http://raphaelwressnig.com Hammond Organ Player Mon, 06 May 2013 14:29:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://raphaelwressnig.com/raphael-wressnig-alex-schultz-sweet-groove-summit/ http://raphaelwressnig.com/raphael-wressnig-alex-schultz-sweet-groove-summit/#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:15:48 +0000 raphael http://raphaelwressnig.com/?p=113

RAPHAEL WRESSNIG & ALEX SCHULTZ (USA/A)

"SWEET GROOVE SUMMIT"

RAPHAEL WRESSNIG - Hammond B3 organ
ALEX SCHULTZ - guitars
SILVIO BERGER - drums

Raphael Wressnig and Alex Schultz team up for a „Sweet Groove Summit“. They add salty Blues for spice, lay on some funk and obtain a delicious result! In 2008 they released the album "(Don’t Be) Afraid To Groove": true and authentic groove music delivered straight from the heart is all the rage these days, and the special blend of soul, funk, blues, gospel, and jazz heard from Wressnig’s Hammond electric organ and from Schultz’s electric guitar fits the bill.

Alex Schultz is featured on more than 40 releases in a career spanning close to 20 years, Schultz's first solo CD "Think about it" was released on the Severn label in 2004. Schultz has played with Los Angeles based harmonica masters William Clarke and Rod Piazza for several years and recorded the W.C. Handy-Award-winning Alligator album "Blowing Like Hell" and made appearances on 4 of Clarke's Alligator releases and 5 "Rod Piazza & the Mighty Flyers" records. After years being involved in the westcoast-blues movement, Schultz is now exploring the groove and soul-jazz sounds he has loved for years.

Throughout the years Raphael Wressnig has created a unique organ style that is both elegant and explosive. He has established himself as one of the top musician's among the new-generation of organ players on the international jazz and blues scene. Raphael Wressnig tours extensively throughout the world with his various projects and is in demande by many top of the blues and soul-jazz artists throughout : Europe, Scandinavia, North Africa, Middle East, Asia, Caribbean.

Current CD's:
RAPHAEL WRESSNIG & ALEX SCHULTZ
"(Don’t Be) Afraid To Groove" (PEPPER CAKE)
RAPHAEL WRESSNIG
"Party Factor" (BHM)
ALEX SCHULTZ
"Think About It" (SEVERN RECORDS)

"...a superb album of blues guitar, with side trips into other styles" BLUES BYTES/USA

"Run, don't walk to get "Cut a Little Deeper On the Funk" (BHM Productions) the new album from Raphael Wressnig's Organic Trio. The Austria sensation, one of the bluesiest B-3 players around, teams with guitarist Georg Jantscher and drummer Lukas Knofler, along with Sax Gordon, Craig Handy, Christian Bachner and other guests. The set's heavy on the funk "N'Awlins Thang" with ventures into classic Blue Note swing, "Ridin'" Infectious soul in Junior Walker "Road to Detroit" and Cornell Dupree "Stringdance" modes, and mellow R&B ballads "Midnight On the Bayou." The closer "Growlin' the Blues" brings it all home to the smoky Hammond heyday of the fifties and sixties." BLUES REVUE/USA

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"Oh yes, Raphael plays a dynamic brand of B-3, his passion commensurate with his technique and his creative intelligence. He’s a high-voltage dynamo but also a musician of surprising delicacy and self-reflection. Call him one of the finest blues/jazz/soul B-3 operators anywhere. " FRANK-JOHN HADLEY, DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE/USA

Raphael Wressnig (Hammond B3 organ)
Werner Wurm (trombone, arrangement)
Peter Legat (guitars)
Josef Burchartz  (lead trumpet)
Horst Michael Schaffer (trumpet)
Markus Ecklmayer (saxophone)
Sebastian Grimus (saxophone)
Gerald Pöttinger (bass-trombone)
Silvio Berger (drums)


]]> http://raphaelwressnig.com/raphael-wressnig-the-big-boogaloo-hornz/feed/ 0 http://raphaelwressnig.com/raphael-wressnig-jim-mullen-true-blue/ http://raphaelwressnig.com/raphael-wressnig-jim-mullen-true-blue/#comments Sun, 30 Oct 2011 09:28:03 +0000 raphael http://raphaelwressnig.com/?p=124
RAPHAEL WRESSNIG & JIM MULLEN (UK, A)

JIM MULLEN - guitar
RAPHAEL WRESSNIG - Hammond B3 organ
LUKAS KNÖFLER - drums

Jim Mullen, Jazz Veteran aus Glascow, im Verbund mit dem österreichischen Jazz- und Blues Aushängeschild Raphael Wressnig: 2 Generationen preisgekrönter Musiker mit einem großen gemeinsamen Nenner: Die Liebe zu den Klassikern des Soul-Jazz und Blues!

