Jack McDuff

A standout bandleader, organist, and arranger, "Brother" Jack McDuff cultivated one of the funkiest and most soulful approaches ever heard on the Hammond B-3. His unwavering basslines and blues-infused solos found counterbalance in inventive, nearly pianistic melodies along with fresh progressions and phrasing. McDuff launched his career on bass alongside Denny Zeitlin and Joe Farrell. He pursued private studies in Cincinnati while collaborating with Johnny Griffin in Chicago. By the mid-'50s he had taught himself both organ and piano, then drew widespread notice through his late-'50s and early-'60s association with Willis Jackson, resulting in several high-caliber soul-jazz sessions for Prestige. His first recordings as a leader appeared on Prestige in 1960, when he joined a studio pickup group fronted by Jimmy Forrest; the pair produced two notable albums, Tough Duff and The Honeydripper. The following year McDuff assembled his own ensemble, which included Harold Vick and drummer Joe Dukes. Momentum built sharply after he recruited young guitarist George Benson; together they ranked among the era’s most popular groups and issued multiple acclaimed recordings. Ensembles he later led for Atlantic and Cadet never matched the impact of the Benson lineup, while subsequent dates for Verve and Cadet proved uneven yet largely satisfying. During the '70s McDuff explored electronic keyboards and fusion textures, then returned to his core sound in the '80s via the Muse date Cap'n Jack. Although his health varied throughout the '90s, he still delivered several albums on the Concord Jazz label before dying of heart failure on January 23, 2001, at age 74.