Clayton Doley’s Organ Donors

Clayton Doley’s Organ Donors - Tension! -2010 - Sundazed

Australia’s Organ Donors, led by Hammond B-3 whiz Clayton Doley and joined by Jak Housden on guitar, James Haselwood on bass, and Dave Hibbard on drums, reproduce the funky groove sound of late-'60s instrumental R&B and soul-jazz, although nearly all of the group’s material consists of original compositions. It’s a neat trick, and recording with vintage equipment from the era in question, the Donors sound like nothing so much as a reconstituted Booker T. & the MG's on Tension!, their debut album. The rhythm section plays with the same crisp simplicity that made the MG's so universal, and that gives Doley and guitarist Housden a lot of room to expand the sonic architecture with their lead lines and riffs, which can range from spare and smoky to jazzily psychedelic and progressive by turns -- although everything here sounds like it came out of the Stax studios 50 years ago. That isn’t a bad thing, by any means. Highlights include the leadoff track, “Booker Table” (dedicated, no doubt, to Booker T. Jones, who one could swear was playing on this cut); the rhythmic percussion richness of the title tune, “Tension”; the undeniably funky homage to organist Jack McDuff called “Up the McDuff”; and the mildly psychedelic “Mosquito,” which gives Housden room to stretch out on electric guitar. Soul is soul, even if it comes from Australia, and the Organ Donors understand the groove of it to a T -- Booker T., that is. © Steve Leggett © 2013 AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/tension!-mw0002060524

Australia isn’t exactly famous for spawning authentic soul music, but that’s all about to change with the release of Tension!, the riveting debut album by Down Under’s leading instrumental combo, Clayton Doley’s Organ Donors. Tension! offers an exciting introduction to the foursome’s unique brand of instrumental R&B, igniting an unstoppable explosion of deep-grooved psychedelic-soul soundscapes that inspire comparisons with such vintage masters as Booker T. and the MGs, Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Smith while maintaining an unmistakably modern sensibility. Delivering bracing new music that taps into a timeless well of musical tradition, Tension! is perfectly timed to take advantage of the current resurgence of interest in vintage soul sounds. In an impressively short period of time, Clayton Doley’s Organ Donors have become a potent force on the Australian scene, winning an enthusiastic fan base and abundant acclaim from critics and fellow musicians. Driven by seasoned keyboard virtuoso Doley’s mighty Hammond organ, the quartet’s dynamic range veers from quiet whispers to thunderous roars, with rapid-fire shedding turning to shimmering soundscapes of raw emotion. Joining organist/leader Doley is a handpicked set of players whose world-class musicianship elevates the keyboardist’s compositions to dizzying levels of interactive inspiration. Guitarist Jak Housden’s distinctive stylings balance funkiness and warmth, and his effortless chemistry with Doley’s keyboard work is complemented by the powerful, subtly inventive rhythm section of bassist James Haselwood and drummer Dave Hibbard. One could be forgiven for mistaking Tension! for a rare vintage gem unearthed from the vaults of a long forgotten American R&B label, thanks to the musicians’ careful attention to sonic detail. The band cut the tracks live in the studio, using completely vintage instruments and recording gear. The emphasis on vintage technology extended to the use of such largely forgotten studio effects as spring reverb and tape flanging. In keeping with the music’s generation-spanning appeal, Tension! is available on both compact disc and 180 gram vinyl LP. In either format, this is a sizzling blast of border-crossing instrumental brilliance! Also available for download! Rev up the MP3 players! This entire album is available to download from the iTunes Store - See more at: http://www.sundazed.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=1805#sthash.rY2cjPgB.dpuf © 2013 Sundazed Music, Inc. http://www.sundazed.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=1805

Clayton Doley’s website says, “They effortlessly link between the tribal feel of Fela Kuti and the minimalism of Booker T. and the MG's, with the sound of a Blue Note recording”. This is a great retro style instrumental soul jazz album in the style of the classic Hammond Organ combos of the 1960's and in general, the mid-1960s British Invasion sound. It’s great to hear music today played like sixtie’s Georgie Fame, Booker T. & The MG’s or Brian Auger. Unusual, but great music with a real retro sound and certainly not dated. A great listen and HR by A.O.O.F.C [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 115 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. BOOKER TABLE - Clayton Doley 3:27
2. BARNEY GOES UPTOWN - Clayton Doley 4:18
3. RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL SON - Harold Ousley 6:56
4. TENSION - Clayton Doley 6:53
5. THE WHITE KNIGHT - Clayton Doley & Jak Housden 3:08
6. PARTNERS - Clayton Doley, James Haselwood, Dave Hibbard & Jak Housden 4:53
7. UP THE MCDUFF - Clayton Doley 6:45 *
8. BABY JOHN BURGESS - Doley, James Haselwood, Dave Hibbard & Jak Housden 3:42
9. MOSQUITO - Doley, James Haselwood, Dave Hibbard & Jak Housden 9:03

