Johnny Hammond: Higher Ground (1973)

Massive work from Johnny Hammond - stretching out here in some totally jamming grooves that really transform his style for the 70s! The sound here is a lot hipper and tighter than some of Hammond's more rough-edged soul jazz of the 60s - a groove that's a great precursor to his more famous meetings with Larry Mizell a few years later - and equally great! Johnny's got plenty of space here - and is really taking his time with the grooves, thanks to some open ended arrangements by Bob James, who also plays electric piano on the record! The record is a seminal piece of work in the transformation of the chunky 60s organ sound to a sweeter 70s keyboard groove - and was proof that Johnny, more than most of his 60s soul jazz contemporaries, was ready to embrace the new sounds of the decade with open arms. Includes the great sample cut "Big Sur Suite" - plus "Higher Ground", "Summertime/The Ghetto", and "Catch My Soul". (Review courtesy of Dusty Groove)