Organ trio facts for kids

The band Medeski, Martin and Wood shows how an organ trio can be different. Instead of a saxophone or guitar, they have an upright bass player.

An organ trio is a small jazz band with three musicians. These bands usually have a Hammond organ player, a drummer, and either a jazz guitarist or a saxophone player. Sometimes, they might have a different instrument, like an upright bass.

Organ trios became very popular in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. They often played jazz music that was influenced by blues music. The organ player is usually the leader of the band.

History of Organ Trios

Organ trios have a cool history in jazz music. Many famous musicians helped make them popular.

Early Organ Trio Stars

In the 1950s, some important organ players led their own trios. These included Jimmy McGriff, Jimmy Smith, and Jack McDuff. They helped define the classic organ trio sound.

New Sounds in the 1960s and 70s

Later, in the 1960s, organist Larry Young played a different style. His organ trio explored jazz fusion, which mixes jazz with other music styles. In the 1970s, Tony Williams had a jazz fusion band called Lifetime, which was also an organ trio.

Modern Organ Trio Leaders

Even today, organ trios are still around. In the 1990s and 2000s, organist Joey DeFrancesco became a well-known organ trio leader. He helped bring back the "old school" sound of the 1960s.

Images for kids

• 

  Jazz organist Jimmy Smith playing in Italy in 1994. You can see the saxophone and drumkit of his bandmates.

• 

  Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake & Palmer playing in Toronto in 1978.

• 

  Jazz organist Joey Defrancesco in 2002. He helped bring back the classic organ trio sound.