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Charles Kynard
Charles Kynard is an organist whose jazz-funk leanings rival his predecessors and peers, though not eclipsing them. Solid, though never flashy. He also plays electric bass. Kynard's album Reelin' With the Feelin' has been sampled and appears on several acid jazz releases. Hammond virtuoso and electric-bass player, Kynard didn't become too famous for two reasons: he just played in his local L.A. instead of touring, and he recorded very few sessions. Nevertheless, his artistry was enormous and his recordings are true gems. He was too busy to devote himself to a successful career as a jazz musician. During the day he worked with mentally retarded children, at night he played at local clubs and on sunday he played organ at his church. Even so, he had time for his wife and children. Kynard was a master at different styles. Playing funk he could have rivalled Richard 'Groove' Holmes in speed and accuracy; his blues were delightful and when it came to slow down he knew how to add an airy touch letting the others play. His recordings were scarce but he shared studio with top notch artists like Les McCann, Houston Person, Grant Green and Idris Muhammad.
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Charles Kynard: Legends of Acid Jazz
by AAJ Staff
The name is unfamiliar; the sound is welcome. A full-time teacher in Los Angeles, Charles Kynard did not record often (as a leader, just one album after he left Prestige.) But he’s got that feel you love in an organ: subtle and sweet, and a strut when he needs it. These dates, among his last for the label, show him extra-funky, with strong riffs and a bunch of great players. It doesn’t have flash, but it’s bad all the same. ...
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by Douglas Payne
Charles Kynard (1933-79) had a brief, rather low-key career as an organist. By day, he maintained a full-time career working with kids with special needs and taught piano between gigs and his job. He only recorded infrequently, doing sessions and two albums under his own name for Pacific Jazz in the early 1960s and several sessions and three records under his own name for Mainstream Records during 1971-74. But it is, perhaps, the four records he did for Prestige between ...
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