Just a moment, please. Joe Henderson's name has already popped up a couple of times here, and will come out again. It is not by sheer chance. As the years go by, listeners and musicians join each other in acknowledging his influence, his innovative strength. Henderson's stature is so remarkable that a critical reassessment of the saxophone pantheon of the last decades is long overdue. Anyhow, while the critics sleep, the jazz audience knows better.

Back to our notes, then. And hats off to the producer, Mr Sergio Veschi, who has played a not so small part in picking up the musicians for the date and, still more important, in selecting the right front line combination for each tune. To an unchangeable organ-drums backbone, every track has a different line-up: trios with guitar or accordion, quartets with trumpet and tenor sax or guitar and tenor sax, quintets with trumpet, guitar AND tenor sax. Every single permutation was explored, and the whole recording session has greatly benefited from that.

But no strategic planning can be successful in jazz without a first-rate congregation of performers, such as the ones responsible of the happy results of Organ Grooves. About Fabrizio Bosso, there's not much more left to say: after his incredible debut of few years ago, once again aptly supported by Red Record, the young trumpet player has brilliantly succeeded in avoiding the typical "enfant prodige" trap. The road Fabrizio chose for himself was bumpier, of course, but far more rewarding, as an instrumentalist and as a creative artist.

We ‘ve always had a soft spot for Stefano D'Anna's sound. Here's a player who would deserve a greater attention by everyone involved in jazz, at every level: listeners, critics and producers alike. Stefano is a fastidious improviser, one who has set high standards for himself and who has absorbed many different saxophone voices of the past, at the same time never losing his own individuality. And just like Stefano, Sandro Gibellini too should set himself free from what can only look like a natural case of bashfulness. He is a great guitar player, and should be appreciated as such. It would be too easy to see this record as a confirmation of his qualities.

Massimo Manzi is both the engine of Organ Grooves and its soul. His performance is an essential part of the success of the record, what with him being an unstoppable drummer well supplied with a never ending assortment of rhythmic solutions ready to be picked up by the featured soloist. In any collective sport, Massimo's assists would be an invaluable asset to any and every team.

Last, but not least, the Di Modugno dynasty. Vito, keyboard player, Hammond specialist, electric bassist, gifted teacher: and as if it weren't enough, he is also a skilful composer and a catalyst of positive vibrations. For him, Organ Grooves will certainly be a starting point, a launching pad towards the definitive acknowledgment of his many qualities. Vito is a jazzman who believes in the tradition but, at the same time, he's not afraid to revisit it by the light of today's conceptions. Pino, Vito's father, is an accordion player of great experience, having been on the scene for more than thirty years. His performances on record surprise the most, for jazz has not always been the main language of his career as a musician. But he came out with flying colors, so that Sergio Veschi, on the spur of the moment, decided to set up another session. But we should not say more…

And, as the old saying goes, Jazz Is Where You Find It. Fact is, whenever you're looking for it, pleasant surprises are waiting for you just around the corner.