All About My Girl, Jimmy McGriff Hammond B-3 cover, Nord C1 Organ

Here is my cover version of Jimmy McGriff's 'All About My Girl'. I stay as close as possible to what I can hear McGriff playing on the original recording, but a few words are in place though:
-I've had a hard time hearing exactly what notes McGriff are using when playing his block chords and "percussive thumps". I play my best guesstimate but if someone reading this have other proposals for those chords and thumps, please, share that information :-)
-I have no tube amplified Leslie, so I couldn't get that screaming tube overdrive sound. I did not use the overdrive function in the organ as I didn't see it fit for this song.
-I'm playing all choruses in the song, even those choruses where the organ only is laying the backing track for the guitar solo.
-I did simplify the ending of the song a bit as I do not have foot pedals. I think McGriff is holding a pedal tone with his foot, the diminished block chord with his right hand, and in addition laying an extra layer on top with his left hand.
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The organ is a Clavia Nord C1 - a Hammond B-3 clonewheel organ.
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Nord C1 Registrations and Settings:
Upper 88 8020 000.
Chorus C3. Percussion On, Soft, Fast, Third.
Lower 84 6000 000.
Bass lower man. 80.
Leslie simulator Stop position.
Equalizer not used.
Overdrive/Drive not used.
Reverb hall, soft, 50%.
Tonewheel mode Vintage 2 (high level of tonewheel crosstalk and cable leakage artefacts).
The sound is recorded line out from the organ. No additional external effects, external amplifiers or speakers are used.
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Jimmy McGriffs's original recording of 'All About My Girl' was made 1962.
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Category:

Music

Tags:

• Jimmy
• McGriff
• Hammond
• B-3
• Nord
• C1
• Clavia
• Clonewheel
• Organ
• All
• About
• My
• Girl
• Jazz
• Blues
• Rounder
• rounder2u

[Jackrabbit710]

Excellent work! Learnt it on my xk3c last night, noticed you are in A rather than Ab? I'm not used to playing in Ab so it's helping my playing in other keys!

Keep up the good work!

[rounder2u]

Thanks Jackrabbit!

Good to hear that you play the song!

The song is natural to play in the key of G for me, so I do that here. The original is in Ab as you write but the song feels very awkward for me in Ab.

Sometimes when I analyzed the song I thought that they had speeded up the master tape a bit to get the song in Ab. But then I of course know that real pro's like Jimmy McGriff, Jimmy Smith, Richard 'Groove' Holmes, et al, could handle the key of Ab with ease :-)

Keep swinging,

Rounder

[AnchovyD]

Hey Rounder, thanks for putting up all the organ videos. I've been figuring this out from McGriff's recording and came by to check out your take on it. First off, Ab isn't scary. It is easy on keyboard and falls well under the fingers, just look at all the gospel and church music. Second, I really came by to check out the ending as I was having a hard time transcribing it, but yours is way different than mine. Also I will be playing i with a bass player so luckily I can focus on the solo...

[rounder2u]

Thanks AnchovyD!

Ab is very scary to me. I might give that key a try though, someday when I feel really brave :-)

I did simplify the ending of the song as I do not have foot pedals. I think McGriff is holding a pedal tone with his foot, the diminished block chord with his right hand, and in addition laying an extra layer on top with his left hand.

Please, upload your Ab take! (with an overhead camcorder view) There is a shortage of videos with McGriff's greatest song.

Keep swinging,

Rounder

[AnchovyD]

@rounder2u Well now you're forcing to me get the bassline and lead coordinated and tight. Up 'til now I wasn't worried about it since our bassist will be doing the left hand. To post a video with me just playing the right hand part would be pus. So I'll have to get it together first. I'm surprised that only you and that guy with the hammond are the only guys on youtube with this awesome song. By the way, I'm kicking it on a Nord C1 like yours. I love it. Peace.

[rounder2u]

Hi AnchovyD

You're going to add the left hand bass line. That's good news! Send me a message, please, when it's up.

I'm surprised too, and I was sure there would be a number of takes out here in the YouTube wild.

The reason is simple: In my book, McGriff's All About My Girl is a Masterpiece!

His composition of the solo parts is just brilliant. A lot to learn from that solo, and a smart bassline too.

Also, McGriff plays the song with a superb blinding swing!

Keep swinging your C1,

Rounder

[rounder2u]

Hi Jyazz

Absolutely right. And the more the merrier :-)

There is a wonderful hommage to the metronome that was a hit in the 70's. 'Gimme Dat Ding' by The Pipkins. Higly recommended! And easily found here at YouTube.

Keep swinging,

Rounder

[Jyazz21]

Metronomes are your best friend

[rounder2u]

Thanks Ingvar!

Good to hear that you find use of my take!

Keep swinging (at your C2, I presume!),

Rounder

[IngvarOnC2]

Hi, very instructive, I have the original recording. Nice work! Thanks.