Gene Ludwig

Artist Information

Biography

www.geneludwig.com

Some say he stole the show that night... the fella from Pittsburgh who showed up late that afternoon, missing the sound check and sort of looking like anyone's junior high math teacher as he strolled around backstage at the 1994 Newark Jazz Organ Jam waiting for his turn to play. As I introduced myself to him, I remember his hands being huge, reminding me of what a bricklayer's hands might be like: long, thick fingers and wide palms. I had looked forward to meeting Gene Ludwig in person. I was trying so hard to be impartial as I listened to each organist who played that night but deep down I, too, felt that
Gene grooved harder than the others... I really do love everybody that sits at that bench... no matter who they are or what kind of music they play... but somehow, those who reach the audience quicker and with the most passion, leave me with the more lasting impression. It didn't take me long to figure out what Gene did to that crowd that night to get the response that he got and win over so many new fans: HE PLAYED THE BLUES... That's what those folks came to hear. They wanted to be taken back in time to the old days of the 'Organ Rooms' where every club had a B-3 on the stage and smokey, inner city soul jazz was the gravy of life. When Gene kicked off with Jimmy Smith's 'The Sermon', he was telling that crowd that there's still truth in this music... it hasn't left us and never will... and more importantly, he wasn't afraid to play Jimmy's sound. As an admitted disciple, he was reminding us just how important this is to us all. Gene Ludwig has always been that kind of a player. He knows where he came from and how he got where he is... no frills, nothing pretentious... just SOLID ORGAN GROOVE... That's Gene Ludwig.

Gene was born in Twin Rocks, Pennsylvania on September 4, 1937. Four years later his family moved to Swissvale where Gene spent most of his youth and graduated from Swissvale High in 1955. His mother provided young Gene with piano lessons as early as the first grade and witnessed his musical growth from then on. She would have preferred that he became a concert pianist but soon realized that his musical preference lay in Rhythm and Blues. After two years at Edinboro State Teachers College and a series of jobs, he was ready to make a life long commitment. He had spent many a night watching and listening to musicians like Ramsey Lewis, Horace Silver, Ahmad Jamal and Ray Bryant at Crawford's Grill and the Hi-Hat but when he experienced Jimmy Smith for the first time his mind was made up. "From '43 to about '55, I took formal training on piano", recounts Gene, "Around '57 I met Jimmy Smith and heard the Hammond...and I knew that's what I wanted to be: a Hammond organ player". Gene saw Jimmy at Pittsburgh's famous Hurricane owned by Birdie Dunlap- truly a mecca for the Jazz Organ Sound. Gene was bit by the bug before he had a chance to know what it was all about. "Around 1949, 1950, I used to hear swing organ on the air and it happened to be Bill Davis and Bill Doggett...but all I had heard was the big, full, block chords and I was into piano and (then) when I heard Jimmy playing on the air, he was playing single lines like a piano player or like a horn and I said, 'Oh wow! ... This is amazing' and then when I first saw him play and I heard him live, my God, it was awesome, it was really awesome".
Gene's first Jazz Organ Combo was led by tenor saxophonist, Sonny Stanton. They gigged around town in places like, the Hi-Hat on the Northside, Mason's in the Hill, Tropics in Braddock and Dave's Walnut Inn in McKeesport. They traveled to Cleveland before Gene switched to another quartet led by Gene Barr. This group ventured out even further going to St. Louis, Indianapolis, Philadelphia and Buffalo. By this time, Gene's musical career was firmly rooted in the organ genre. "Once I started playing organ, that was about 1958, I sort of shied away from the piano because I wanted to put all my efforts into the organ and for all of, I'd say, twenty or twenty-five years, my main forte was the organ up until about ten years ago". Making the switch from piano to organ was easy for Gene. "Originally, I started out on an M-100 which is like a spinet Hammond and the left hand bass left a lot to be desired...so I had to play the little cluster of pedals there, thirteen pedals, just an octave. That's where I weaned myself until I got to a bigger organ; then I got to a much bigger, broader, fuller sound...and it didn't take too much coordination, I just sort of naturally fell into it". Gene, like so many others was forced to take piano gigs and play synthesizers during the eighties just to survive. It's almost as if many of the great jazz organists from that era have come around full circle in their playing. "I've become very comfortable with piano now", says Gene. He, like Shirley Scott and others, can now be commercially successful with both instruments. Back in 1962, however, the most important thing for a player like Gene Ludwig was being able to play rooms like the Hurricane and stay within the pack of Jazz Organists. "That's where I met Jimmy and after that I went up and I saw Milt Buckner... I saw Johnny Hammond Smith, Oh gee...I saw Groove Holmes up there and Jimmy McGriff, Jack McDuff..." No wonder why Gene was thrilled to play this same room eight weeks out of the year with his own trio from '62 until it closed because of the '68 riots. Drummer Randy Gillespie was with him throughout this period and sometimes Jerry Byrd. This trio was first recorded on the local label, LaVere. It was also at this time when Billy Driscoll became Gene's manager. Billy was able to connect Gene with the same booking agency that handled Dinah Washington, which translated into even better gigs. In fact, one night while playing in Newark, Nesuhi Ertegun from Atlantic Records stopped by to hear Gene's trio and wound up offering them a record date. The resulting tune, 'Sticks and Stones' got favorable air play in Pittsburgh.
An album followed this on the Mainstream label called Organ Outloud (#6032) and in 1966, 'Mother Blues' was released on the Jo-Da label. (An additional recording from this period can be found on Travis, #707) Gene, himself, was doing a little record producing with his own label which he called, Ge-Lu Records ('This is Gene Ludwig', GL-1415).

It was in 1969 that Gene got a chance to record with Sonny Stitt. This would become the start of a valuable musical relationship for Gene. "Oh, those were very good times", recalls Gene, "Sonny sort of took me under his wing and he taught me a lot. I had about fifteen years of experience before I joined him in the jazz thing but I thought I...you know...I didn't know as much as I thought I did until I worked with him". This musical education for Gene came as organist, Don Patterson was leaving Sonny's band. "I was working with a drummer, Randy Gillespie who lives up in Lansing now. We had a trio together for years and when the guitar player that I was working with from Pittsburgh went with Jack McDuff's group, I locked up with Wilbert Longmire from Cincinatti...then Wilbert left the band and Pat Martino joined us". Gene co-led this group with Pat and worked up and down the East Coast. "Pat decided to leave when me and Randy worked with Sonny Stitt". Pat did, however, appear with this group on Sonny Stitt's 'Night Letter' record of 1970 for Prestige (#7759). Although his work with Sonny Stitt would cover only a year's time, he gladly comments; "It was one of the fondest memories of my career". Once back in Pittsburgh, Gene hooked up with multi-reed talent, Bill Easley and later Walt Maddox before more limelight was cast upon him in the form of Arthur Prysock. Gene would go on the road with Prysock in 1974 and once again in 1979, all the time supporting local groups and vocalists in his home town when he could. It was also a time when Gene would record again, this time for Joe Fields at Muse Records. Gene's Now's The Time (MR-5164) offered a great mix of Jazz Organ grooves in a time when Jazz Organ was harder than ever to sell to the public.
When Joey DeFrancesco came on the scene with the backing of Columbia Records, Jazz Organists all over the country started dusting off their organs and pulling out their drawbars. Gene was right there with the best of them welcoming the return of his favorite instrument to the modern music scene. He appeared at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and made numerous stops in and around the Eastern cities. In fact, soon after Don Patterson passed away in 1988, Gene performed in Don's birthplace, Columbus Ohio where Don was honored posthumously. Gene even accepted the award on his behalf and handed it over to Don's mother. He played the next year with Hank Marr in Columbus and organized his own yearly Jazz Organ Jams(3 total) in the Pittsburgh area at a club called The Balcony. Gene brought two of his three organs to the gig so that he and Jack McDuff, Joey DeFrancesco and Papa John DeFrancesco could play together in his 'ExtravOrganza'.
With the release of Gene's 1998 CD titled, "Back on the Track" came a resurgence of fresh energy. His career has once again moved forward in both recording and touring on a national basis. CD sales reflect this renewed interest in Gene's work as well as his status in the ranks of Jazz Organ. Five other CD's have since been released, "Soul Serenade" in 2000, "The Groove Organization" in 2002, "Hands On" in 2004, "Live in Las Vegas" in 2006 and “Duff’s Blues:Live at Zoellner Art Center” in 2008. All of Gene's recent work has been praised for its energy and hard driving groove. Also of note are the great articles that have been appearing in publications like Downbeat and Jazziz and Allaboutjazz. He's also in the past five years appeared on a seven other artist's CD's. In 2009, Gene celebrates 50 years playing the Hammond organ!

Bio by Pete Fallico

Instrumentation

Gene Ludwig - Hammond B-3 Organ

Discography

45 RPM

MR. FINK (BLUES FOR MR. FINK) - 1960
GOSPEL GOODNESS - 1962
STICKS AND STONES (parts 1 & 2) - 1963
WALK ON THE WILDSIDE - 1964
BIRDIE'S BLUES - 1964
HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN - 1964
MY BLUE HEAVEN - 1965
THE VAMP - 1965
BLUE FLAME - 1966
SOUL MOUNTAIN - 1966
MOTHER BLUES - 1967
MY WAY (parts 1 & 2) - 1971
THE STREET PREACHER (parts 1 & 2) - 1987

CASSETTE

BLUES AND MORE - 1982

ALBUMS

ORGAN OUT LOUD - 1964
THIS IS GENE LUDWIG - 1965
THE EDUCATED SOUND OF GENE LUDWIG - 1965
HOT ORGAN - 1966 (repackage of ORGAN OUT LOUD)
NOW’S THE TIME - 1979

CD’S

BACK ON THE TRACK - 1998
SOUL SERENADE - 2000
THE GROOVE ORGANIZATION - 2002
HANDS ON - 2003
GENE LUDWIG - LIVE IN LAS VEGAS – 2006
DUFF’S BLUES:LIVE FROM THE ZOELLNER ARTS CENTER - 2008

RECORDED WITH OTHER ARTISTS

NIGHT LETTER (WITH SONNY STITT) - 1969
FRONT (WITH RANDY CALDWELL) - 1998
DIAMONDS AND SAUSAGES (WITH SHAWNEE LAKE) - 1999
WALKING THE WALK-THE SERIOUS SAXAPHONE OF HOSEA TAYLOR
(WITH HOSEA TAYLOR) - 2000
KEEP THAT GROOVE GOING (WITH PLAS JOHNSON & RED HOLLOWAY) - 2001
DeVOS GROOVE GUITAR (WITH BOB DeVOS) - 2003
INDUBITABLY QUINTESSENTIAL (WITH HOSEA TAYLOR) - 2003
WHAT'S NEW (WITH JIMMY PONDER) - 2005
TEA FOR TWO (WITH CECIL BROOKS III) - 2006
SYNESTHESIA (WITH HOSEA TAYLOR) - 2006
WORRY NO MORE (WITH JARED WILSON) - 2007
ACROSS THE TRACKS (WITH SCOTT HAMILTON) - 2008

Audio

• Duff's Blues (Soul Serenade)
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• Rejoicin' (Soul Serenade)
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• Unit 7 (Hands On)
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• Groovy Samba (Hands On)
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• Pete Kelly's Blues (Hands On)
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• Layin' Back (Hands On)
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• Chitlins Con Carne (Groove ORGANization)
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• Flamingo (Live In Las Vegas)
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• I've Found A New Baby (Live In Las Vegas)
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Video

Gene Ludwig Quartet-What Is This Thing Called Love

Photo Gallery

Press

• Soul Serenade Review [+ Show ]
  

  Soul Serenade Gene Ludwig (Loose Leaf Music) Gene Ludwig is four square in the traditional scho...Soul Serenade
  Gene Ludwig (Loose Leaf Music)
  
  Gene Ludwig is four square in the traditional school of Hammond B3 organ players and with more than 40 years at the console, he helped to form the tradition. His playing is relaxed, laid back, drenched with a mix of blues and soul. This comes with the realization that the organ quartet can be one of the most pleasurable listening experiences in jazz. With its extremely large range of tone colors and timbres, the organ expresses the full range of human emotions, from the romantic and sultry, through highly charged beat excitement, to soul drenched melancholy. This potential is fully realized by Gene Ludwig and his quartet on this appropriately titled Soul Serenade. With J. Willis and Don Aliquo sharing tenor sax duties and Ken Karsh kicking with well-placed guitar licks and drum accents by Tom Wendt, this album is falls four square into the organ combo domain of the better known but no more talented, Jimmy McGriff, Jack McDuff and Jimmy Smith.
  The play list was put together to bring out the best this group can offer. On "You Don't Know What Love Is", fortified by the heart-rending tenor sax of Don Aliquo, Jr., they drain every ounce of feeling from this tune. In contrast, things pick up with "Freddie the Freeloader". Karsh's guitar gets full opportunity to explore the improvisional possibilities of this Miles Davis classic. The title tune "Soul Serenade" is the organ counterpart of Gloria Lynne's ardent vocal version of 1965 making it a highlight of the album. J. Willis' slightly honking sax gives this cut an authentic R & B flavor. Tadd Dameron's "On a Misty Night" is the vehicle for Aliquo to flourish his dexterity at running through chord changes. "Duff's Blues" is pure swing with Tom Wendt's drums getting plenty of attention.
  Some of the younger B3 Hammond organ practitioners on today's scene would do well to listen to this album to hear how the instrument can sound with its edges rounded a bit. Highly recommended.
  Track Listing: Duff's Blues#; Freddie the Freeloader*; Please Send Me Someone to Love*; Soul Serenade#; Rejoicin'*; You Don't Know what Love Is*; On a Misty Night*; My Shining Hour*
  Personnel: Gene Ludwig - Organ/Leader; Ken Karsh - Guitar; Tom Wendt - Drums; J. Willis#, Don Aliquo, Jr* - Tenor Saxophone
  

• Hands On Review [+ Show ]
  

  Hands On Gene Ludwig | Blues Leaf Track Listing: 1. Louie and Jazz; 2. Unit 7; 3. Groove Yard; 4....Hands On
  Gene Ludwig | Blues Leaf
  Track Listing: 1. Louie and Jazz; 2. Unit 7; 3. Groove Yard; 4. Willow Weep For Me; 5. Groove Merchant; 6. Groovy Samba; 7. Baby Don't You Go Away Mad; 8. Pete Kelly's Blues; 9. Layin' Back; 10. Have You Met Miss Jones; 11. Spiritual.
  Personnel: Gene Ludwig--Hammond B-3 organ; Ken Karsh--guitar; Tom Wendt--drums; Eric DeFade--tenor saxophone.
  
  Hands On is the fourth Gene Ludwig release on the Blues Leaf imprint since the former Sonny Stitt and Pat Martino confederate was rediscovered by producer Jack Kreisberg in the mid-1990s. Amidst an ever-growing number of recordings featuring capable Hammond B-3 organists, Ludwig’s discs always stand out. This time he leads an able band of musicians from his home base of Pittsburgh, PA. A wide embrace of material and moods enables Ludwig and company to avoid the clichés and repetition often associated with the soul jazz genre. The eleven tracks coalesce like the chapters of a well-plotted novel.
  Befitting Ludwig’s decades of playing in clubs populated by revelers and serious listeners, the music is pleasurable and rewards close attention. The opening track is “Louie and Jazz,” his brash, R&B-influenced shuffle. Each soloist knows better than to bring things to a boil too quickly. Ken Karsh’s guitar lazily drifts above the persistent throb of Ludwig’s bass pedals and Tom Wendt’s drums before he snaps to attention with a combination of bebop and blues-oriented locutions. Tenor saxophonist Eric DeFade pursues a similar course and holds his ground, even as Karsh and Ludwig gleefully bounce chords off of one another. The leader takes it nice and easy for a chorus, letting every phrase sink in before slowly beginning to build, and eventually climaxes by means of a series of lines that gallop against the pulse.
  It’s easy to get caught up in the sheer drive of Ludwig’s two choruses during the band’s blazing take on Sam Jones’ “Unit 7.” He doesn’t dazzle with finger-busting displays of technique; rather it’s the restless way the organist presents his ideas that gets under your skin. Although he offers guideposts like sustaining a chord for a few beats or repeating a phrase a number of times, mostly Ludwig dwells on a theme just long enough to make a fleeting impression, then immediately makes a transition to another one; all the while providing sudden spikes of energy.
  Ludwig has always been an active, searching improviser on ballad material and his performance on “Pete Kelly’s Blues” is no exception. Working around the measured sound of Wendt’s ride cymbal, the thirty-six bar turn is filled with concise double-time runs and a smattering of smooth melodic lines and short pauses—as if the organist is at once running freely and holding himself in check.
  ~ David A. Orthmann
  

• Hands On Review [+ Show ]
  

  News Observer Newspaper (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) N. Carolina Music review - Jazz Gene Ludwig...News Observer Newspaper (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) N. Carolina
  Music review - Jazz
  Gene Ludwig, "Hands On" ***
  
  
  By OWEN CORDLE, Correspondent
  
  The way most reviewers tell it, the four basic food groups of jazz organists are chitlins, grits and gravy, collard greens and mo-lasses. Everything is "greasy," "deep-fried" and thick with "soul sauce" (and the writer's cliche meter is running).
  The hall of fame for this style of jazz organ cooking includes Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff and Jack McDuff, among others. Then there's Gene Ludwig, a grade A contemporary you never heard of. This could change with the release of "Hands On" (Blues Leaf), a meat-and-potatoes disc that satisfies through and through.
  Ludwig, a mainstay on the Pittsburgh jazz scene for 45 years, likes to produce motion and emotion in the listener. So he says in the liner notes -- and it's realized in his playing. Nothing strays far from a dance beat, and the musicians offer plenty of character and expression. The word "groove" or "groovy" appears in three titles. This, no doubt, testifies to Ludwig's basic rhythmic philosophy.
  Ann Ronnell's "Willow, Weep for Me," one of the great bluesy ballads, gets a heartfelt (aka soulful) reading by tenor saxist Eric DeFade, who comes on like the late broad-shouldered tenorman Stanley Turrentine. In a similar atmospheric vein, the rhythm section plays "Pete Kelly's Blues," and guitarist Ken Karsh bends the strings a la B.B. King. Drummer Tom Wendt provides the deep pocket rhythm here and throughout the album.
  Ludwig has an agile touch; he can burn without searing. (Check out the hot tempo of "Have You Met Miss Jones.") He accompanies with propulsive and tasteful accents. While his solos don't completely steer clear of cliches, they strategically incorporate the tried-and-true ingredients of the organist's kitchen.
  

• Hands On Review [+ Show ]
  

  HANDS ON Gene Ludwig (Blues Leaf Records) Review by: James Rozzi, Jazziz Magazine March 2004...HANDS ON
  Gene Ludwig (Blues Leaf Records)
  
  Review by: James Rozzi, Jazziz Magazine March 2004
  
  
  During the 1960's, the popular appeal of jazz-organ groups was evident, and a cast of irrepressible B-3 bombers and tenor saxophonists spearheaded the craze "soul jazz". As time passed, some of the more talented organists began to explore tunes beyond the stereotypical funk and blues. Veteran Pittsburgh organist Ludwig is one such player, whose quartet capably moves beyond basics to cover a more sophisticated set list.
  
  With excellent sidemen in guitarist Ken Karsh, drummer Tom Wendt, and tenor saxophonist Eric DeFade, Ludwig presents a well-oiled machine that virtually drips grease, but that's a good thing. This band plays cleanly, but the human element essential to the jazz organ's blue-collar legacy is intact in all its gutsy, heartfelt glory. One of two originals, "Louie and Jazz", is a classic blues shuffle featuring very mature solos by all. Ludwig and company handle the up-tempo "Unit 7" every bit as proficiently as did Wynton Kelly and Cannonball Adderley.
  
  Interestingly, these four musicians exhibit very similar styles while soloing, with no obvious foils among them. Each man steps up to blow with a high command of his instrument, having obviously studied the masters. While Ludwig is a composite of every great jazz organist since the late '50s, Karsh's guitar seems to gravitate toward Grant Green. DeFade captures the essence of West Coast tenors Plas Johnson and Pete Christlieb. All the while, Wendt establishes a mighty groove under an exemplary group that's firmly rooted in the history of straight-ahead and bluesy B-3 jazz.
  

• Performance Review [+ Show ]
  

  Arts & Entertainment Posted on Sun, Aug. 28, 2005 New Recordings Gene Ludwig Hands On (Blu...Arts & Entertainment
  Posted on Sun, Aug. 28, 2005
  
  New Recordings
  
  Gene Ludwig
  Hands On
  (Blues Leaf ***)
  
  The Pittsburgh-based Gene Ludwig, who played Philly's Zanzibar Blue this month, remains a formidable cat of the stun-and-gun jazz-organ school. Whether it's slinky grooves or moments of pure takeoff, Ludwig and his quartet are proficient at this nasty and necessary art.
  
  The CD ranks as pretty conventional, winding through some new tunes and chestnuts, including Carl Perkins' "Groove Yard" as if it were 1965. But this combo delivers on funky flourishes and an intimacy with the blues that the genre demands.
  
  Guitarist Ken Karsh puts up some powerful twangs on "Willow Weep for Me," while saxophonist Eric DeFade and drummer Tom Wendt round out the able quartet.
  
  - Karl Stark
  

• The Groove Organization Review [+ Show ]
  

  Featured Artist: Gene Ludwig CD Title: The Groove ORGANization Year: 2002 Record Label: Blues...Featured Artist: Gene Ludwig
  
  CD Title: The Groove ORGANization
  
  Year: 2002
  Record Label: Blues Leaf Records
  Style: Straight-Ahead / Classic
  Musicians: Gene Ludwig (B-3 organ), Bob DeVos (guitar), Billy James (drums)
  
  Review: After years and years…and years…of paying his dues and receiving too little recognition, Gene Ludwig has been on a roll of late, as he has released a new CD every other year since 1998. In spite of his work with Arthur Prysock and recording with Pat Martino and Sonny Stitt, Ludwig has chosen, for whatever reasons, to remain in Pittsburgh, where he carves out a career playing in towns like Greensburg or Monroeville. Having found his life’s calling in 1957 when he heard Jimmy Smith play at the Hurricane, Ludwig has played nothing but the B-3 since that important day, in spite of his 12 years of classical piano studies. Like all proponents of the power and persuasion of the Hammond B-3, Ludwig is fascinated by the instrument’s sound and is encumbered by its physical presence, keeping one of them in his game room and two more in his garage for the difficult job of transporting one of them to engagements.
  
  Forsaking the quartet format, which normally includes saxophone, that many organ groups assume, Ludwig on The Groove ORGANization captures all of the sound and nuance and emotion with only three outstanding musicians, himself included, although the overwhelming sonic effect is almost an orchestral one.
  
  With decades of experience and familiarity with the instrument, Ludwig entertains, pulling a draw bar here or increasing the volume unctuously there as the emotions swell. Mostly such effects occur on the ballads, like “Mood Indigo” or “You’ve Changed,” swaying and soothing in an understated sort of way--James brushing out the last-dance kind of beat and DeVos filling in the long tones with single-note movement--even though the listener knows that Ludwig could let loose with a furious, room-shattering blast if the mood so moved him.
  
  Yet, even though listeners know the instrument’s force, which organists like Dr. Lonnie Smith use with astounding effect, Ludwig, as the title of the CD makes clear, is interested more in groove. Groove happens on “Pause For Fred’s Claws” as DeVos takes the melodic lead over a B-3-and-drums shuffle. And “One Mint Julep” develops as yet another shuffle, the placement of the notes different from the more famous Ray Charles version. Even “All Blues,” which certainly could raise the roof over successive choruses, attains its own groove immediately and stays in that mode, without ostentation or gimmickry as could be the case in the hands of a less experienced and showier musician. No, Ludwig’s interest is in the music, respectfully re-interpreting it to amplify its possibilities through the B-3’s unique deep-in-your-soul appeal.
  
  The ease with which Ludwig and DeVos play “Billie’s Bounce” brushes technique aside as an element of performing that they mastered long ago. Instead, they want the listener to enjoy the elevating spirit of the tune itself, not to mention delving into swinging solos, quotes aplenty, over the changes, the musician and his instrument becoming joined means of expression.
  
  The fact the Ludwig continues to perform in Pittsburgh and Hank Marr in Columbus, not to mention the fact that Dr. Lonnie Smith spent many years in virtual exile in Fort Lauderdale, makes you wonder how many organists are out there, gigging in local clubs or playing for local events without national exposure. Fortunately, for himself and for all of us, Gene Ludwig has received the belated CD distribution that he deserved all along.
  
  Tracks: Chitlins Con Carne, One Mint Julep, Step Lightly, Mood Indigo, Pause For Fred’s Claws, Billie’s Bounce, Sugar, All Blues, You’ve Changed, It’s You Or No One
  
  Reviewed by: Don Williamson
  

• The Groove Organization Review [+ Show ]
  

  The Groove ORGANization Gene Ludwig Genre – Jazz AMG EXPERT REVIEW: Pittsburgh is known as a...The Groove ORGANization
  Gene Ludwig
  Genre – Jazz
  
  AMG EXPERT REVIEW:
  
  Pittsburgh is known as a spawning ground for prominent jazz artists. While many left to try their hand in New York City or the recording studios of Hollywood and Los Angeles, some stayed behind to keep the jazz flame burning brightly. Hammond B3 master and Jimmy Smith disciple Gene Ludwig is one of those who remained keeping the flame lit with his burning organ play. Working within a rather uncommon trio configuration of organ, guitar and drums, Ludwig, with the help from his friends, applies that special jazz/blues/soul sound only the Hammond can create, to a mixed play list of ten tunes. The listener gets a good feel for the shape this session will take from the album’s opening cut – a spicy, down-home “Chitlins Con Carne” which lays the foundation for the passionate playing that characterizes this CD. Bob DeVos’ medium-amped guitar shares the spotlight with Ludwig on this cut, as well as on several others. As much as any instrument and more than most, the Hammond gives the impression that the playing is spontaneous rather than arranged, especially when in the hands of an expert like Ludwig. Listen to him explore another master of jazz-soul, Stanley Turrentine’s “Sugar” and then segue into an understated (or at least as understated as one can get on the organ) rendition of Miles Davis’ “All Blues”. “You’ve Changed” brings to the fore romantic ballad capabilities as Ludwig gives this warhorse a delicate, melodic, resonant interpretation. The Groove ORGANization is Ludwig’s seventh album as a leader and is among his finest. In addition to a stimulating personal statement, the album goes a long way to assure that the Hammond organ will continue to be an enduring instrumental voice in jazz.
  
