Jack McDuff

一位出色的樂隊領隊和風琴手，也是杰出的編曲者，Jack McDuff是一位相當funk，也靈魂味十足的樂手。他原本是一位貝斯手，曾為Denny Zeitlin以及Joe Farrell擔任貝斯的伴奏，在芝加哥與薩克斯風手Johnny Griffin合作. 50年代中期時他自學風琴與鋼琴。 50年代后期與60年代初期Willis Jackson的樂團的演出，讓他開始被注意。接著他組織自己的樂團，成員有Harold Vick與鼓手Joe Dukes。他雇用吉他手George Benson，在60年代中期是一個很受注意的樂團，制作許多精采的專輯，這一段時間的作品算是他的顛峰時期的作品。 此外在60年代與70年代之間所合作的主要樂手有Joe Henderson、Pat Martino、Jimmy Witherspoon、David "Fathead" Newman、Rahsaan Roland Kirk、Sonny Stitt與Gene Ammons。
by Ron Wynn and Bob Porter
A marvelous bandleader and organist as well as capable arranger, Brother Jack McDuff has one of the funkiest, most soulful styles of all time on the Hammond B-3. His rock-solid bass lines and blues-drenched solos are balanced by clever, almost pianistic melodies and interesting progressions and phrases. McDuff began as a bassist playing with Denny Zeitlin and Joe Farrell. He studied privately in Cinncinnati and worked with Johnny Griffin in Chicago. He taught himself organ and piano in the mid-50s, and began gaining attention working with Willis Jackson in the late 50s and early 60s, cutting high caliber soul-jazz dates for Prestige. McDuff made his recording debut as a leader for Prestige in 1960, playing in a studio pickup band with Jimmy Forrest. They made a pair of outstanding albums: Tough Duff and The Honeydripper. McDuff organized his own band the next year, featuring Harold Vick and drummer Joe Dukes. Things took off when McDuff hired a young guitarist named George Benson. They were among the most popular combos of the mid-60s and made several excellent albums. McDuffs later groups at Atlantic and Cadet didnt equal the level of the Benson band, while later dates for Verve and Cadet were uneven, though generally good. McDuff experimented with electronic keyboards and fusion during the 70s, then in the 80s got back in the groove with the Muse session Capn Jack. While his health fluctuated throughout the 90s, McDuff released several discs on the Concord Jazz label before succumbing to heart failure on January 23, 2001, at the age of 74.