Soul Fingers

Soul Fingers

Chicago guitarist Bobby Broom, organist Ben Paterson, and drummer Kobie Watkins first came together to tour as the opening act for Steely Dan in 2014. The trio took a name, the Organi-Sation, that captured the centrality of the Hammond B3 organ to its dirty yet sophisticated swing vernacular—a sound that landed well in the large halls where the Dan makes its stops. On Soul Fingers, Broom properly documents this special group, but with Steve Jordan (the master drummer) in the producer’s chair to vary the atmosphere: an overdubbed horn section here and there, strings on Broom’s laidback R&B ballad “Eyes of Faith,” vibraphone on Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe,” acoustic guitars and melodica on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (one of two Beatles tunes). But the trio remains the focus, with a tilt toward ’70s pop done in a funky, assertive soul-jazz style. Broom’s sparkling tone, bluesy expression, and impeccable bebop phrasing are consistently out in front (his outro solo on “I Can’t Help It” is especially on point).

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