It has been said that instrumentalist Bruce Katz has one foot in jazz and the other foot in the blues, but those aren't the only styles that interest the organist/pianist; rock, soul, and gospel are also part of what he does.
All of those influences assert themselves on Three Feet Off the Ground, which tends to be more aggressive and rockin' than the album that preceded it, 1997's Mississippi Moan.
"Wrecking Ball" and "Beef Jerky" (which brings to mind Lee Morgan's "The Sidewinder") are definitely among the more forceful things Katz has recorded, and his guitarist Julien Kasper sounds equally uninhibited.
Although Katz is a talented acoustic pianist with a healthy appreciation of Albert Ammons, his piano playing takes a back seat to the organ this time.
Katz's Hammond B-3 dominates the CD, and one is reminded how appealing he is on the instrument.
As an organist, Katz has a gritty, earthy sound that is somewhere between Jimmy Smith and Stax hero Booker T.
Jones (of Booker T.
& the MG's fame).
Three Feet Off the Ground is a release that blues, jazz, and rock fans alike will want to hear.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beef JerkyBruce Katz, John Lennon | Bruce Katz Band | Play | 04:20 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 2 | In the ShadowBruce Katz | Bruce Katz Band | Play | 07:13 | 16 MB | 35 MB |
| 3 | Wrecking BallBruce Katz | Bruce Katz Band | Play | 04:27 | 10 MB | 26 MB |
| 4 | Way Down TimeBruce Katz | Bruce Katz Band | Play | 06:34 | 15 MB | 32 MB |
| 5 | Three Feet off the GroundBruce Katz | Bruce Katz Band | Play | 04:14 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 6 | Walk With MeBruce Katz | Bruce Katz Band | Play | 06:23 | 14 MB | 31 MB |
| 7 | You're ItBruce Katz | Bruce Katz Band | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 25 MB |
| 8 | Jet LagBruce Katz | Bruce Katz Band | Play | 05:17 | 12 MB | 27 MB |
| 9 | The HookGerald Albright, Chuckii Booker, Bruce Katz | Bruce Katz Band | Play | 04:49 | 11 MB | 24 MB |
| 10 | Key to the CityBruce Katz, Ralph Rosen | Bruce Katz Band | Play | 05:01 | 11 MB | 26 MB |
| 11 | Switchin'Bruce Katz | Bruce Katz Band | Play | 04:37 | 10 MB | 26 MB |
| 57 mins | 131 MB | |||||
| 57 mins | 306 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gerald Albright | Composer |
| 2 | Chuckii Booker | Composer |
| 3 | Aaron Franz | Assistant Engineer |
| 4 | Jean Hangarter | Cover Photo |
| 5 | Joe Harley | Audio Production, Producer |
| 6 | Julien Kasper | Guitar, Main Personnel |
| 7 | Bruce Katz | Composer, Hammond B3, Main Personnel, Organ (Hammond), Piano, Primary Artist |
| 8 | Bruce Katz Band | Performer, Primary Artist |
| 9 | John Lennon | Composer |
| 10 | Blake Newman | Bass (Acoustic), Double Bass, Main Personnel |
| 11 | Duke Robillard | Guest Artist, Guitar, Main Personnel |
| 12 | Ralph Rosen | Composer, Drums, Main Personnel |
| 13 | Michael C. Ross | Audio Engineer |
| 14 | Bill Synan | Assistant Engineer |
| 15 | Hillary Weiss | Art Direction, Design |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |