Good morning.

Today we’re listening to Reuben Wilson, a jazz organist from Oklahoma by way of Los Angeles.1 Wilson started out playing the piano but then gravitated toward organ, and by the late ‘60s became one of the few organists then signed to Blue Note Records.2 We’re playing two of his earliest records on Blue Note. Love Bug, from 1969, is half standards and half originals, including the cool original composition “Hot Rod.” Blue Mode, from 1970, plays hotter. Wilson temporarily retired from music in the ‘80s but was later rediscovered by a new generation of fans, partly from samples of his records by A Tribe Called Quest and Nas.3

Love Bug - Reuben Wilson (50m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal

Blue Mode - Reuben Wilson (40m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal

Have a really nice Thursday.