The arrival of a funky Hammond Organ-based trio is always a cause for celebration. Colemine Records recently brought together a powerhouse in that field, with their sessions being released as Parlor Greens’ new album, In Green/We Dream. In addition to some incredibly lithe, funky, psychedelic callbacks to the R&B of days gone by, it contains a new version of “My Sweet Lord.”
The band, consisting of Jimmy James on guitars, Adam Scone on Hammond B3, and bluesman Tim Carman on drums, have said that their touchstone was not the original version, but a more obscure one by Leonard Caston. The God Squad’s (featuring Caston) devotional album Jesus Christ Greatest Hits does indeed feature an organ, but it stops short of something that Parlor Greens wants to achieve, as it had some vocal harmonies. They long for the day when Grant Green produced fully instrumental versions of hits. However, in doing so they face a huge challenge. Religious or spiritual songs often aim to provide certainty via the words in their lyrics. If someone is inspired to write one it is because they Believe with a capital B, and they want others to, and the lyrics reflect this.
When George Harrison wrote “My Sweet Lord,” he wanted to tell us explicitly that he found comfort in the knowledge that Eastern and Western religious teachings were not in conflict, and could be reconciled in an enlightening way. If he could do it, so could we. The words and harmonies reflect this. Mozart, Bach and other classical composers could achieve enlightenment through instruments alone; modern pop does so less often.
No need to worry that the message here could not be delivered without words. There is no more certain sound than a skilled hand holding an extended note on a B3 played through a Leslie speaker. It tells of belief in music and musicians, and this is what this jam runs up to, with closing improvisations over the top. At no point do we have any concerns that we are not being told the truth here, and the truth is funky. Played at the end of the album and the sessions, James, Scone and Carman are in harmony themselves, reconciling the blues, R&B and 60 years of musical history. Classical R&B in its greatest form.
