I am no expert on jazz, and and couldn’t for the life of me tell post-bop from hard bop, but I have huge admiration for what Barbara Dennerlein has done for the organ.   For starters, Barbara has revived the legendary Hammond B-3 as a jazz instrument.   Here’s an early clip on YouTube from 2006 – love the earrings, and watch those feet.

Born in the 60s in Munich,  she was given an organ as a Christmas present by her father, who was rather hoping she would lose interest, so he could have it for himself.   Sorry Dad – Barbara was playing jazz organ in clubs at the age of 15, and is now an international star, with fans all over the world.   Her appeal is not just her perfectionism and virtuosity, but the way she moves between genres.   Jazz is a synonym for freedom, says Barbara, freedom from constraints and convention.  And this is what she wants to convey to the listener, jazz fan or not.

Even if jazz is not your thing, it’s worth a listen to Barbara on Spotify – many of her CDs are there in full, including the three latest: Spiritual Movement No2 from 2008, Bebabaloo from 2010, and her latest Spiritual Movement No3 where she crosses over to the unsuspecting pipe organ and gives it a good shake up.

If you’d like a longer YouTube clip (about an hour) here she is playing at the Trinity Wall Street Pedals and Pumps festival of organ divas in 2008, where she improvises in both the classical and modern jazz idioms.

Forthcoming tour dates and CD listings (including those on her own label Bebab Records, which she founded at the age of 21), are all on Barbara’s website.

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Her terrific technique combined with a good dash of showmanship gave her a long career in American showbusiness, and she was still giving performances in the 70s and 80s.  She died in 1996.  Her recording of Tico Tico sold over a million records. Here it is, shoe-horned into one of her movies Bathing Beauty (1944).

She started out playing the piano in the pit of a local theatre, but was offered a job accompanying a singer on the organ –she dropped into the local music store to practice and within a few days customers were flocking around to hear her.  From then on she became one of Hammond’s stars, promoting the instrument, and producing hundreds of Hammond arrangements through her own publishing company throughout the 40s and 50s.

Her repertoire exploited the possibilities of the B-3 Hammond organ to the hilt, full of entertaining arrangements of standards and classics, and Latin American rhythms.
True classical music was not her forte -“If you don’t practice, a Bach Fugue can be the worst mishmash you ever heard,” she cheerfully announced to the audience at a summer Symphony concert in 1954 -and it was.  The Washington Post reviewer noted that when the fugue fell apart spectacularly half way through, Miss Smith blamed it on the shoes, and suggested they all go backaways and start again. So they did.  I wish I’d been there.

Picture of Ethel from FANPIX.net  If the YouTube link doesn’t open, just search YouTube for Tico Tico.

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