Richard "Groove" Holmes – Comin' on Home (Blue Note, 1971)

Richard "Groove" Holmes (org); Weldon Irvine (el p); Gerald Hubbard (g); Jerry Jemmott (el b); Chuck Rainey (el b, 1 trk only); Darryl Washington (d); Ray Armando (cga); James Davis (tamb, shaker, cowbell, vo)

Recorded on May 19, 1971

Oh man, I love this record!  "Groove" is my man!  Forced to choose just one organist from the 1970s (or any decade, really), I'm going to go with "Groove" Holmes on nine days out of ten.  He has the perfect name because the groove that he lays down is unrelenting.

Comin' on Home is an atypical Richard "Groove" Holmes LP for a couple reasons.  First, there's a bassist.  (Holmes usually handled the bass duties himself.)  But it's not just any bassist.  It's Jerry Jemmott!  Also, there's a second keyboardist.  Weldon Irvine's electric piano adds another sonic element to the mix.

I'm not sure why this record isn't more highly regarded.  It seems like Comin' on Home gets lost in the shuffle.  Maybe it has something to do with that fact that it was Holmes' only record for Blue Note, so it never got the promotion it deserved.  I don't know.  

More Richard "Groove" Holmes
A few more excellent "Groove" records that I frequently pull from the shelf:
• Onsaya Joy (Flying Dutchman, 1975)
• Shippin' Out (Muse, 1978)
• Good Vibrations (Muse, 1980; recorded 1977)