* Omitted on some vinyl issues of this album

MUSICIANS

Jak Housden - Guitar
James Haselwood - Bass
Clayton Doley - Hammond Organ
Dave Hibbard - Drums
Declan Kelly - Additional Percussion on Track 4

BIO (WIKI)

Clayton Doley (born 13 September 1974) is an Australian musician, singer, song writer, television musical director, arranger, and record producer best known for his Hammond Organ virtuosity. As a song writer Clayton has had his works recorded by The Whitlams, Jimmy Barnes, Mahalia Barnes, Jade MacRae, Ngaiire and Kara Grainger. He has produced tracks for Jimmy Barnes' platinum selling Double Happiness album and Jade MacRae's ARIA award winning self titled debut. As a recording session musician Clayton is most often credited as playing the Hammond Organ and is sometimes listed as Clayton Dooley. He also performs on a wide variety keyboard instruments and has been credited with playing piano, wurlitzer, rhodes, clavinet and mellotron. He has played on albums for artists such as Harry Manx, A Camp (Sweden), Eugene "Hideaway" Bridges (USA), Jimmy Barnes, Renee Geyer, Billy Thorpe, The Whitlams, The Rockmellons, Adam Brand, Kasey Chambers, Alex Lloyd, Troy Cassar-Daley, James Blundell, Adam Harvey, Ed Kuepper, Slim Dusty, Beccy Cole, Felicity Urquhart, Rick Price, Tina Harrod, Jackie Orszaczky, Mahalia Barnes, Jade Macrae, Kevin Borich to name a few. As a live session musician, Clayton has played for Steve Cropper and Donald "Duck" Dunn from Booker T and The MG's (USA), Larry Braggs and David Garibaldi from Tower Of Power (USA), The Divinyls, Nigel Kennedy (UK), Eugene "Hideaway" Bridges (USA), Harry Manx (Canada), Silverchair, Billy Thorpe, Jon Stevens, Vanessa Amorosi, Guy Sebastian, Jimmy Barnes, Ian Moss, Russell Morris, Renee Geyer, The Whitlams, Mica Paris (UK), Margie Evans (USA), Louisiana Red (USA), Mojo Buford (USA), Hubert Sumlin (USA), Guitar Shorty (USA), Jenny Morris, Mia Dyson, James Morrison, Don Burrows, Adam Brand, Deborah Conway, Marcia Hines, Deni Hines, Disco Montego. At 16 he joined Adalaide band Double Wammy and at 18 he joined Sydney band The Mighty Reapers, and has since started his own bands The Hands and Clayton Doley's Organ Donors. He has opened for James Brown, BB King, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, Albert Collins, Albert King, Georgie Fame, Maceo Parker, Jon Cleary, Bon Jovi, and Cheap Trick. In 2002 Clayton and his brother Lachlan formed soul band The Hands, driven by the dueling keyboards of Clayton on Hammond Organ and Lachlan Doley on Hohner D6 Clavinet. The Hands have recorded two albums of original songs, "Live and Breathe" in 2004 and "Everything Is Wonderful" in 2008. In 2006 Clayton Doley's Organ Donors was formed with long time friends and fellow musicians Jak Housden on guitar (Badloves), James Haselwood on Bass, and Dave Hibbard (also from The Hands) on Drums. They regularly performed on the Australian festival circuit and have been referred to as Australia's answer to Booker T and the MG's. In 2010 Clayton Doley's Organ Donors released the critically acclaimed instrumental album on Sundazed called Tension. In 2012 Clayton Doley released his debut album as a solo artist "Desperate Times", an organ trio album recorded in Canada. The organ trio known as The Clayton Doley Organ Experience currently performs all over the world. He has worked as a television musical director for such shows as Good News Week broadcast on Network 10, The Sideshow broadcast on the ABC network, Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) Opening Night Gala 2009 and 2010 broadcast on Network 10 and musical director for The Great Debate 2011 broadcast on Network 10.