatico connection is what makes this music fly.  John Surman's powerful contributions on baritone and soprano sax carry the music even higher.  On the Caribbean folk song, "Zafe Ko Ida," Surman steps aside and Danish bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen is added.  On this track, Louiss plays marimba and piano instead of organ.  But it is Louiss' work on the organ that makes this music memorable.

  
Collectors still have to pay top dollar for well-maintained vinyl copies of Our Kind of Sabi.  However, since the German company Edel acquired the MPS catalog, most of the music has been made available again through streaming services (or as digital downloads).  As a collector who prefers to add tangible objects -- either vinyl or CDs -- to my "library," this is not ideal.  But it's definitely better than nothing, especially when the music is this good.

More Eddy Louiss
Not long after making Our Kind of Sabi, Louiss collaborated with French trumpeter and arranger Ivan Jullien on a large-ensemble version of Porgy and Bess.  Originally issued in France in 1971 on the Riviera label, Gitanes/Emarcy reissued the music in 2000 as part of their "Jazz in Paris" series.  Another reissue in the same series, Bohemia After Dark (originally issued as Orgue, Vol. 2 on the French "America" label), features Kenny Clark and American ex-pat guitarist Jimmy Gourley.  

Finally, here are three discs that don't officially belong in this survey, since they weren't made in the 1970s.  But I'm going to list them anyway, since they're marvelous and some jazz fans may not know about them: 

• Eddy Louis Trio with Kenny Clarke & Rene Thomas (reissued on Dreyfus, 1991) 
• Humair, Louiss, Ponty – HLP, Vol. 1 (reissued on Dreyfus, 1991) 
• Humair, Louiss, Ponty – HLP, Vol. 2 (reissued on Dreyfus, 1991)