Name: Cookin' On 3 Burners
Members: Jake Mason (Hammond Organ), Ivan Khatchoyan (Drums), Dan West (Guitar)
Interviewee: Jake Mason
Nationality: Australian
Recent release: Cookin' On 3 Burners's latest 45 "I'm Comin' Home To You" / "Whole Woman" is out via Soul Messin'.

Tool of Creation: Hammond Organ
Type of Tool: Electric organ
Designed by: Laurens Hammond, John M. Hanert
Country of origin: America
Manufactured: 1935-

If you enjoyed this interview with Jake Mason of Cookin' On 3 Burners about the Hammond Organ and would like to stay up to date with the trio's music, visit their official homepage. They are also on Instagram, twitter, Soundcloud, and Facebook.



What was your first encounter with the Hammond organ? What was it about it that drew you in?

I was always drawn to the Hammond organ sound in recordings, but I didn’t know exactly what the instrument was, and the sound mystified me. It was a sound that mostly was subtle but then poked out and had its moment in spots. It took me a while to really find out what and how that sound was made and what even a Leslie Speaker was.

It was around the time I discovered the Procol Harum track “A Whiter Shade of Pale” which has a fabulous Hammond Organ introduction by Matthew Fisher that I went in deep with and have never returned.



Just like any other instrument, the Hammond organ has a rich history. What are some of the key points from this history for you personally?

A key moment in the history of the Hammond Organ for me was when it travelled outside the gospel church and into the jazz scene. It brought so much soul with it and joining the guitar and drums made for a complete full trio sound, especially with its bass capabilities. I really connected with this organ trio format.

Another key moment was when it carved itself into the funk and soul world being a colour and texture that could be tight and choppy and also smooth and buttery. (Thinking of The Meters here)



This sound is a considerable part of the organ blueprint for Cookin’ On 3 Burners although The Meters has bass guitar not organ bass.

What, to you, are some of the most interesting Hammond organ recordings and -performances by other artists in terms of your personal development?

Here are a few of the classics and they have spent a considerable time on my record player.

"Back at the Chicken Shack" – Jimmy Smith

Such a classic!



"All About My Girl" – Jimmy McGriff

This is just such a great groove and screamin’ feel good blues. I have listened to this track over and over and always get so much enjoyment every time.



"Big Brother" - Larry Goldings

Larry’s playing is really inspiring and an example of how you can find new ideas in an old tradition and 70 year old instrument. It's the 1st track from his 1995 album Whatever It Takes.




When talking about electronic devices, we often think about their “features”. But the Hammond organ is a complex device, too. What are some of its stand-out features from your point of view? How would you describe its sonic potential?

The number one feature of playing the Hammond Organ for me is the ability to be the bass player, hold down the chordal harmony and play lead melodies. Sometimes it’s all those things and sometimes it’s one or two. Not many instruments give you this flexibility and opportunity.

The Hammond Organ’s reach from a sonic perspective is huge, all the way from the lowest lows to well into the highs. It also can be super thick in width with the Leslie giving you the ability for the sound to touch all four corners of the room.

Quite often this power must be treated with respect as sonically it can over dominate the sound and take over.

Instrument design is an ongoing process. Are you interested in recent developments for the Hammond organ in this respect?

The recent developments have really brought a buttery realistic recreation of the original Hammond Organ sound in a size and format that is very manageable. To carry a B3 and Leslie around as a working musician requires a team of very strong and fit people and a screwdriver and soldering iron at all times.

The modern option is very enjoyable to play especially when it’s paired with a Leslie Speaker to get the air moving. I hope that this development continues and is innovative to take the Hammond Organ to the next level.

In the light of picking your instrument, how would you describe your views on topics like originality and innovation vs perfection and timelessness in music? Are you interested in a “music of the future” or “continuing a tradition”?

This is a question I always have in my mind. I feel that we need to be looking forward finding something new and then further again to find the next new thing. We don’t need another replication of what’s already been done, that time and moment has gone.

BUT a considerable amount of the music that I make is drenched in tradition and styles of the past. I am constantly asking myself - How do I make this feel now and today with the influence of the past?

I think you can look to the future and be innovative without abandoning the past.


Cookin' on 3 Burners Interview Image (c) the artists

Tell me about the process of learning to play the instrument and your own explorations with it.

Unlike playing the acoustic piano, playing the Hammond Organ requires a commitment to the equipment and the sound which is in addition to all the regular elements of learning an instrument.

It’s hunting down a Leslie Speaker, finding an organ in someone’s barn, working out how it works, working out how to fix it, dusting it off and making it come alive. Then, how to massage all the technical elements together so that it sounds just right ... oh and then how do you transport this all to a gig?

Learning how to play the Hammond Organ is half about getting your gear and tweaking it till it sounds just right, and the other half is then actually playing it.

What are specific challenges in terms of playing the Hammond organ?

One of the key challenges of playing the Hammond Organ in a traditional organ trio setting is separating the left and right hand rhythmically so each hand is free to do its own thing. Just as if they were almost two separate people.

This is even more problematic when improvising as it’s not something that you can really plan ahead for that easily. I imagine this is similar to the independence you need when play the drums.

What interests you about the Hammond organ in terms of it contributing to your creative ideals? How do you see the relationship between your instrument and the music you make?

I really like playing in the rhythm section of a band as it’s like the engine room of the groove and harmony. It starts the picture of the music for the lead colour to slot in over the top. The organ and drums are great at creating this vibe and space.

As well as this, the organ can also be the lead colour and has tones and colours that work well in this space. It terms of creativity; the organ really has the best of both worlds.

Some see instruments merely as tools towards creativity, others feel they go hand in hand. What's your take on that?

I see instruments as the megaphone of the original idea within. Like a tool but they also influence the idea, so they can’t be underestimated. It’s not a one-way street but a whole connection and energy that flows both ways.

How would you describe your personal style of playing the Hammond organ?

I play the sounds that I hear and like which is where ‘my sound’ comes from. Whether it’s because it’s one of my compositions or because I’m adding my style hopefully comes across as me.

I’m probably not the best person to describe my style as I’m always the player not the listener.
 
What does playing your instrument feel like, what do you enjoy about it, what are your own physical limits and strengths?

Playing in Cookin’ On 3 Burners, which I have been doing for at least 25 years, feels like sitting in a comfortable well-worn armchair. Playing together over such a long time, you extend your musically language to things that don’t even need to be spoken about.

There are things that I instinctually do that I don’t do in any other band which connects the organ and drums together and makes the band sound how it does. This unspoken language is also really good for improvisation and writing new material together.

I wish I had more ‘technique’ and could play faster! Ha! But then sometimes your physical limits are a good thing and make you delve into territory that you would never get into.  

Could you describe working with the Hammond organ on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that's particularly dear to you, please?

"Cars" – Cookin’ On 3 Burners

I thought it might be fun to revisit a track that I recorded a while back with Cookin’ On 3 Burners. It’s a version of the classic track Cars by Gary Numan.



The Hammond Organ features as the main lead for the melody. We tracked all instruments live except for a few extra organ and percussion parts that we overdubbed later. We really wanted the organ to become an orchestra within the track and it pretty much does this with all the different tones that come from the single instrument.

We had the organ pretty loud in the studio so it was just getting the right amount of grit to the sound and then recorded it on analogue tape to give it warmth and saturation.