page_title: Organ trio
section_title: Other variations
hierarchical_section_title: Organ trio / History / 1990s / Other variations
caption_attribution_description: Medeski Martin &amp; Wood performing at the 2006 Jazzfest in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
context_page_description: An organ trio is a form of jazz ensemble consisting of three musicians; a Hammond organ player, a drummer, and either a jazz guitarist or a saxophone player. In some cases the saxophonist will join a trio which consists of an organist, guitarist, and drummer, making it a quartet. Organ trios were a popular type of jazz ensemble for club and bar settings in the 1950s and 1960s, performing a blues-based style of jazz that incorporated elements of R&B. The organ trio format was characterized by long improvised solos and an exploration of different musical "moods".
  In organ trios, the Hammond organist plays several roles, including playing the basslines, playing chords, and playing lead melodic lines and solos. In organ trios with a guitarist, the guitarist usually 'fills in' the musical parts that the organist is not performing. For example, if the organist is soloing and playing a bassline, the guitarist may play chords.
  Organ trios of the 1950s and 1960s often played soul jazz, a groove-infused style that incorporated blues, gospel and rhythm and blues. 1970s-era organ trios such as Tony Williams' band Lifetime played jazz-rock fusion.
context_section_description: Organ trios such as Medeski, Martin & Wood (MMW), Niacin, Soulive and Mike Mangan's Big Organ Trio mix jazz with a range of different styles such as 1970s soul jazz, jazz fusion, and jam band-style improvisation.   MMW used a variation of the organ trio format, since the band includes Hammond organ, upright bass and drums. The New York organ trio Darediablo blends funk, progressive rock, fusion, and hard rock into a heavy, riff-laden sound. More rarely, some blues bands use the organ trio format, such as the UK band led by guitarist Matt Schofield (the Matt Schofield Trio's organist is Jonny Henderson). 
  An unusual example of an organ trio-influenced performer is Charlie Hunter, who used a customized 8-string guitar to emulate the role and sound of a Hammond Organ. He performed bass lines on his guitar's three electric bass-range strings, while playing chords and melody lines on the higher strings. In the mid-2000s, saxophonist/bass-clarinettist/flutist James Carter has performed and recorded modern and more traditional jazz, with his James Carter Organ Trio, with Gerard Gibbs on Hammond B-3 and Leonard King on drums. These recordings include Live at Baker's Keyboard Lounge in 2001 (released 2004), and Out of Nowhere, in 2004, and drummer Leonard King's Extending the Language in 2005.
caption: The Medeski, Martin and Wood organ trio demonstrates that an organ trio can come in different varieties; in place of a sax or electric guitarist, this band has an upright bass player as the third member.
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "", "Image Make": "SONY", "Image Model": "CYBERSHOT", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "QuickTime 7.1.2", "Image DateTime": "2006:09:11 00:14:48", "Image HostComputer": "Mac OS X 10.4.7", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ExifOffset": "286", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "804", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "5479", "Thumbnail YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/30", "EXIF FNumber": "23/10", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "320", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2006:07:15 23:25:47", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2006:07:15 23:25:47", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "2", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "33/16", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire", "EXIF FocalLength": "119/5", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2560", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1712", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed"}