picture of Gene Ludwig
 

 
OOM
June 2006
click here to read his story!

 

 
picture of Gene Ludwig and Jack McDuff
Gene Ludwig and JackMcDuff
Gene Ludwig
Gene's (* 1937 in Twin Rocks) mother provided young Gene with piano lessons as early as the first grade and witnessed his musical growth from then on. She would have preferred that he became a concert pianist but soon realized that his musical preference lay in Rhythm and Blues. After two years at Edinboro State Teachers College and a series of jobs, he was ready to make a life long commitment. He had spent many a night watching and listening to musicians like Ramsey Lewis, Horace Silver, Ahmad Jamal and Ray Bryant at Crawford's Grill and the Hi-Hat but when he experienced Jimmy Smith for the first time his mind was made up. "From '43 to about '55, I took formal training on piano", recounts Gene, "Around '57 I met Jimmy Smith and heard the Hammond...and I knew that's what I wanted to be: a Hammond organ player".

Gene's first Jazz Organ Combo was led by tenor saxophonist, Sonny Stanton. Later, he switched to another quartet led by Gene Barr. Gene, like so many others was forced to take piano gigs and play synthesizers during the eighties just to survive. It was in 1969 that Gene got a chance to record with Sonny Stitt. This musical education for Gene came as organist, Don Patterson was leaving Sonny's band. Gene co-led this group with PatMartino and worked up and down the East Coast. His work with Sonny Stitt would cover only a year's time, he gladly comments: "It was one of the fondest memories of my career". Once back in Pittsburgh, Gene hooked up with multi-reed talent, Bill Easley and later Walt Maddox before more limelight was cast upon him in the form of Arthur Prysock. Gene would go on the road with Prysock in 1974 and once again in 1979, all the time supporting local groups and vocalists in his home town when he could.
 
Gene appeared at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and made numerous stops in and around the Eastern cities. In fact, soon after Don Patterson passed away in 1988, Gene performed in Don's birthplace, Columbus Ohio where Don was honored posthumously. Gene even accepted the award on his behalf and handed it over to Don's mother. He played the next year with Hank Marr in Columbus and then began organizing his own Jazz Organ Jams in Shadyside (Pittsburgh area).
 
With the release of Gene's 1998 CD titled "Back on the Track" came a resurgence of fresh energy. His career has once again moved forward in both recording and touring on a national basis. Four other CD's have since been released, "Soul Serenade" in 2000, "The Groove Organization" in 2002, "Hands On" in 2004 and "Live in Las Vegas" in 2006. All of Gene's recent work has been praised for its energy and hard driving groove. Live performances have also kept Gene busy. He has appeared at the 2001 San Francisco Jazz Festival; Birdland in NYC; and the 2003 Stanford Jazz Festival for the Stanford Jazz Workshop; the Newark Museum of Art Summer Jazz Series (2004) and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (2006). Of particular note, however, was his re-union concert with his original trio of guitarist, Jerry Byrd and drummer, Randy Gelispie that took place in Cleveland in the fall of 2004 and three nights of concerts in the Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City in February 2006.
 
For Gene Ludwig, the Hammond organ never really left the scene... He has been and will continue to be one of this country's most passionate exponents of Jazz Organ.
 
partially taken from a biography written by Pete Fallico
 
Gene passed away on 14 July 2010.

contact: pattyeludwig1@gmail.com
homepage: www.geneludwig.com

 

