Banana Hammond lets it all hang out on their debut release, Hard Music, on PJCE Records.
Banana Hammond is an organ quartet made up of four of Portland’s most explosive jazz instrumentalists. Their original music pulses with a swagger that’s as unrestrained as it is precise, pushing audiences to lean in and revel in the ride. Joe Bagg commands the Hammond B3 with a deep, swelling groove that grips the listener from the first note. On tenor saxophone, Tim Willcox brings a bold and muscular sound, stretching his lines to exhilarating lengths. Guitarist Ryan Meagher darts fluidly across the neck, blending wit with raw intensity in ways that feel both sly and subversive. Beneath it all, drummer Charlie Doggett lays down a relentless foundation that keeps the band surging forward. Banana Hammond thrives on the tension between tongue-in-cheek humor and serious musicianship, proving that jazz can be both deeply playful and unapologetically hard-hitting.
Artist: Banana Hammond
Title: Hard Music
Personnel: Tim Willcox – tenor sax; Ryan Meagher – guitar; Joe Bagg – Hammond B3 organ; Charlie Doggett – drums
Track listing: Run time:
Fillmore 4:12
Lascivious Fandango 4:01
Chuck’s Blues 4:54
Build a Dream 7:04
#4 6:37
Aunt J 4:08
Summering 4:10
The Rain Before It Falls 7:06
A Atracao de Voce 5:15
Total Run Time 47:27 minutes
Tracks 1, 4, 7, 9 by Ryan Meagher, BMI
Tracks 2, 6 by Joe Bagg, Joe Bagg Music/BMI
Track 3 by Charlie Doggett, BMI
Tracks 5,8 by Tim Willcox
Recorded on on July 17th & 19th, 2023 and Mixed by: Clay Giberson
Mastered by: Joe Bagg
Executive Producer: Ryan Meagher
Art design by: Dylan Marcus McConnell
PJCER 072