Características
The album title already hints at it: all six tracks on “The Organic McCoy” were written by McCoy Tyner – a composer who doesn't necessarily bring to mind an organ trio album. But that's exactly what “The Organic McCoy” is, and it works damn well: the arrangements that the gifted keyboardist and jazz educator performs with his two colleagues – American guitar virtuoso Bobby Broom and the incredibly talented young drummer Jason Wastor from Athens – immediately captivate the listener. With its bluesy sound, hard swing and fascinatingly groovy B3 tones, the George Kontrafouris Organ Trio can certainly be counted among the greatest musical surprises of the current jazz year.
George Kontrafouris was born in Athens in 1967. He studied classical piano at the National Conservatory in Athens. At the age of 16, he turned to jazz music and took lessons in jazz improvisation with Markos Alexiou. He also studied with Jim Beard and Jarmo Savolainen. He holds a bachelor's and master's degree in jazz performance from the Sibelius Academy in Finland. He has performed as a pianist or organist with many famous and outstanding musicians, including: Marc Johnson, Arild Andersen, Marcus Stockhausen, Andy Sheppard, Ralph Peterson Jr., David Liebman, Houston Pearson, Eric Alexander, Lou Donaldson, Sam Newsome, Benny Golson, Tim Hagans, Bob Sheppard, Carmen Lundy, Sheila Jordan, and many others. Kontrafouris has been teaching jazz piano and organ at the Athenaeum Conservatory in Greece and the Sibelius Academy in Finland for several years and is currently a member of the academic faculty at Ionian University in Corfu. He has given master classes at various schools in Greece and abroad. His first album as a bandleader, entitled “Don't Be Shy,” was released in 1999.
More than 15 years ago, “jazz from Greece” was still flying under the radar of experts. That is no longer the case: the Greek jazz scene is growing, thriving and truly blossoming. Just think of the great releases by Petros Klampanis or Melina Plaxinos. The Hellenic Jazz Society record label began operations in June 2024 with the aim of producing high-fidelity albums from the local jazz scene. The steady rise of the Greek jazz scene has prompted HJS to promote talented Greek musicians at home and abroad. All Hellenic Jazz Society albums are recorded and pressed to high quality standards – on 180-gram vinyl and with high-quality printed gatefold jackets. “The Organic McCoy” is strictly limited to 300 copies.
MUSICIANS
George Kontrafouris: Hammond B3 organ
Jason Wastor: drums
Bobby Broom: guitar
Angelos Polychronou: percussion (A1, B1)
Side A:
1. Walk Spirit Talk Spirit
2. Uptown
3. Song For My Lady
Side B
1. Man From Tanganyika
2. Contemplation
3. Blues For Gwen