doodlinlounge's Podcast

Mel was another one of the great jazz organists from the late 50's on who fell by the way side as the high tech keyboards became increasingly popular in the mid-seventies-through-the-eighties. His reputation as an organist sprang from his initial association with guitarist Wes Montgomery but soon blossomed into a respectable departure from the innovator Jimmy Smith. Mel played with an original albeit pianistic approach. In this episode we hear Mel talk about the days with Wes but also the resurgence of his career in the early nineties.

The passing of Johnny Otis has prompted me to upload, once again, a portion of the radio broadcast I did with Johnny in the early nineties. May he rest in peace...