The B-3 Side: Jazz-Blues Quintet

It’s not about money. It’s not about fame. The members of The B-3 Side play their instruments and sing because they love it, and because they can. They’ve done their traveling. They’ve lived here and there, so playing and having a good time is what they’re all about. And it’s obvious. And when someone loves what they do—and they’re that good at it—the talent really shines.

Performing since about 2003, The B-3 Side blends old and new with an original flare toward the traditional. Their widely diverse repertoire is impressive. Think big-band, rock, funk, blues and classic jazz. Think James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Ray Vaughn. When they offer up Ray Charles’ “Georgia on My Mind,” you crave a much extended encore. Legends who have influenced their music include Jack McDuff, Shirley Scott, and Jimmy Smith, the master of the Hammond B-3 organ.

Like another member of the band, the venerable B-3 takes its own spotlight on the stage. Under Carl Holmes’ skilled finger and footwork, the 400 lb. instrument comes to life, laying down its undertow growl, with sax and trumpet putting forth melodies and solos. The rhythms are varied and lyrical with guitar and drums producing unique, attention-grabbing fills. The Hammond is capable of imitating almost any musical instrument. Notes hit a second time, like an echo, resulting in a richer, much larger and deeper sound.

“The organ fills the holes your subconscious mind needs to have filled,” Holmes explains. “In other words, you hear it, and if it wasn’t there, you’d hear it. You would know it’s missing if it wasn’t there.”

According to Holmes, the founder of the group, the Hammond organ is making a comeback. An electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934, it was initially sold to churches as a lower-cost substitute for the pipe organ. Eventually, the Hammond became a standard for gospel, and during the ‘60s and ‘70s, for jazz, blues and rock. Even though the last one was made in the mid-seventies, thousands of them are still in use today. Just check out any number one group, any kind of music, even country, and you’ll notice the Hammond.

Holmes says, “When I can no longer move that organ around, then it’s time for me to quit.” Let’s hope he’s in it for the long haul.


History of the Band:

Carl Holmes, vocalist and organist, has an extensive background in Latin, blues and jazz. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, he found his way to Mountain Home, Idaho, via the United States Air Force. He was an aircraft mechanic, but also used his bachelor’s degree in social psychology to teach. Although the military kept him busy, he did sometimes manage to stay connected to his music, at least early on in his career. While stationed in Japan, for example, he performed with a group in the local clubs where, he says, “they were treated like kings.” In 1972, he formed the band “Moving Company” in Mountain Home, then after that, he was sent to Germany. A long dry spell followed. This Vietnam Vet became disheartened by the political atmosphere of the time, and he just quit playing.

But one day in 2003, long after being stationed in Mountain Home for the second time, Holmes found himself in a local music store listening to “a 14-year-old kid playing jazz on the guitar.” It was Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.” He asked the young man, Adam Bridges, “How come you’re doing that? No one does that around here. Are you in a band?”

Bridges’ response was, “No. I don’t want to play rock.” He had no one. At least until he met Carl Holmes, who needed just that kind of inspiration to get his music up and running again. He said to Bridges, “I’ll play with you. Come to my house and we’ll jam.”

So, they played. They got a drummer named Jack Neal, a local contractor, and they eventually formed the B-3 Side. But one year later, Bridges had to leave because his military father was assigned to another base. Holmes kept playing, though. Band members came and went. Then one New Year’s Eve, he and Scotty Reusser “kicked it off right away.” Holmes says they’re alike. They “think rhythmically together” and “his drumming is as solid and as steady as a metronome.” Reusser is also a private music teacher and lives in Boise, Idaho.

Next to come on board was saxophonist Dean Jennings. A computer geek who plays every kind of wind instrument on the planet, Jennings studied jazz with trumpet and flugelhorn player Jim Kloss at the University of North Texas. Kloss, who also plays the piano, is a computer tech and an electrician and lives in Boise.

John Jones, vocalist and guitarist, is a military man just like Holmes. He spent 26 years in the Army National Guard and played in the 25th Army Band. He is a self-taught musician. When he was still in the crib, his mother, who had a beautiful voice, sang to him everyday. She’d turn up the music and he’d listen, rocking back and forth furiously to the beat. At six years old, he picked up a guitar. He appears with the John Jones Trio and the Riverside Jazz Orchestra. He also enjoys photography and lives in Boise.

The B-3 Side performs at festivals, concerts and nightclubs around southwestern Idaho, including Sun Valley. Go to MySpace.com/theb3side and listen to one of their songs. Kick back and enjoy.

Contact: theb3side@hotmail.com