Jim Mullen (geboren am 26. November 1945 in Glascow) spielt wie schon der Jazz-Gitarrist Wes Montgomery mit dem Daumen statt mit einem Plektrum. Er arbeitete in den 1960er Jahren mit Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express und wirkte an den ersten drei Alben der Band mit. Danach ging er mit der "Average White Band" auf Tournee in die Vereinigten Staaten und spielte deren Hit "Cut The Cake" ein. Dort lernte er Mitte der 1970er Jahre den Tenorsaxophonisten Dick Morrissey kennen, mit dem er gemeinsam die bis 1985 bestehende Funk-Gruppe Morrissey-Mullen gründete. Mullen arbeitete im Laufe seine Karriere außerdem mit Mose Allison, Steve Ferrone, Jimmy Witherspoon, Jimmy Smith und Gene Harris zusammen. Er gewann mehrere Auszeichnungen, wie den British Telecom Jazz Awards (als bester Gitarrist in den Jahren 1994, 1996 and 2000). Zuallerletzt nahm er mit "The AllStars" und Paul McCartney als Produzent das Album "All About The Music" auf.

Raphael Wressnig geboren am 14. Oktober 1979, hat sich als einer der heißesten Organisten der internationalen Jazz- & Bluesszene etabliert. Raphael Wressnig wurde für Österreichs wichtigsten Jazzpreis, den "HANS KOLLER PREIS" nominiert, gewann den Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik und ist mehrfacher Gewinner des Concerto Polls. Wressnig hat im Juni 2010 sein aktuelles Album "Party Factor" (u.a. mit Craig Handy, Sax Gordon, Harry Sokal, Alex Schultz, Luis Ribeiro, Robert Bachner, Scott Steen) auf dem renommierten BHM-Label veröffentlicht und am 30. April wird "TRUE BLUE" u.a. mit Jim Mullen auf BHM veröffentlicht.
Inspririert von den legendären Blue-Note Aufnahmen von Jimmy Smith und Wes Montgomery, Jack McDuff und Georg Benson, Grant Green und Stanley Turrentine spielen Mullen und Wressnig mit Lukas Knöfler an den Drums sowohl Klassiker und Standards als auch eigenes Material und vermengen geschmackvoll und elegant Jazz-, Blues- und Gospel Elemente zu edelstem SOUL-JAZZ!

"Jim Mullen is one of the best known jazz guitarists working today" PALMERLIVE/UK

"Oh yes, Raphael plays a dynamic brand of B-3, his passion commensurate with his technique and his creative intelligence. He’s a high-voltage dynamo but also a musician of surprising delicacy and self-reflection. Call him one of the finest blues/jazz/soul B-3 operators anywhere." FRANK-JOHN HADLEY, DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE/USA

 ]]> http://raphaelwressnig.com/raphael-wressnig-jim-mullen-true-blue/feed/ 0 http://raphaelwressnig.com/hello-world/ http://raphaelwressnig.com/hello-world/#comments Sat, 29 Oct 2011 13:24:24 +0000 raphael http://raphaelwressnig.com/?p=1

RAPHAEL WRESSNIG’S PARTYFACTOR (A/USA/BRA)

"hip hammond grooves, powerful funk & soul-jazz"

RAPHAEL WRESSNIG – Hammond B3 organ
CRAIG HANDY – saxes
HORST-MICHAEL SCHAFFER – trumpet
ROBERT BACHNER – trombone
GEORG JANTSCHER – guitar
LUIS RIBEIRO – percussion
LUKAS KNÖFLER – drums

"Raphael Wressnig is one of the contemporary masters of the mighty Hammond B3 organ. Raphael’s big sound is based as much on what he doesn’t play as on what he does, and the result is seriously funky." NORMAN DARWAN, BLUES MATTERS/UK

"Oh yes, Raphael plays a dynamic brand of B-3, his passion commensurate with his technique and his creative intelligence. He’s a high-voltage dynamo but also a musician of surprising delicacy and self-reflection. Call him one of the finest blues/jazz/soul B-3 operators anywhere." FRANK-JOHN HADLEY, DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE/USA

Throughout the years Raphael Wressnig has created a unique organ style that is both elegant and explosive. He has established himself as one of the top musician’s among the new-generation of organ players on the international jazz and blues scene.

