Artist

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio

Seattle, United States • Formed 2015

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio is a music group from Seattle, United States, active since 2015. Their discography on Gatefold includes 9 records.

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9

Albums tracked

53

In collections

2015

Since

Biography

After years of playing in bands that inevitably fell apart, as bands so often do, keyboard player Delvon Lamarr landed in a different kind of group: one founded by his wife and manager, Amy Novo. She created the DELVON LAMARR ORGAN TRIO so her husband could fully focus on the things he does best: writing and playing music. With a deep soul backbone augmented by jazz, rhythm & blues and rock ’n’ roll, the Seattle trio — Lamarr on B-3 organ,

The Arc of Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio

The pivots — what forced Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio to reinvent.

  1. The Colemine Handshake

    The group’s trajectory changed the second Terry Cole signed them to Colemine Records after seeing a live video shot in a rehearsal space. Close But No Cigar wasn't just a debut; it was a manifesto for the label’s revivalist soul aesthetic, capturing the original lineup with David McGraw and Colin Higgins before the chemistry shifted. You can hear the hunger in those tracks, recorded with minimal gear and zero ego, effectively launching them from Seattle dive bars to international jazz festivals overnight.

  2. The Jimmy James Integration

    When Jimmy James took over guitar duties, the band’s DNA pivoted from standard soul-jazz into something much grittier and more improvisational. James brought a heavy dose of Steve Cropper and Eddie Hazel to the mix, forcing Lamarr to play more aggressively to keep up with the feedback and fuzz. This era peaked with I Told You So, where the interplay became telepathic and the band leaned harder into the 'feel-good' funk that defines their current reputation.

  3. The Cold as Weiss Realignment

    The introduction of Dan Weiss on drums for the 2022 sessions brought a tighter, more disciplined snap to the backbeat that differed from the loose, swinging style of previous percussionists. It resulted in a sleeker, more percussive record that felt designed for the road, emphasizing the trio's ability to lock into a single repetitive groove for minutes at a time without breaking a sweat. This shift proved the band wasn't just a vessel for Lamarr’s solos, but a rhythmic machine that could swap parts and still maintain that signature heavy-bottomed sound.

Influences

  • Jimmy Smith — Lamarr has explicitly cited Smith's 'The Sermon!' as the blueprint for how a B3 can lead a small combo without suffocating the room. You hear it in the way Lamarr uses the drawbars to shift textures mid-solo, mimicking Smith’s percussive attack. It's the foundational DNA of the entire jazz-organ genre.
  • Booker T. & the M.G.'s — The band frequently covers 'Green Onions' in their live sets, acknowledging the Stax house band as their primary structural influence. Jimmy James’s entire guitar vocabulary is built on the economic, staccato chugging of Steve Cropper. They took the M.G.'s blueprint and just cranked the volume.
  • The Meters — The syncopation on tracks like 'Memphis' is a direct lift from the New Orleans funk established by Zigaboo Modeliste and Leo Nocentelli. Lamarr’s bass pedal work mimics George Porter Jr.’s liquid lines more than any traditional jazz bassist. They prioritize the 'pocket' over the 'changes' in every single session.
  • Grant Green — Jimmy James has pointed to Green’s Blue Note era as his North Star for melodic phrasing and clean-but-biting tone. On records like 'Idle Moments,' Green proved you could play jazz with a blues heart, which is exactly how this trio operates. It’s about the space between the notes as much as the notes themselves.
  • Curtis Mayfield — The trio’s cover of 'Move On Up' isn't just a tribute; it’s a demonstration of how they translate Mayfield’s orchestral soul into a three-piece format. They strip away the horns and strings but keep the relentless, optimistic drive of the original rhythm tracks. It’s the gospel-adjacent soul that keeps their sound from becoming too clinical.

Discography

Their records — most-collected first.

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