Discography
Organ Out Loud
Mainstream 56032
recorded 1964 in USA
This LP was repacked in 1966 under "Hot Organ" and released by Time Records S/2199
Gene Ludwig, organ
Randy Gelispie, drums
Jerry Byrd, guitar
The Educated Sounds Of Gene Ludwig
Travis LP-707
recorded 1965 in Pittsburg, PA/USA
Gene Ludwig, organ
Randy Gelispie, drums
Jerry Byrd, guitar
Night Letter
Prestige PRST 7759
recorded October 1969 in Englewood Cliffs, NJ/USA
Sonny Stitt, tenor sax
Gene Ludwig, organ
Pat Martino, guitar
Randy Gelispie, drums
Now's The Time
Muse 5164
recorded November/December 1979 in Pittsburg, PA/USA
Gene Ludwig, organ
George Green, tenor sax
Larry McGee, guitar
Kwasi Jayourba, percussion
Tom Soisson, drums
Back On The Track
Loose Leaf Records 9804
recorded 23 June 1998 in Pittsburgh, PA/USA
Gene Ludwig, organ
Randy Caldwell, guitar
Tony Janflone sr, guitar
Dan Muchoney, drums
Randy Gelispie, drums
George Jones, percussion
Soul Serenade
Loose Leaf Records 9810
recorded June/July 1999 in Pittsburgh, PA/USA
Gene Ludwig, Hammond B-3 organ
Ken Karsh, guitar
Tom Wendt, drums
J. Willis, tenor sax
Don Aliquo jr., tenor sax
Keep That Groove Going!
Milestone MCD 9319-2
recorded April 2001 in Englewood Cliffs/USA
Plas Johnson, tenor sax
Red Holloway, tenor sax
Gene Ludwig, organ
Melvin Sparks, guitar
Kenny Washington, drums
The Groove Organization
Loose Leaf Records 9818
recorded September 2001 in Dover/USA
Gene Ludwig, organ
Billy James, drums
Bob DeVos, guitar
Groove Guitar!
Blues Leaf Records 9822
recorded November 2002 in USA
Bob DeVos, guitar
Gene Ludwig, organ
Billy James, drums
Emedin, congas, percussion
Hands On
Blues Leaf Records 9826
recorded August 2003 in Pittsburgh, PA/USA
Gene Ludwig, Hammond B-3 organ
Ken Karsh, guitar
Tom Wendt, drums
Eric DeFade, sax
Blues To Die For
Blues Bureau International BB 20472
recorded in Las Vegas, NV and Dover, NJ/USA
Leslie West, guitar, vocals
Bruce Rickerd, guitar
Gene Ludwig, Hammond organ
Brian Mitchell, Hammond organ, piano
Gunter Nezhoda, bass
Aynsley Dunbar, drums
What's New
HighNote HCD 7100
recorded August 2002 in Pittsburgh, PA/USA
Jimmy Ponder, guitar
Gene Ludwig, organ
Cecil Brooks III, drums
Live In Las Vegas
Blues Leaf Records 9831
recorded live September 2002 at the Blue Note in Las Vegas/USA
Gene Ludwig, Hammond B-3 organ
Joe Lano, guitar
Tommy Check, drums
Emedin, percussions
Worry No More
TVA Records
recorded 2007 in USA
Jared Wilson, tenor sax
Gene Ludwig, piano, organ
no more details known
Duff's Blues
18th & Vine 18V 1056
recorded live in Baker Hall, Zoellner Arts Center in Bethlehem, PA/USA
Gene Ludwig, Hammond B-3 organ
Bill Warfield, trumpet
Joe Wilder, trumpet
Danny Cahn, trumpet
Dave Spier, trumpet
Tim Sessions, trombone
Sam Burtis, trombone
Ben Ken, alto sax
Glenn Cashman, tenor sax
Ed Xiques, baritone sax
Bob DeVos, guitar
Rudy Petschauer, drums
Across The Tracks
Concord Jazz CCD-30388

Scott Hamilton, tenor sax
Doug James, baritone sax
Gene Ludwig, organ
Duke Robillard, guitar
Chuck Riggs, drums
Love Notes Of Cole Porter
Big O Records 2416
recorded October 2008 in Aspinwall, PA/USA
Gene Ludwig, Hammond C-3 organ
Mark Strickland, guitar
Lou Stellute, tenor sax
Thomas Wendt, drums
Billy Kuhn, drums
Double Exposure
Savant SCD 2072
recorded July 2000 in Pittsburgh, PA/USA
Cecil Brooks III, drums
Gene Ludwig, Hammond B-3 organ
Young Guns
HighNote HCD7258
recorded 1968-69 live at Club 118 in Louisville, KY/ USA
Gene Ludwig, Hammond C-3 organ
Pat Martino, guitar
Randy Gelispie, drums

 
Videos
Live At Zanzibar Blue in Philadelphia/USA
recorded August 2005
Gene Ludwig, organ
Ken Karsh, guitar
Eric DeFade, tenor sax
Tom Wendt, drums

 
Sound Samples
MP3 "Louie And Jazz", from the album "Hands On"
06:12 - 5,811kB
Video "Live At Zanzibar Blue" recorded in August 2005 in Philadelphia/USA [as MP4, size: 31,556 kB]

 
YouTube videos
For more videos search YouTube

 
 

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