Organist Raphael Wressnig’s Party Factor operates on several levels. On the one hand, the combination of funky grooves and colorful ensembles makes for perfect good-time music. But a close listen lets one focus on the impressive musicianship, consistently inventive playing and unpredictability. Party Factor features some of Raphael’s favorite players: Craig Handy adds fire and originality to the set. Horst-Michael Schaffer is Austria’s first call trumpeter and trombonist Robert Bachner (who played with the Vienna Art Orchestra) is also a strong asset. Among the other key players are guitarist Georg Jantscher and drummer Lukas Knöfler who have played hundreds of gigs with Raphael’s Organic Trio and brazilian percussionist Luis Ribeiro.

"Run, don’t walk to get "Cut a Little Deeper On the Funk" (BHM Productions) the new album from Raphael Wressnig’s Organic Trio. The Austria sensation, one of the bluesiest B-3 players around, teams with guitarist Georg Jantscher and drummer Lukas Knofler, along with Sax Gordon, Craig Handy and other guests. The set’s heavy on the funk "N’Awlins Thang" with ventures into classic Blue Note swing, "Ridin'" Infectious soul in Junior Walker "Road To Detroit" and Cornell Dupree "Stringdance" modes, and mellow R&B ballads "Midnight On The Bayou." The closer "Growlin' The Blues" brings it all home to the smoky Hammond heyday of the fifties and sixties." BLUES REVUE/USA

"Raphael Wressnig was 28 at the time of this recording but is already considered one of Europe’s top jazz organists. On this CD, Wressnig plays the usual assortment of blues and soul-jazz grooves but also stretches his instrument by playing some music that borders on the avant-garde, some funk, a second-line New Orleans parade rhythm groove, a soulful country ballad, and even hints of hip-hop. Two songs are performed solely by Wressnig’s Organic Trio, a unit that had been together for six years by 2008, featuring the fine guitarist Georg Jantscher and drummer Lukas Knöfler. Three numbers add either tenor saxophonist Craig Handy, or Christian Bachner, two others have the team of trumpeter Eric Bloom and tenorman Sax Gordon, and the remaining two find percussionist Luis Ribeiro making the group a quartet. The constant changes in instrumentation along with the wide variety of styles give Cut a Little Deeper on the Funk plenty of variety, but the main reason to pick up this CD is to discover the brilliant playing of Raphael Wressnig." SCOTT YANOW, ALL MUSIC GUIDE/USA

]]> http://raphaelwressnig.com/hello-world/feed/ 0 http://raphaelwressnig.com/rb-explosion/ http://raphaelwressnig.com/rb-explosion/#comments Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:24:02 +0000 raphael http://raphaelwressnig.com/?p=120

R&B EXPLOSION feat. Sax Gordon, Raphael Wressnig
& Alex Schultz (USA/AT)

SAX GORDON – voc., sax
ALEX SCHULTZ – guitar
RAPHAEL WRESSNIG – Hammond B3 organ
LUKAS KNöFLER/SILVIO BERGER – drums

Sax Gordon, today’s rockiest horn-man is teaming up with legendary "west-coast" guitarist Alex Schultz and the upcoming Hammond organist from Austria, Raphael Wressnig, exploring the whole spectrum of rhythm & blues within this sax-guitar-organ-combo!

The four-time W.C. Handy award nominee from Boston is one of the most sought-after saxophonists in today’s Blues and R&B scene. He has been featured as soloist on both the performances and recordings of such highly respected artists as Duke Robillard, Kim Wilson, Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson, Roomful of Blues, Matt "Guitar" Murphy and Jimmy Whiterspoon. He also performed with Solomon Burke, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Junior Wells, Little Milton, Gatemouth Brown and recorded with Jimmy McGriff, Champion Jack Dupree, Pinetop Perkins, Rosco Gordon, Billy Boy Arnold, Charles Brown and many more. Gordon released three Albums on Rounder including "Live at the Sax Blast", which captures the modern-day sax wildman in top form, blasting and shoutin' through a high-energy set of rockin' blues and rhythm & blues.

Alex Schultz is featured on more than 40 releases in a career spanning close to 20 years, Schultz’s first solo CD "Think about it" was released on the Severn label in 2004. Schultz has played with Los Angeles based harmonica masters William Clarke and Rod Piazza for several years and recorded the W.C. Handy-Award-winning Alligator album “Blowing Like Hell” and made appearances on 4 of Clarke’s Alligator releases and 5 "Rod Piazza & the Mighty Flyers" records. After years being involved in the Westcoast-blues movement, Schultz is now exploring the groove and soul-jazz sounds he has loved for years.

Despite his young age, Raphael Wressnig is already regarded worldwide as an excellent musician on the "mother of all instruments", the Hammond B3. On his latest release "(Don’t Be) Afraid To Groove", on PEPPER CAKE the Austrian is joined by Alex Schultz and Sax Gordon. Raphael Wressnig has been the recipient of several prizes and awards including the polls of the Concerto music magazine: "Best album blues" 2001, "Best artist blues national" 2001, "Best album jazz" 2004,"Best jazz artist" 2007 & 2010 and "Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik" in 2007 as well. Wressnig is touring Europe intensively with his own project, "Raphael Wressnig’s Organic Trio" or with blues and jazz greats such as Sugar Blue, Larry Garner, Billy Flynn, Deitra Farr, Sharrie Williams, Zora Young and performed with Horacio (El Negro) Hernandez, Craig Handy, Billy Paul, Phil Guy and many more.

"One of the best and most vibrant young sax players in the business" BLUES REVUE

"…doesn’t have any trouble ripping up his audiences" BILLBOARD

“One of Europe’s top jazz organists”…“brilliant playing” ALLMUSIC.COM

"Wressnig’s virtuosity on his console of dual keyboards, foot pedals, and rotating tone wheels places him in the vanguard of the new B-3 generation, alongside luminaries like John Medeski, Larry Goldings, Wil Blades" DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE

"…a superb album of blues guitar, with side trips into other styles" BLUES BYTES


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RAPHAEL WRESSNIG & ENRICO CRIVELLARO
ORGAN COMBO (AT/IT)

RAPHAEL WRESSNIG – Hammond B3 organ
ENRICO CRIVELLARO – guitar
SILVIO BERGER – drums

Cool retro organ trio blues and soul-jazz with a whole new twist! If historically many great Hammond combos have explored the thin line between blues and jazz, Enrico Crivellaro and Raphael Wressnig are taking the concept one step forward by exploring the border between old and new, between vintage and contemporary. Their knowledge of jazz and blues is impressive and obvious throughout this recording, but what really stands out is their quest for a modern stylistic approach. Having found in Silvio Berger the ideal drummer, with an immense vocabulary, they can easily give a new take on the surf legacy with Mosquito Bite, swing hard on Speedin’, jazz it up with Cherokee, make if funky with Boom Bello, and even get close to acid jazz/hip hop territories with A-Level and still get down with some delta blues. You hear reminiscences of Jimmy Mc Griff, Pee Wee Crayton, Dick Dale and even of South African jazz master Jimmy Dludlu. Raphael Wressnig and Enrico Crivellaro dig deep into the tradition and elaborates their own contemporary sound, without selling out.

Hammond B3 shootingstar Raphael Wressnig became one of the most upcoming and well respected figures in the international blues- and jazzscene within the the last few years. His album "In Between" was elected "BEST JAZZ ALBUM 2004" by the critics and readers of the Concerto magazine and Raphael Wressnig was elected as "BEST JAZZ ARTIST OF THE YEAR" in 2007 and 2010. Born in Padova, Italy, but later relocating to Los Angeles, Enrico Crivellaro became one of the most vibrant and versatile guitarists of todayís blues scene. The former student of Ronnie Earl, Duke Robillard and Kenny Burrell, became a favorite guitarist for several historic blues, swing, jazz and rock groups: Lester Butler’s "13", the James Harman Band, the Janiva Magness Band and Royal Crown Revue, among many others. Enrico Crivellaro was awarded "BEST SWING GUITARIST" by the Swing Awards in 2002 and "BEST CONTEMPORARY GUITARIST" by Euroblues at the French Blues trophees in 2004.

