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An astute observer will notice something a bit strange at an organissimo performance. The audience won't be like your typical homogenous "jazz" audience. Instead, you'll see a healthy mix of people from all walks of life; young and old, black and white, from hippies to corporate professionals and everything in between. organissimo's music skirts over fences and satisfies a diverse range of tastes. You're as likely to see people dancing as a group of folks intently listening.
As New York Times contributor Elvis Mitchell wrote, " The group's toned, muscular playing keeps the crowd rapt, a condition noticeable by the fact that almost no one is talking. "
organissimo formed in late 2000 as a performance vehicle for guitarist Joe Gloss and organist Jim Alfredson's growing stable of original tunes. When they first met at Michigan State University in the late 90s, the two quickly recognized a rare musical chemsitry and began a search for a complimentary drummer. Randy Marsh fit the puzzle perfectly.
From the beginning, organissimo has focused on original material and extending the tradition of the classic organ-based trio. organissimo's sound is instantly identifiable yet constantly evolving, incorporating elements of funk, gospel, blues, progressive rock, and fusion into a solid foundation of jazz. Shifting meters, deep grooves, melodic finesse and tight ensemble interplay are hallmarks of the organissimo sound.
organissimo's latest album, Groovadelphia , stayed in the JazzWeek Top 40 for 14 weeks and peaked at 1 on the CMJ Jazz Charts for three weeks straight. It is currently nominated for six WYCE Jammie Awards and was also named one of the Best Releases of 2008 by WVPE, KJAZZ, and Jim Wilke's Jazz After Hours program, syndicated on over 60 NPR stations nationwide.
organissimo's sophomore album, " This Is The Place ", hit 19 on the JazzWeek charts and an impressive 4 on the CMJ charts, unprecendented for a self-produced, self-released CD. It also won two WYCE 2006 Jammie Awards for Best Jazz Album and Album of the Year , and was nominated for 2006 Detroit Music Award. Like its predecessor, it was named one of the Best Releases of 2005 by Jim Wilke 's Jazz After Hours program in Seattle, WHRV in Virginia Beach, WBEZ in Chicago, WVIA-FM in Pittston PA, WBLV Blue Lake Public Radio, WLNZ in Lansing, WEMU in Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, KXJS in Sacramento, and WYCE in Grand Rapids, Jazz 90.1 in Rochester NY, Real Detroit Weekly Magazine , the Detroit MetroTimes and the Lansing City Pulse . NPR also featured the CD as a part of its Open Mic series.
organissimo's debut album received numerous local and national awards including the 2003 WYCE Jammy Best Jazz Album for " Waiting For The Boogaloo Sisters. " (which features prominent New York saxophonist Ron Blake ). The CD was also named one of the Best Releases of 2003 by Jim Wilke's Jazz After Hours program, syndicated on over 60 NPR stations nationwide.
Past Performances of note:
organissimo has performed at venues and festivals across the US and internationally including the famous Baker's Keyboard Lounge in Detroit, Chris' Jazz Cafe in Philadelphia, The Green Mill , The HotHouse , and Andy's Jazz in Chicago, The Philadelphia Museum of Art's Art After Five series, The Jazz Kitchen in Indianapolis, the 2003 Clearwater Jazz Holiday, the 2005 Idlewild Music Festival, the 2006 Chicago Jazz Festival, the 2006 and 2007 Detroit International Jazz Festival, the 2006 Syracuse Jazz Festival, and the 2007 Tel-Aviv Jazz Festival in Israel, among many others.
