Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio

Hailing from Seattle, the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio operates as a twenty-first-century contemporary soul-jazz and funk unit whose performances feature propulsive grooves, crisp funky breaks, and spur-of-the-moment improvisation on both originals and covers, the latter category earning them particular notice. Delvon Lamarr handles Hammond B-3 duties, Jimmy James plays guitar, and Dan Weiss sits behind the drums.

Their first release, Close But No Cigar, surfaced in 2016 on the imprint founded by Lamarr’s spouse and manager Amy Novo and registered on the jazz charts. After moving to the respected R&B imprint Colemine, the group issued Live at KEXP in 2018, captured in one session at the longtime listener-supported Seattle broadcaster. Following extensive road work, festival appearances, and club headlining, they reentered the studio; the chart-topping I Told You So arrived in early 2021. Ten months of road-testing fresh material led straight back to the studio, yielding Cold as Weiss in February 2022.

Amy Novo assembled the group in spring 2015. Lamarr had spent two decades on the Seattle circuit as a multi-instrumentalist proficient on drums, trumpet, saxophone, and trombone in addition to B-3; he committed to the organ full-time after drumming with local jazz-organ figure Joe Doria. Although his earlier bands were local fixtures, Lamarr sensed limited forward momentum, prompting Novo to urge him to form his own touring and recording project. When he balked at handling booking and management, she offered to oversee those responsibilities, leaving him only to recruit compatible players.

An initial guitarist gave way within a year to Jimmy James, another Seattle regular whom Lamarr had first observed as a teenager sitting in at clubs. James had previously co-founded the nine-piece soul outfit the True-Loves alongside Polyrhythmics drummer Dave McGraw. The resulting chemistry proved immediate. Lamarr’s soulful B-3 approach draws equally from Larry Young, Jimmy Smith, and the late Jack McDuff; his gritty tone is propelled by James’s gritty, explosive Steve Cropper-style vamps and Hendrix-inflected leads, while McGraw’s break-laden drumming spans soul-jazz and R&B. Although the trio is filed under jazz, rhythm leads the way, incorporating R&B, rock, soul, blues, fusion, and funk through improvisational spirals and syncopation. They launched a year-long weekly residency at Seattle’s The Royal Room to refine original material and undertook regional runs through Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Idaho.

Novo secured a deal with independent soul and R&B label Colemine Records. Close But No Cigar was recorded live in the studio—with only a handful of tambourine overdubs—to preserve their club sound; the album appeared in 2016, reached number one on the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart and number three on Jazz Albums, and also charted via streaming. The band signed with Boston’s Kurland Agency, began headlining clubs, and performed at Funk ’n Waffles, the Detroit Jazz Festival, the Joshua Tree Music Festival, and the Monterey Jazz Festival. Live at KEXP! followed, peaking at number six on Contemporary Jazz Albums and number ten on Jazz Albums. McGraw departed for other commitments and was succeeded on tour by drummer Doug Octa Port; Dan Weiss from Las Vegas joined for the final leg. The trio then recorded a second studio album with Polyrhythmics drummer Grant Schroff, completing I Told You So in early 2020. Pandemic-related delays postponed its release; “Call Your Mom” emerged as the first single in late fall, followed in January 2021 by their distinctive cover of George Michael’s “Careless Whisper.” Issued by Colemine at month’s end, I Told You So earned enthusiastic notices in the U.S. and Europe, debuted at number one on the contemporary jazz chart, reached the top five on the jazz album chart, and received airplay in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

The non-LP single “Jimmy’s Groove,” featuring Weiss from Reno, NV, appeared in April, succeeded a week later by the bluesy instrumental “Cold as Weiss,” which marked the drummer’s official induction. Unable to tour internationally because of the pandemic, the band developed new material locally before entering the studio in the fall. January brought the digital singles “Pull Your Pants Up” and “Don’t Worry ’Bout What I Do”; February 2022 saw “Get Da Steppin’” and the nine-track album Cold as Weiss.