On Tuesdays, the core band—Billy, Kenny, and Gary—plays alone on the first set, but you never know what will happen in the second set. Some really great artists have sat in with the band, and some not so great, but it is always an experience, always the scene. I remember one night in the old location when the organ started smoking and one of the switches burst into flame. It was put out quickly without any injury—except to the Hammond, which needed a new switch.

This CD was recorded in the AQ’s current location on St. Peter Street, downstairs in the Hamm Building, so you can hear the same 400-pound B3 beast they lift up onto the stage every Tuesday night. That organ is about 50 years old, but it still screams. Under Holloman’s control, its sound can be sweet and thick as molasses, or it can cut through the room like sharks’ teeth. This CD contains some of the signature tunes the band regularly plays. It opens with Jack McDuff’s “A Real Goodun,” followed by “Cute,” which Neal Hefti wrote for Count Basie. Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints” is presented with a funkier beat and more soulful feeling than usual. Bobby Timmons’s “Dis Here” (“a.k.a. This Here,” written before “Dat Dere”) is too rarely covered. “Johnny Comes Marching Home,” played at a swinging march tempo, evokes the sound of bagpipes and field drums. Paul Desmond’s “Take 5” shows that Billy can maintain an amazing 5/4 groove. On the only track recorded live with the regular Tuesday crowd at the AQ, the band takes Horace Silver’s “Sister Sadie” at breakneck speed, then follows with Silver’s “Señor Blues” and Thelonius Monk’s “Well You Needn’t” before closing with Big John Patton’s “Funky Mama.” At the conclusion, we expect to hear Holloman’s standard “This is organ night, we’re going to take a pause for the cause, but we’ll be back after a short break.”

“This is Organ Night” the Tuesday Night Band featuring “The Legend” Billy Holloman is available for purchase online at www.mnjazz.com/redirect/billyholloman.

Billy Holloman's website is www.billyholloman.com.

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