"In the pure tradition of organ blues soul jazz combos once more. Wressnig and Crivellaro are absolutly masters at it. It’s really totally perfect, complete by any means and polished like it would be an original 1967 recording. Everything’s there and a full attention has been paid to details (they make the difference) even up to the titles (they are mostly originals even though they sound like what you wanted to hear again): "Banana Boogaloo", "Speedin’" or "West 43rd St. Blues". In their case I must admit I’m completely bluffed. Close to perfection." NOEL AKCHOTE, SKUG JOURNAL FÜR MUSIK/GERMANY

]]> http://raphaelwressnig.com/raphael-wressnig-enrico-crivellaro-organ-trio/feed/ 0 http://raphaelwressnig.com/raphael-wressnigs-organic-trio/ http://raphaelwressnig.com/raphael-wressnigs-organic-trio/#comments Wed, 26 Oct 2011 09:26:15 +0000 raphael http://raphaelwressnig.com/?p=122

RAPHAEL WRESSNIG’S ORGANIC TRIO

RAPHAEL WRESSNIG – Hammond B3 organ
GEORG JANTSCHER – guitar
LUKAS KNÖFLER – drums

"Your sound is great and you have a wonderful sense of time which is so important. You represent the next generation!" PETE FALLICO – DOODLIN' LOUNGE/USA

Raphael Wressnig and his group – Georg Jantscher on tasteful guitar and Lukas Knöfler groovin' hard on the drums – come up with a very unique, modern Sound. Even if they play through different styles they find a familiar background in the mighty sound of Raphael Wressnig’s B3. Raphael Wressnig picks up influences of the legendary blue note recordings and creates his very own explosive and yet elegant, modern organ style. The young Austrian is well established as one of th icons of the new generation of organ players – of real ones, those who insist on playing the bass with thier feet and on carrying a 300-pound instrument to every gig! In this regard he is old-school, yet with his trio he is clearly taking his music towards a new direction. With Georg Jantscher and Lukas Knöfler he has formed a trio that is simply terrific, with amazing interplay and a continious exchange of musical ideas both on and off stage. This band will go a long way in reshaping the classic organ trio sound and defining new directions: COOL MODERN SOUL-JAZZ

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HARRY SOKAL "GROOVE" feat.: RAPHAEL WRESSNIG

HARRY SOKAL - saxes
RAPHAEL WRESSNIG – Hammond B3 organ
LUKAS KNÖFLER – drums

Harry Sokal meets Raphael Wressnig
and sparks start to fly.

When Harry Sokal, the stylistic chameleon, teams up with Raphael Wressnig, groove master on the Hammond B3 organ, and high-voltage drummer Lukas Knöfler, you've got a classic organ trio that fires up into an explosive jazz groove powerhouse of a very special kind.

Following his project Depart with Jojo Mayer and Heiri Känzig, Harry Sokal now presents Groove, a new power trio which makes the proverbial sparks fly. Inspired by the classic electric jazz sound, Harry Sokal's meeting with the young Hammond B3 organist Raphael Wressnig powers up into a jazz groove extravaganza, with continuous style changes and high points full of surprises.

Raphael Wressnig, who has been influenced by organists of the soul jazz era, creates his own explosive yet elegant style on the organ. In recent years, he has claimed a place as one of the hottest organists in the international jazz and blues scene. In addition to his work with a number of major international artists, his credits include tours with his own Organic Trio and the recently released "Party Factor" CD.

Harry Sokal unquestionably counts as one of Europe's most important "post-Coltrane" saxophonists. He has worked with a large number of European and American greats, including Art Blakey, Dave Holland, Terje Rypdal, Daniel Humair, Michel Portal, Mike Richmond, Minu Cinelu, Friedrich Gulda, Idris Muhammad, Joe Zawinul, Harry Pepl, Gene Jackson and Andy Mc Kee. As of 1977, he was one of the founding long-term members of the Vienna Art Orchestra and he played in the legendary Art Farmer Quintet from 1979-1999. He also initiated and directed a wide variety of projects with a panoply of national and international musicians, as well as his own projects, such as: Depart, Harry Sokal Full Circle, Harry Sokal Roots Ahead, Voices of Time and Stories ith Wolfert Brederode . In 2005, he won the Hans Koller prize for Musician of the Year and the annual Culture-Award of Lower Austria in 2010.

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