The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio was founded in 2015 and originally consisted of keyboardist Delvon Lamarr (Dumas) on Hammond B-3, guitarist Colin Higgins and drummer David McGraw. Soon after guitarist Jimmy James (Williams) replaced Higgins. All members had been active instrumentalists in the Seattle music scene. With the help of Lamarr’s wife, Amy Novo (AKA “Shortcake Mafia”), acting as manager and booking agent, the group was solidified. Originally a drummer and trumpet player, Lamarr switched to organ at the age of 22. He said he picked up the instrument naturally by observing organist/keyboardist Joe Doria, whose band Lamarr was drumming in at the time. James and McGraw had previously co-founded “The True Loves”, a Seattle-based nine-piece soul band.
The band’s music is rhythm-based and rooted in the 1960s and 1970s soul-jazz, funk and blues styles, reminiscent of Booker T. & the M.G.’s and The Meters. Plaid room records says… “the DLO3 specialize in the lost art of ‘feel good music’. The ingredients of this intoxicating cocktail include a big helping of the 1960s jazz organ stylings of Jimmy Smith and Baby Face Willette; a pinch of the snappy soul strut of Booker T. & The M.G.’s and The Meters; and sprinkles Motown Records (Detroit), Stax Records (Memphis), the blues, and some cosmic Hendrix-style guitar. It’s a soul-jazz concoction that goes straight to your heart and head makes your body break out in a cold sweat. Live, the band’s fiery and intuitive chemistry is unstoppable, brimming with improvisation, instant composition, imaginative takes on classic tunes, and a booty-shaking back catalog of soulful gems”. Bandcamp also injects… “feel good music? It’s a booty-shake blend of 1960s soul-jazz, slinky New Orleans funk, vintage instrumental soul, and a splash of acid-rock guitar”. The songs are typically developed by improvisation over heavy organ grooves. Bandleader Lamarr described it as “soul music with a strong jazz influence”. He credits their ‘sound’ to the chemistry of the band members.
