Groove Holmes: "Onsaya Joy"

This seems to be the hardest to find of all the Groove Holmes LP’s.  That probably has something to do with the fact that it was released on Flying Dutchman in 1975, right as that label and many other funk/soul/jazz labels were in the midst of their death throes.  It’s a shame, then, that “Onsaya Joy” suffered the fate of being lost in the shuffle of record label demise, as it might be my favorite Groove Holmes album ever, and I own more than a few.  It was recorded live at NYC’s Halfnote club, and it’s incredible to think that this band was only a trio, as they stir up a hurricane of sounds, textures and swing.  Holmes often outdid his peers in terms of his organ technique, playing not only impossibly complex runs up top but also crafting some of the most memorable organ bass-lines ever on the bottom end.  On this LP he also experiments with un-credited synthesizers, most prominently on the monstrous title track, which shifts in its second half from blissed-out soul-jazz-funk to outer-space ruminations not often found during live organ-driven performances.  The other members of the band contribute significantly to the exquisite atmosphere as well; guitarist Orville J. Saunders II mixes his style up between Montgomery/Benson-inspired solos and choppy wah-wah rhythms more likely to be found on a Kool & The Gang record, while drummer Thomas Washington, Jr. lays back in the pocket on the funk grooves and swings like Art Blakey on the jazz cuts.  There’s not a bad track on this album, from the frighteningly up-tempo takes on “Sweet Georgia Brown” and “Green Dolphin Street” to the radically rearranged R&B version of “Song For My Father.”  This one’s not easy to track down, but it’s worth the looking.