Query: the modern (active) organ scene — who is carrying the B-3 today?
The soul-jazz revival wave
The 2010s–2020s revival of the classic organ trio runs largely through a handful of boutique funk/soul labels — above all Colemine Records (Loveland, Ohio) and its subsidiaries Karma Chief and Colemine's roster of organ bands — a direct descendant of the Daptone-era analog-soul movement (Sugarman 3's Adam Scone is a scene linchpin). Colemine grew from a CD-and-vinyl operation into the scene's center of gravity: delvon-lamarr-organ-trio, parlor-greens, The Sextones, GA-20 all orbit it.^[raw/articles/bandcampdaily-parlor-greens-emeralds.md] Outside the US: Zip Records (Netherlands) for the-pulitzers, Soul Messin' Records (Melbourne) for cookin-on-3-burners, and self-run imprints elsewhere — a scattered ecosystem compared to the old hammondbeat / acid-jazz labels of the 2000s wave.
Discovery changed the game. The 1960s trios were built on club residencies, AM radio singles and Blue Note linernotes; this generation was built on YouTube and KEXP live sessions (DLO3's Live at KEXP! is itself a charting album), Bandcamp preorders, vinyl-collector culture and playlist/streaming reach.^[raw/articles/wikipedia-delvon-lamarr-organ-trio.md]
How the new generation differs from the 60s organ trios:
- No bassist as a purist statement (DLO3), or bass pedals dropped entirely in favor of locked pocket drumming.
- Vintage production as aesthetic — tape machines and Tascam 388s, retro vinyl packaging, but distributed via streaming.
- Rotating lineups under one bandleader-brand, rather than stable working combos: DLO3 cycled through five drummers and three guitarists in a decade while the "Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio" name stayed constant.^[raw/articles/wikipedia-delvon-lamarr-organ-trio.md]
- Cross-pollination: players hop between scene projects (Jimmy James: True Loves → DLO3 → parlor-greens; Scone: Sugarman 3 → Scone Cash Players → Parlor Greens).
- Gospel church roots reasserted at the virtuoso end (cory-henry), versus the jazz-club roots of Jimmy Smith's generation.
The acts
| Act | Organist | Label | Since | Notable release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| delvon-lamarr-organ-trio | delvon-lamarr | Colemine | 2015 | I Told You So (2021) |
| parlor-greens | Adam Scone | Colemine | 2025 | Emeralds (2025) |
| cookin-on-3-burners | Jake Mason | Soul Messin' | 1997 | "This Girl" (2009/Kungs 2016) |
| the-pulitzers | Frank Montis | Zip Records | ~2021 (confidence: low) | Honk Honk (2023) |
| Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles | cory-henry | self/various | ~2015 | Divine Time (2025) |
^[raw/articles/wikipedia-delvon-lamarr-organ-trio.md]^[raw/articles/bandcampdaily-parlor-greens-emeralds.md]^[raw/articles/flophouse-the-pulitzers-honk-honk.md]^[raw/articles/wikipedia-cookin-on-3-burners.md]^[raw/articles/sfjazz-cory-henry-funk-apostles.md]
Other names on the watchlist (not yet paginated — insufficient dedicated sources gathered this pass)
Brian Charette (NYC B-3 in mainstream jazz circles, SteepleChase sessions), Wil Blades (San Francisco), Orgone and The Motet (funk bands with organ keys rather than organ-led), The Motet's contemporaries Lettuce (Nigel Hall on keys; organ not the lead voice), Jake Mason + The Horns Syndicate, and The Sextones' scene family. Each appeared in festival/bill contexts here rather than in dedicated ingested sources.
See also
- jimmy-smith — the template all of these trios negotiate with
- b3-vs-clonewheels — many modern acts tour on clones; DLO3's Lamarr is among the notable vintage-B-3 holdouts (confidence: medium, not verified this pass)
- hammondbeat — the earlier (2000s) revival label wave