Jack McDuff -

Jack McDuff (September 17, 1926 — January 23, 2001) was an American soul-jazz/funk organist. He rose in the 1960s as a leader on Prestige, where his hard-driving combos featured future stars like George Benson and Joe Dukes. In the 1970s he moved into funk and fusion on Cadet and Blue Note, later revitalizing his career with a string of Concord albums through the 1990s.

Background

Born Eugene McDuffy in Champaign, Illinois, he started on bass and performed with Joe Farrell and Willis Jackson, who pushed him McDuff toward the Hammond organ. McDuff quickly drew label attention with an approach that fused hard bop drive with gospel and blues phrasing.

Prestige Era

McDuff launched his recording career on Prestige Records, debuting with Brother Jack (1960). He solidified his voice on The Honeydripper (1961) alongside Jimmy Forrest and Grant Green, and on Brother Jack Meets the Boss (1962) with Gene Ammons. These albums placed him within the emerging soul jazz organ-tenor format.

McDuff also worked as a sideman on 1961–63 albums by Gene Ammons (Twisting the Jug), Grant Green (Grantstand), Kenny Burrell (Bluesin’ Around), and Sonny Stitt (Soul Shack).

Prestige also documented him in concert. Brother Jack McDuff Live! (1963) introduced his composition “Rock Candy,” which remained central to his sets. That same year, Brother Jack at the Jazz Workshop Live! featured his working group with guitarist George Benson, beginning a long musical partnership. McDuff closed his Prestige run in 1966 with Hot Barbeque and Walk On By.

Atlantic and Blue Note

McDuff next recorded for Atlantic Records, releasing A Change Is Gonna Come (1966) and Double Barrelled Soul (1967) with David “Fathead” Newman. In 1969 he cut two albums for Blue Note, Down Home Style and Moon Rappin’, which broadened his harmonic palette.

In England, McDuff recorded the 1970 album To Seek a New Home with multiple British players, including saxophonist Dick Morrissey and guitarist Terry Smith of the band If.

Cadet Years

From 1968 he moved to Cadet/GRT, beginning with The Natural Thing and Getting Our Thing Together (both 1968, the latter with Richard Evans). He followed with Gin and Orange (1969), later reissued by Dusty Groove, and The Heatin’ System (1971). Cadet also issued the concert set Check This Out (1972), which captured his quartet live. These records combined studio arrangements with looser performance documents, showing his shift toward larger ensembles and electric textures.

McDuff also kept active as a sideman in the 1970s, appearing on Houston Person’s live album The Real Thing (1973) and maintaining ties with other soul jazz groups of the period. His Hammond remained in demand across shifting band contexts.

In the mid-1970s he entered a jazz-funk phase on Cadet and Chess. The Fourth Dimension (1974) and Magnetic Feel (1975) layered electric instrumentation around his Hammond lines. Sophisticated Funk (1976), issued on Chess/All Platinum, continued that direction with amplified rhythm sections and fusion elements. Together, these albums documented McDuff’s embrace of funk pacing and extended ensemble textures during the decade.

Later Years

After a slowdown in the 1980s, McDuff reemerged with The Re-Entry (1988) on Muse. He began a long run with Concord Jazz, starting with Color Me Blue (1992) and continuing with Bringin’ It Home (1998), which reunited him with George Benson. He toured Japan in 2000 and recorded steadily until his death in 2001.

Discography: