Album Review: Parlor Greens — Emeralds

Soul jazz enjoyed its heyday in the 1950s and ‘60s. Often led by veterans of the hard bop movement, soul jazz offered a tuneful, less avant-garde and more accessible approach to jazz. Drawing from blues and gospel, the form succeeded in bringing many new listeners into the jazz world. Artists of great stature like Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, Lou Donaldson and saxophonist Stanley Turrentine made critical and commercial inroads in the style.

A major force within the soul jazz idiom was the organ trio. Often foregoing upright or acoustic bass, organ trios relied on the keyboardists’ foot pedal work for the musical bottom-end. Organ trio stars included Jimmy Smith and Jack McDuff; ace guitarists like Wes Montgomery and Grant Green worked creatively in that configuration.

Like all trends, the era of soul jazz and organ trios peaked and then ebbed. But the timelessness of the approach – and the creative opportunities that lay within it – remain to this day. Today acts like the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio (DLO3) and the Goldings/Bernstein/Stewart Organ Trio underscore the durability of this classic jazz format.

The lasting viability of the organ trio setup is proven yet again by the emergence of a new instrumental group. Three players with esteemed pedigrees have come together as Parlor Greens. Drummer Tim Carman is a former member of modern Chicago blues act GA-20. Guitarist Jimmy James comes from DLO3, and organist Adam Scone’s past work includes time in The Sugarman 3. Emeralds is the trio’s debut long-player.

The deeply funky approach this trio brings to its original material is a delight. The interplay between Carman, James and Scone borders on the subconscious. Whether trading in a stop-start bluesy number like “Red Dog” or digging deep into the pocket of the slow jam “Drop Top,” the trio excels. James’ soulful guitar licks are melodic in the extreme; he never overplays or shows off, and his taste is equaled by his skills and expressiveness. Scone takes a similar approach to his B3, in turns serving up fleet-fingered, simmering lead lines and laying back to provide a rock-solid backdrop for James’ solos. And while Carman’s time in GA-20 called upon him to deliver a heavy beat, in the context of Parlor Greens he displays impressive versatility, adorning tracks with subtlety or power as they require.

Sometimes Parlor Greens cooks up a hypnotic groove like “Parlor Change,” in which James and Carman lean heavily into a cyclical figure, laying the groundwork for Scone’s flights of funktastic fancy. Other times the trio evokes warm memories of Memphis-based legends Booker T & the MGs, as on the album’s title track. And while ten of Emeralds’ cuts are trio originals, the band shows its interpretive skill with a winning soul jazz take on Dolly Parton’s classic “Jolene.” Holding onto the original version’s memorable melodic line, the Trio’s take wordlessly communicates the passion and pathos of Parton’s song. Simply put, start to finish on Emeralds, Parlor Greens demonstrates that soul jazz is as vital today as it has ever been.