Jim Payne and his band have just recorded their third CD, "YES!" It features Adam Klipple on Hammond B-3, and Adam Street on guitar. Sound samples of the first two CDs, Sensei and Énergie can be heard on the 'Music Shop / CDs' page.

Comments on 'Sensei' (the 1st cd) and the Jim Payne Band:

JazzTimes review of 'Sensei': "Jim Payne is the Buddy Rich of funk....." The record reached #33 on the jazz charts.

"This record really grooves. It's a pleasure to hear these masters of Funk in action - and long overdue" - John Scofield

"Everything these guys do is seriously funky. I love this band and I love the CD. It's the Boss!" - Fred Wesley

"The Jim Payne Band throws down and I mean it! This is no bullshit, you gotta dig it!" - Mike Clark

In his various capacities as player, producer, bandleader and writer, Jim Payne "has been around" in the world of funk.

Author of "Give The Drummers Some!," the definitive work on the history of funk drumming, Payne has had a hand in the burgeoning jam band scene in his role as producer of the first two cds by jam band idols Medeski, Martin & Wood (1993's It's A Jungle In Here and 1994's Friday Afternoon in the Universe). He's also had a longstanding relationship performing with and producing projects by ex-James Brown band members Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, and Pee Wee Ellis.

His new group is an earthy, hard-hitting organ trio that runs the stylistic gamut from vintage soul jazz to electrified P-Funk grooves; the common ground throughout being the infectious and mesmerizing power of funk.

"What I'm trying to do with this band is to maintain the overall groove and then improvise on top of it, or actually within it," says Payne. "My concept is to play the groove but to also go with what's happening in the band at the moment. As long as I have some lynchpin accents in the grooves, I feel that the people can get it... and they can groove and dance to it, and at the same time I can take them to another place. I'm seeing it as the next level of groove music."

With Bill Bickford on guitar and Jerry Z on organ, Payne has assembled a flexible and formidable unit. Bickford is a former member of Defunkt, and has also toured and recorded with fusion drumming legend Billy Cobham. Bill counts organ heroes Jack McDuff and Dr. Lonnie Smith as former employers. Z, a talented newcomer on the Hammond B-3 organ scene, acquits himself with requisite grease and aggression on this slamming debut.

Payne and company lay it down strong and stay strictly on the goodfoot. It's good to hear them get up and do their thing. -- Bill Milkowski

Bill Milkowski is a regular contributor to Jazz Times and Modern Drummer magazines. He is also the author of "JACO: The Extraordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pastorius" (Backbeat Books)