Biography
During the height of the Hammond B-3 era, Blue Note maintained one of its most prolific soul-jazz organists in John Patton, better known as Big John Patton. From 1963 through 1970 he issued eleven albums under his own name while contributing to an extensive roster of sessions alongside other accomplished players; critics have since likened his strongest recordings to the innovative but abbreviated career of Larry Young. A resurgence arrived in the 1990s through partnerships with saxophonist and composer John Zorn.
Patton entered the world in Kansas City, Missouri, on July 12, 1935. His mother, a church pianist, urged him to study the instrument, and he began performing regularly once he reached age thirteen. In the mid-1950s he toured with rhythm-and-blues vocalist Lloyd Price. By 1961 he had turned to the organ, following the path established by Jimmy Smith, Shirley Scott, and Brother Jack McDuff. Alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson first brought the organist into the studio on May 9, 1962, for the album The Natural Soul, then again on January 24, 1963, for a session that produced both Good Gracious and Signifyin'.
Patton appeared on tambourine alone during Jimmy Smith’s February 2, 1963, date for Rockin’ the Boat. Within weeks he had settled into his own style and spent the balance of the year leading and supporting dates that paired him with guitarist Grant Green on Am I Blue? and with saxophonists George Braith on Blue John, Harold Vick on Steppin’ Out!, Johnny Griffin on Soul Groove, Don Wilkerson on Shoutin’, and Red Holloway on Burner. Subsequent years found him recording with trumpeter Richard Williams on Way I Feel and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson on Let ’Em Roll, while also serving as a key presence on Grant Green’s Iron City, George Braith’s Laughing Soul, Clifford Jordan’s Soul Fountain, and drummer Grassella Oliphant’s Grass Is Greener, the last of which featured trumpeter Clark Terry and saxophonist Harold Ousley. Patton’s 1968 ensemble featured saxophonists Junior Cook and Harold Alexander. The final Blue Note sessions from that era, Accent on the Blues and Memphis to New York Spirit, included saxophonists Marvin Cabell and George Coleman plus guitarist James Blood Ulmer.
After 1970 Patton withdrew from active performance and settled quietly in East Orange, New Jersey. He returned briefly for vibraphonist Johnny Lytle’s 1977 album Everything Must Change, cut Soul Connection under his own name in 1983 with guitarist Melvin Sparks and trombonist Grachan Moncur III, and made two further records with guitarist Jimmy Ponder: Mean Streets—No Bridges in 1987 and Jump in 1988. The comeback gained momentum in 1993–1994 with Blue Planet Man and Minor Swing, both featuring John Zorn and revisiting the exploratory territory Patton had examined in 1968. His final major recording, This One’s for J.A., took place in December 1996. On March 19, 2002, at age sixty-six, John Patton died from complications of diabetes and renal failure. Long overshadowed by organists who achieved wider fame and still undervalued by numerous jazz writers and historians, Patton’s catalog now stands ready for renewed appreciation.
Patton entered the world in Kansas City, Missouri, on July 12, 1935. His mother, a church pianist, urged him to study the instrument, and he began performing regularly once he reached age thirteen. In the mid-1950s he toured with rhythm-and-blues vocalist Lloyd Price. By 1961 he had turned to the organ, following the path established by Jimmy Smith, Shirley Scott, and Brother Jack McDuff. Alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson first brought the organist into the studio on May 9, 1962, for the album The Natural Soul, then again on January 24, 1963, for a session that produced both Good Gracious and Signifyin'.
Patton appeared on tambourine alone during Jimmy Smith’s February 2, 1963, date for Rockin’ the Boat. Within weeks he had settled into his own style and spent the balance of the year leading and supporting dates that paired him with guitarist Grant Green on Am I Blue? and with saxophonists George Braith on Blue John, Harold Vick on Steppin’ Out!, Johnny Griffin on Soul Groove, Don Wilkerson on Shoutin’, and Red Holloway on Burner. Subsequent years found him recording with trumpeter Richard Williams on Way I Feel and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson on Let ’Em Roll, while also serving as a key presence on Grant Green’s Iron City, George Braith’s Laughing Soul, Clifford Jordan’s Soul Fountain, and drummer Grassella Oliphant’s Grass Is Greener, the last of which featured trumpeter Clark Terry and saxophonist Harold Ousley. Patton’s 1968 ensemble featured saxophonists Junior Cook and Harold Alexander. The final Blue Note sessions from that era, Accent on the Blues and Memphis to New York Spirit, included saxophonists Marvin Cabell and George Coleman plus guitarist James Blood Ulmer.
After 1970 Patton withdrew from active performance and settled quietly in East Orange, New Jersey. He returned briefly for vibraphonist Johnny Lytle’s 1977 album Everything Must Change, cut Soul Connection under his own name in 1983 with guitarist Melvin Sparks and trombonist Grachan Moncur III, and made two further records with guitarist Jimmy Ponder: Mean Streets—No Bridges in 1987 and Jump in 1988. The comeback gained momentum in 1993–1994 with Blue Planet Man and Minor Swing, both featuring John Zorn and revisiting the exploratory territory Patton had examined in 1968. His final major recording, This One’s for J.A., took place in December 1996. On March 19, 2002, at age sixty-six, John Patton died from complications of diabetes and renal failure. Long overshadowed by organists who achieved wider fame and still undervalued by numerous jazz writers and historians, Patton’s catalog now stands ready for renewed appreciation.
Albums
