Richard Groove Holmes有“动感大师”之称,从70年代就加入了Muse唱片,而且一呆就呆到1991年因心脏病暴毙为止。他的著名专辑 Groove's Groove 纪录了公元1977-1988年间Holmes在Muse唱片里的录音精华,等于是生命里最后的光芒。Holmes不论在动感的快节奏曲目或是抒情的慢板曲目都能驾驭,像是Good Vibrations里的风驰电掣,或是My One and Only Love里的如泣如诉。蓝调作品更是他最拿手的。
by Alex Henderson
Revered in soul-jazz circles, Richard Groove Holmes was an unapologetically swinging Jimmy Smith admirer who could effortlessly move from the grittiest of blues to the most sentimental of ballads. Holmes, a very accessible, straightforward and warm player who was especially popular in the black community, had been well respected on the Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey circuit by the time he signed with Pacific Jazz in the early 60s and started receiving national attention by recording with such greats as Ben Webster and Gene Ammons. Holmes, best known for his hit 1965 version of Misty, engaged in some inspired organ battles with Jimmy McGriff in the early 70s before turning to electric keyboards and fusion-ish material a few years later. The organ was Holmes priority in the mid- to late 80s, when he recorded for Muse. Holmes was still delivering high-quality soul-jazz for that label (often featuring tenor titan Houston Person) when a heart attack claimed his life at the age of 60 in 1991.