  Highly Recommended – Dave Nathan (All Music Guide)
  

• Live In Las Vegas Review [+ Show ]
  

  Live in Las Vegas (Bluesleaf Records) Gene Ludwig by George Harris for All About Jazz, March 200...Live in Las Vegas (Bluesleaf Records)
  Gene Ludwig
  
  by George Harris for All About Jazz, March 2006
  
  "Live in Las Vegas" is a definitive release of good old "soul-jazz". Featuring Gene Ludwig and his venerable B-3, along with excellent support from Joe Lano (guitar), Tommy Check (drums) and Emedin (percussion), the band serves a feast of down home, feel good music that will stick to your ribs. The band takes songs like Monk's idiosyncratic "Well You Needn't" and drives it like a runaway locomotive. Throwing in quotes from songs like "Salt Peanuts", Ludwig is out to have a good time. Lano's guitar work is just what the doctor ordered. Pushed by Check's drums on "Just Friends", Ludwig conjures up a delectable mix with the organ with stunning interplay, weaving the strings and breathy B-3 chords to perfection. Ludwig's bel canto opening of "Flamingo", with the gentle ride cymbal and delicate dancing guitar work, is simply marvelous. There are no pretensions of grandeur on "Live in Las Vegas". As demonstrated on Horace Silver's funk-filled and groovin' "The Preacher", Ludwig's band wants you to sit down, relax and blow the blues away. Not a bad way to end a tough day! "Live in Las Vegas" is probably the best bet in town.
  

• Live In Las Vegas Review [+ Show ]
  

  LIVE IN LAS VEGAS (review) Gene Ludwig (Blues Leaf Records) Review by: Owen Cordle for JazzTimes M...LIVE IN LAS VEGAS (review)
  Gene Ludwig (Blues Leaf Records)
  Review by: Owen Cordle for JazzTimes Magazine, May 2006
  
  Recorded at the Blue Note in Las Vegas, this album catches veteran organist Gene Ludwig in superb form. His sense of time is a lesson in swing. Momentum builds as he paces his lines over a steady groove. The performances feel good - food for the soul. "Love For Sale" gets things off to a fast start. "Just Friends" cooks with a bounce. "Flamingo" and "Portrait of Jennie" are good for slow dancing. The gospel blues of "The Preacher" contains many hallelujah choruses. So it goes - straightahead, in the tradition. Guitarist Joe Lano, drummer Tommy Check and guest percussionist Emedin Rivera assist the leader. Check's crisp exchanges cap an uptempo "Well You Needn't". Lano's warm, mellow tone and lyrical, rhythmic solos compliment the ensemble throughout the album.
  
  Another good one from a master.

• Double Exposure Review (with Cecil Brooks III) [+ Show ]
  

  POINT OF DEPARTURE An On-line Music Journal (Issue May 2006) Moment's Notice Recent CDs Briefly...POINT OF DEPARTURE
  An On-line Music Journal (Issue May 2006)
  
  Moment's Notice
  Recent CDs Briefly Reviewed by Bill Shoemaker
  
  
  Cecil Brooks III with Gene Ludwig
  Double Exposure
  Savant SCD 2072
  
  For B-3 nuts, the return of Gene Ludwig is the best thing to have happened since Melvin Rhyne resurfaced on a series of Criss Cross CDs more than a decade ago. Ludwig came up in a strong Pittsburgh scene in the early 1960s, which led to work with veterans like Sonny Stitt and up-and-comers like Pat Martino. His near miss came in the form of an Atlantic 45 that was unfortunately released the week of the Kennedy assassination. It’s been over a quarter-century since the release of Now’s The Time, his sole Muse LP. Kudos to drummer Cecil Brooks III for putting Ludwig in a heads up setting that really tests every aspect of his playing. Ludwig has it all: monster chops; mastery of the dramatic; a fully realized four-limb approach. The set is heavy on lounge repertoire, much of it taken at an almost maniacal tempo. He romps on “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” and gallops through “On The Trail.” Despite the title referencing the late ‘70s meeting of Joe Chambers and Larry Young for Muse, the album has a decidedly mid-century feel, for which both Brooks the producer and the drummer deserve credit. This album, coming so soon after his appearance on the recent Jimmy Ponder album, What’s New (High Note), is reason to think that Gene Ludwig is at the start of a second wind.
  

Setlist

Mostly straight ahead jazz and blues standards with a few originals. Sets are usually 60-75 minutes, with enough music for up to three sets in one performance. Standards are a mix of funk, ballads, bosa nova, rhythm and blues.

Basic Requirements

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